Discover the Red Sea Governorate Cities, From Hurghada To Halyaeb

Hurghada

The city was founded in the early 20th century. Until a few years ago it was a small fishing village but since, 1980 gradually developed into a vibrant and modern coastal Red Sea resort.
Holiday resorts and hotels provide aquatic sport facilities for waterskiing, kayaking, scuba diving and snorkeling. Hurghada is renowned for its water sports activities; nightlife and all-year pleasantly warm weather. Daily temperature hovers round 30 °C (86 °F) most of the year.
Many Europeans spend their Christmas and New Year holidays in the city, mainly Germans, British, Russians and Italians.
The distance from the metropole Cairo is around 450 km. Hurghada stretches for about 36 kilometres (22 miles) along the seashore, not reaching far into the surrounding desert. The resort is a popular destination for Egyptian tourists from Cairo, the Delta and Upper Egypt, as well as attracting package holiday tourists from Europe, notably Italians and Germans.
Today Hurghada has nearly 250,000 inhabitants and the city is divided into three major neighborhoods:
- El Dahar, which is the oldest part downtown In El Dahar you’ll find the authentic local vegetable and fruits market, together with the town’s largest bazaar, the main post office and bus stations serving long distances travel.
- Sekalla is the city center;Sakalla with its main street Sheraton Road is the most recognized district because of its bustling 24 hours attractions and amenities for both residents and tourists.
- El Memsha, is the modern part of the city and the new attraction area for tourists where you can find the best shops, restaurants & night life places.
The city is served by the Hurghada International Airport with scheduled passenger traffic connecting to Cairo and directly with several cities in Europe. The airport has undergone renovations to accommodate rising traffic and boasts a second and ultra modern terminal since 2015.

Resorts near Hurghada
Hotels in Hurghada Diving Sights near Hurghada Shopping in Hurghada Night Life inHurghada
Where to eat in Hurghada Islands Near Hurghada Hotels in El Gouna Hotel in Sahl Hasheesh
Hotels in Makadi bay Hotels in Soma bay

Safaga

Port Safaga, also known as Safaga (Egyptian Arabic: Safāga, IPA: [sæˈfæːɡæ]), is a town in Egypt, on the coast of the Red Sea, located 53 km (33 mi) south of Hurghada. This small port is also a tourist area that consists of several bungalows and rest houses, including the Safaga Hotel, with a capacity of 48 rooms (126 beds).

Having numerous phosphate mines, it is regarded as the phosphates export center. A paved road of 164 km (102 mi) connects Safaga to Qena of Upper Egypt.

This port is also a gateway for Deba port Saudi Arabia to some pilgrims or travelers to ٍSaudi Arabia by ferries.
Safaga was a marine port connected by a regular cruise shuttle service line. The port town was founded between 282 BC and 268 BC, originally called Philotera (Φιλοτέρα) by the Greek Egyptian Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who named the town in honor of his deceased sister. Safaga City is considered one of the most important therapeutic tourist centres, as special medical researches have proved the potential of attracting international tourism to Safaga.

The resort is known for its unpolluted atmosphere, black sand-dunes and mineral springs which have acquired specific characteristics for remedy of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

Safaga has a small but thriving tourism industry, specialising in scuba diving.

Safaga was a merchant port for many years; now the town, with its wide azure bay, long sandy beaches and pretty islands, is a favourite sports destination in theRed Sea Riviera. Safaga is especially popular among kitesurfers and windsurfers, and was the host of the 1993 Red Sea World Windsurfing Championships. At 53 km (33 mi) south of Hurghada, Safaga acquires its unique character from both its port and the small surrounding village. A holiday in Safaga is mainly about watersports and sightseeing, with little nightlife around, except for some beach parties organised by the local divers and surfers.

The black sand dune beaches characteristic of Safaga are a favourite spot for sun bathers. The sea water is highly saline and rich in minerals which are beneficial for the skin, and it is a popular curative destination in the Red Sea Riviera.

Safaga is also home to some of the most outstanding diving of the Red Sea, with the bay’s chain reefs of Tobia Arbaa, and the impressive walls of Panorama and Abu Qifan towering reefs, where often big pelagics such as tunas, sharks and mantas can be spotted.

Safaga is also a good starting point for a day trip into the Eastern Desert to check out the granite quarries of Mons Claudianus, or to the sights of Luxor, one of the most impressive sights of Egypt, only 220 km (140 mi) away.

