Establishment
The city was established in 1979 by the 504th presidential decree of president Anwar El Sadat. It is 17 km from the great pyramids of Giza and 32 km from downtown Cairo. The city has a total area of 97.4 thousand feddans (400 km2) and is expected to eventually have 3.7 million inhabitants. It was announced as the capital of the 6th of October Governorate in April 2008. Following the governorate's dissolution in April 2011, it was reincorporated into the Giza Governorate, to which it had originally belonged.
The city's name commemorates the commencement of the October War on 6th October 1973 to liberate Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. For this reason, the date was also chosen as Egypt's Armed Forces Day.
Read more about this topic: 6th Of October City