Jump to:
navigation,=
search

=20
Al-Mahmya: a tourist facility on the protected =
Giftun island=20
off the coast near Hurghada.
Hurghada (ar.: Al=20
Ghardaqah, =D8=A7=D9=84=D8=BA=D8=B1=D8=AF=D9=82=D8=A9) is an Egyptian city and a tourist center =
on the Red =
Sea.
The city was founded in the early 20th century, and since the 1980s has been =
continually=20
enlarged by Egyptian and foreign investors to become the leading =
seashore resort=20
on the Red Sea. Holiday villages and hotels provide aquatic sport =
facilities for=20
sailboarders, yachtsmen, scuba divers and snorklers.
Hurghada stretches for about 40 km along the seashore, and it does =
not reach=20
far into the surrounding desert. The resort is a destination for =
Egyptian=20
tourists from Cairo, the Delta and Upper=20
Egypt, as well as package holiday tourists from Europe, notably =
Russians,=20
Czechs and Germans. Until a few years ago it was a small fishing =
village. Today=20
Hurghada counts 40,000 inhabitants and is divided into three parts: =
Downtown (El=20
Dahar) is the old part; Sekalla is the modern part, and El Korra Road is =
the=20
most modern part. Sakkala is the relatively modest hotel quarter. Dahar is =
where the=20
town's largest bazaar, the post office =
and the=20
long-distance bus station are situated.
The city is served by the Hurg=
hada=20
International Airport with scheduled passenger traffic to and from =
Cairo and =
direct=20
connections with several cities in Europe. The airport has =
undergone=20
massive renovations to accommodate rising traffic. Hurghada is known for =
its=20
watersports activities, nightlife and warm weather. Daily high =
temperature=20
hovers round 30 degrees Celsius most of the year. Numerous Europeans =
spend their=20
Christmas and New Year holidays in Hurghada, primarily Germans and =
Italians.
[edit]=20
Aquatic Sports
Hurghada has become an international center for aquatic sports like=20
windsurfing, kiting, sailing, deep-sea fishing, swimming, and above all=20
snorkeling and diving. The underwater gardens offshore are considered =
some of=20
the finest in the world. The warm waters here are ideal for many =
varieties of=20
fish and coral, which may also be observed from a glass bottom =
boat.
The city provides a gateway to diving sites throughout the Red Sea, =
owing to=20
its central location. In addition, Hurghada is known for providing =
access to=20
many uninhabited offshore reefs and islands.
[edit]=20
Projects under construction
[edit]=20
Gamsha Bay
Gamsha Bay will be the region=E2=80=99s largest township, located =
north of Hurghada;=20
Gamsha Bay will offer its residents a wide array of housing options,=20
entertainment, and recreational amenities, including an extreme sports =
adventure=20
theme park.
Gamsha Bay will be divided into 9 distinct zones =E2=80=93 Gamsha =
Marina, Marina=20
Park, Coral Golf Course, Sea View Crescent, Creek Retreat, Gamsha Bay, =
Peninsula=20
Luxury Villas, Downtown Gamsha and Extreme Sports World Theme Park. It =
will be=20
built in five phases over 10 years, with the initial components of the =
first=20
phase completed within the next five years.
[edit]=20
Serrenia
Created by British =
architects Foster and =
Partners,=20
Serrenia will be a secure, luxurious, sustainable community. It will =
feature=20
palace-like residences, private villas, as well as apartments. At its =
heart will=20
be an artificial spa: water in the desert. There will also be a =
Children=E2=80=99s Club=20
and a Beach Club, as well as a 7-star hotel. There will be an 18-hole=20
championship golf course, featuring an iconic clubhouse and a Golf =
Academy. The=20
Marina Hub will contain exclusive shops, as well as a private marina. =
Serrenia=20
will have its own private beach at Sahl Hasheesh.
UPdate: given recent touristic developments it appears that the =
Serrenia=20
project was dropped this year.