Hotels in Safaga
Diving Sights near Safaga Shopping in Safaga Night Life in Safaga
Where to eat in Safaga Islands Near Safaga Hotels in Soma bay

El Qusier

El Qusier or Al-Qusayr (Arabic: el-Oṣēr Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [elʔoˈsˤeːɾ]) El Qusier is a city in eastern Egypt, located on the Red Sea coast. It dates back to pharaonic times and the ancient name is Leucus Limen, meaning ‘white port in Greek.
The fishing harbour's narrow side streets lead up to an area of tourist bazars flanking the main street, Sharia Gomhuriya, which ascends to an unmissable and impressive Ottoman citadel. El Qusier is located 138 kilometers south of Hurghada, 139 km north of Marsa Alam and 73 km north of the Marsa Alam International Airport. Today, the population of El Qusier is around 50,000. Summers here are hot and winters are comfortably warm. Rain is very rare as in most parts of Egypt.
El Quseir makes for a great half or full day excursion. The fort of El Quseir lies on high ground in what is now the centre of town. Coming from Marsa Alam jump out of your taxi near the petrol station and then it's a five minute walk up the hill. Coming the other way from Safaga you can't miss it as you follow the one way main road in to town.

Your attention is immediately arrested by the muzzels of two potruding cannons. Brought by the French to protect the town and harbour, they now overlook visitors as they shop in the bazaars beneath.

The castle was originally built by Sultan Selim I in 1517 to protect what was Egypt's most important port on the Red Sea. El Qusier means "the short" in Arabic and probably the town earned this name because it was the port allowing inland pilgrims to make the shortest journey possible from the Nile valley to Mecca.

El Quseir's strategic importance derives from its close location to an ancient route from the Red Sea to the Luxor region. Hadj pilgrims would leave their camels and horses at the castle before embarking on a holy journey to Mecca. The port also served as a vital entrepot for Egypt's trade with Arabia and Asia and was a major transit hub for the spice trade on the route to Europe.

It was in the late sixteenth century, at the same time the castle was built, that the town centre of El Quseir moved from its' original site, which was near the modern Movenpick hotel, to its' current location around the fort and harbour.

The cosy town offers a large number of traditional tourist friendly bazaars along Sharia Al Gomhuriya which lies below the castle’. Here vendors sell the usual array of papyrus, alabaster statues, t shirts and leather goods. However there as also some fascinating local markets, especially on a Friday, to which the Ababda bedouin and local farmers bring their produce.

Marsa Alam

Marsa Alam (Arabic: Marsā ʿAlam IPA: [ˈmæɾsæ ˈʕælæm]) is a town in south-eastern Egypt, located on the western shore of the Red Sea. It is currently seeing fast increasing popularity as a tourist destination and development following the opening of Marsa Alam International Airport in 2003.

Among the most famous beaches around Marsa Alam is the Abu Dabab beach. In Abu Dabab, turtles are a common sight and it is nearly guaranteed that when diving, one will see at least one turtle. For tourists who seek to see something less typical, there is marine wildlife like, crocodilefish and octopuses.

Marsa Alam also has some inland attractions, such as the Emerald Mines and the Temple of Seti I at Khanais.

Despite being over 135 miles (217 km) north of the tropical zone, the city experiences a hot desert climate(Köppen: BWh), with steadier temperatures than places to the north such as Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, yet Kosseir is steadier and has cooler summers. Marsa Alam, Kosseir and Sharm el-Sheikh have the warmest night temperatures of all other Egyptian cities and resorts. Average maximum temperatures during January typically range from 22 to 25 °C (72 to 77 °F) and in August 33 to 40 °C (91 to 104 °F). The temperature of the Red Sea at this location during the year ranges from 22 to 29 °C (72 to 84 °F).

The highest record temperature was 45 °C (113 °F), recorded on May 10, 2010, while the lowest record temperature was 5 °C (41 °F), recorded on January 3, 2008.

Ras Gharib

Ras Gharib (Egyptian Arabic: Rās Ġāreb pronounced [ɾɑːs ˈɣæːɾeb]) is the northernmost of the markazes (municipalities) in the Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, situated on the African side of the Gulf of Suez. It has an area of 10,464.46 km². At the 2006 Egyptian national census, the population numbered 32,369.

It is and one of the leading centers of petroleum production in Egypt, having housed the main operations for first the Anglo-Egyptian Oil Company (a branch of Royal Dutch Shell) and then the Egyptian national petroleum company. For a time it was the capital of the Red Sea Governorate.

