Ras Sedr (Also spelled: Ras Sidr, Ras Sudr, or Ras Sudar; ar, راس سدر) is an Egyptian town located on the

Gulf of Suez The Gulf of Suez ( ar, خليج السويس, khalīǧ as-suwais; formerly , ', "Sea of Calm") is a gulf at the northern end of the Red Sea, to the west of the Sinai Peninsula. Situated to the east of the Sinai Peninsula is the smaller Gulf of ...

and the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

coast. It is a part of the

South Sinai Governorate South Sinai Governorate ( ar, محافظة جنوب سيناء ') is the least populated governorate of Egypt. It is located in the east of the country, encompassing the southern half of the Sinai Peninsula. Saint Catherine's Monastery, an Easte ...

, and consists of three areas: Wadi Sidr, Abu Sidr and Soerp. The region has been known since ancient biblical times. Ras Sudr was the last point of Sinai that was conquered by the Israelis on 8 June 1967 during the Six Day War, the town had a readily event known as the

Ras Sedr Massacre Ras or RAS may refer to: Arts and media * RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label * Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service * Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station * Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...

when Israelis killed Egyptian POW.

Geography

Ras Sidr is 200 km from

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

and approx 60 km from the

Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel The Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel is a 1640 metre long car tunnel under the Suez Canal, at Shallufa. The tunnel is named after Ahmed Hamdi, an Egyptian engineer and general killed in action during the October War. It has two lanes of traffic, one in ea ...

crossing in

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same bou ...

, on the western side of the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is ...

, and almost opposite the resort of Ayn El Sokhna on the opposite Red Sea coastline. The main travelling road to Ras Sidr is by way of the main

Sharm el Sheikh Sharm El Sheikh ( ar, شرم الشيخ, ), commonly abbreviated to Sharm, is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 53,670 ...

Road through almost total desert terrain. The road is dotted with farms where olives,

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...

s, and fruits are grown. The majority of the town and outlying districts are inhabited by Sinai Bedouins who live in the areas of Wadi Abu Sidr and Soerp. Ras Sedr itself is made up of two residential areas, bisected by the main north/south road. One side contains local housing for workers, who mainly come from the north of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and the Nile Valley. The other contains private villa residences for professionals and second holiday homes whose owners are mainly from

. There is also a large souk area with many shops and services including telephone, post office, internet services, council offices and a police station. Tradesmen of every kind can be found in the artisans' souk area. There is also a small military airstrip, which is being debated whether to build a civilian airport there or the military continues to use it.

Attractions

Ras Sidr has a 95 km beach coastline which offers waters for swimming and sea sports. The area also attracts bird watchers as tourists can see different species of migrating birds. Shallow water beaches and constantly blowing wind, makes Ras. Sedr one of the best

kite surfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

sites in the world. Recently, several kite surfing centers have opened along the cost. The artificial lakes in Holiday Inn Fantasia & La Hacienda beach resort are suitable for beginners as the wind carries the kite surfers towards the beach not away from it.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).

References

{{Authority control Populated places in South Sinai Governorate Seaside resorts in Egypt Red Sea Riviera

Geography

Attractions

Climate

See also

References