[edit]=20
Resorts near Hurghada
[edit]=20
Al Quseir
Al Quseir is one of the Egyptian gateways, and one of the oldest =
cities on=20
the western coast of the Red Sea. In the past it was known by various =
names,=20
such as Thagho in the pharonic period, Licos Limen (the white port) in =
the=20
ptolemaic period, and Portus Albus in the Roman period. In the Islamic =
period it=20
was given the name Al Quseir, which means "a small palace or =
fortress".
Located between Hurghada and Marsa Alam, Quseir used to be an =
important port.=20
Many people traveled from there to the land of Punt to buy ivory, leather and incense. During the =
Ottoman and=20
the Islamic periods, Egyptians and Muslims from North Africa traveled =
from=20
Quesir as pilgrims to Mecca. It was also the only port importing coffee =
from Yemen. =
During the=20
French occupation of Egypt, Quseir was the arrival point for Arabs and =
Muslims=20
from Hegaz coming to fight beside the Mamalic against the French army. =
The most=20
important sites in Quseir are the fort and the water reservoir. The =
water=20
reservoir was Quseir's only source of drinking water 100 years ago.
Al Quseir Al Kadima is another important site as well. It was the old =
Roman=20
port where hundreds of amphora and old pottery artifacts were =
found.=20
Even the police station is located at a historical site. There are now =
many=20
bazaars here, as well as cafes, coffee shops and restaurants offering =
sea food.=20
There are several 300-year-old buildings here: the Ottoman fort and the =
old=20
mosques Al Farran, Al Qenawi and Al Senousi.
Al Quseir is known for diving, with many miles of unspoiled coral =
reef. Most=20
hotels have dive centres, and there are some downtown, as well. Safaris =
are=20
popular here, either by quad bike or jeep, including trips into the =
desert and=20
visits to a Bedouin village, as is camel-riding.
[edit]=20
Sharm El Naga
A village, around 40 km (25 mi) south of Hurghada. Its beach contains =
a=20
beautiful reef cliff.
[edit]=20
El Gouna
-
A privately-owned luxury hotel town, about 25 km north of Hurghada. =
Quiet and=20
clean, the town consists of several islands separated by channels and =
connected=20
by bridges. Besides 14 hotels and 2 marinas, there are also 300 private =
villas=20
and apartments, and some 500 more are under construction.[citation =
needed] It is promoted by some as Egypt's Venice. It is built on =
10 km of=20
beachfront and has unique and diverse architecture.
El Gouna provides diving and watersports centres, horse stables, =
gokarting,=20
shopping arcades, bazaars, a wide selection of restaurants and bars, =
night=20
clubs, an internet cafe, an automated teller machine (ATM), a pharmacy, =
the El=20
Gouna international school, a nursery, a private hospital, a marina, an =
airport,=20
the only casino on the Red Sea coast, a private radio station, a post =
office, a=20
real estate office and an 18-hole golf course designed by Gene Bates =
with a=20
unique aqua driving range.
[edit]=20
Al-Mahmya
A tourist beachfront camp on the protected Giftun island, 45 minutes =
by boat=20
from Hurghada.
[edit]=20
Soma Bay
A tourist resort situated 45 km (28 mi) south of Hurghada, with =
various=20
hotels including La Residence des Cascades, Inter-Continental, Robinson =
Club and=20
Sheraton (Kempinski - opening August 2008.
[edit]=20
Sahl Hasheesh
Sahl Hasheesh is a community resort developed seaside by The Egyptian =
Resorts=20
Company (ERC). It is a long-term project under development, designed to =
meet=20
social and environmental objectives.
[edit]=20
Makadi Bay
A beachside resort 35 km (22 mi) south of Hurghada. Makadi Bay =
provides scuba=20
diving and snorkeling. =
Features one of=20
the world's most impressive swimming pools at Le Meridien Hurghada: =
Makadi Bay,=20
Egypt.
[edit]=20
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: =
[edit]=20
External links