Shalateen

Shalateen (Egyptian Arabic: Šalatīn pronounced [ʃælæˈtiːn]; also spelled Alshalateen or Shalatin) is the biggest town just north of the Halayeb Triangle, It is located 520 kilometres south of Hurghada and serves as the administrative center (markaze) of all Egyptian territory up to the border between Egypt and Sudan.
Egyptian ministries and authorities are in the process of establishing their presence in the area and operate in conjunction with the City Council to provide services to the local communities according to the policies and programs of their respective organizations. The military is responsible for security and law enforcement in the Halayeb Triangle. Red Sea Governorate's Popular Council, including many members from the Bisharia and Ababda, are responsible for determining what the local people need and supporting local participation in management and development of this area. The Egyptian government also provides additional social services to the local communities, such as food, water, monetary assistance, subsidies, health care, veterinary care, housing and education. A new international Airport in Marsa Alam was built, about 270 kilometres from Shalateen city, which Egyptian policy makers intend to be the center of more development for the southern region included the Shalateen area.
Local tribes in Halayeb and Shalateen area have had little exposure to modernization under Sudanese administration and under Egyptian administration up to 1992. But after 1992, the Egyptian government started to implement a development plan when it started to build some settlements, including 500 new houses built in Shalateen and 250 in Aboramad and Halayeb, depending on Shalateen local council sources. Roads were also established, including a 250-kilometer road between Shalateen and Marsa Alam city in north, and three new electricity generators have begun operation since 1993. In 1993–94, the Egyptian government launched a plan for the social economic development of the area. Services and economic support were delivered in the main towns and villages and necessary infrastructures was built. Financial and in-kind donations were sponsored for a total amount of 1.5 billion L.E. currently; the Government is supporting local families with 70 L.E. per month, and 3 L.E. per day to each child going to school. Nowadays many high educated people, and many local people, work as employees of the government, NGOs and private sector companies, which will help in more development.
Depending on that and on the government development policy, many people from the mountains moved to towns in order to benefit from these services. They were given houses with a permanent water source, food supplies, electricity and education. So far, approximately 8,000 people have settled along the coast. As a result of the plan, communities in the urban areas have improved their livelihood.
Local community in Halayeb area has been involved in the management of Gabel Elba Protected Area as guides and also as environmental researchers in the management and conservation of the natural resources of this area; local people are also involved in the decision making process. The World Food Program project in this area "Support Bedouin Life Project" represents a good model for the Egyptian government's policy of local participation and community-based management of projects.

Halayeb

Hala'ib (Arabic:‎) or Halayeb is a Red Sea port and town, located in the Hala'ib Triangle, a 20,580 km2(7,950 sq mi) area. The town lies on the southern tip of the Egyptian Red Sea Riviera and is near the ruins of medieval Aydhab.

Halayeb Triagnle including the villages of: Abu Ramad, 125 kilometres to the southeast, Halayeb, 165 kilometres to the southeast, Ras Hadarba 200 kilometres to the southeast. Ras Hadarba or Cape Hadarba lies on the shores of the Red Sea to the southeast of the city of Halayeb and to the east of mount Hadarba from which it takes its name. The village of Ras Hadarba lies just north of the borders between Egypt and Sudan which run along the 22 degree north parallel of latitude, Marsa Hameera, 40 kilometres to the north, Abrak, 90 kilometres to the west.
The first three of the above towns (Abu Ramad, Halayeb and Ras Hadarba) are located within the disputed Halayeb Triangle.

In the Hala'ib region, Afrotropical elements have their northern limits at Gebel Elba, making it a unique region among Egypt's dominating Mediterranean and North African ecosystems. There is also dense cover of acacias,mangroves and other shrubs, in addition to endemic species of plants such as Biscutella elbensis.

The highest peaks in the area are Mount Elba (1,435 m), Mount Shellal (1,409 m), Mount Shendib (1,911 m) andMount Shendodai (1,526 m).

Demarcated border between Egypt and Sudan set by bilateral referee between Egypt and Britain agreement of 1899 included the areas of latitude 22 north to Egypt and the Hala'ib Triangle within the Egyptian political border is located, and after three years in 1902 returned the British occupation who ruled the two countries at the time by making Hala'ib Triangle continued management Sudanese because triangle closer to hose him to Cairo.

February 18, 1958, the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, to send troops to the region and the drag after a short period after intercepting Khartoum.

A region of the Egyptian Sudan remained administratively since 1902, but the dispute back to the surface again in 1992 when Egypt objected to giving the government of Sudan for oil exploration rights in the corresponding triangle Halayib water to a Canadian company. The company arose to withdraw until the chapter on the issue of sovereignty over the region.

Sudan sent a memorandum in July 1994 of the United Nations and the Security Council and the Organization of African Union and the League of Arab States, the Egyptian government complaining Thirty- nine raids by Egyptian forces in the Sudanese border, since the submission of the note by the Sudanese government earlier in May 1993.

Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Sedki Sobhi visited Sudan in late April 2013 and brought the message tone critical of Sudanese officials confirm that « Halayib and Shalateen » pure Egyptian land , not overcook them. But Halayib remains a disputed area, but may not end unless with an international arbitration .