Hurghada (; ', ) is a coastal

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

that serves as the largest city and capital of the

Red Sea Governorate The Red Sea Governorate ( ) is one of the 27 governorates of Egypt. Located between the Nile and the Red Sea in the southeast of the country, its southern border forms part of Egypt's border with Sudan. Its capital and largest city is Hurgha ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Hurghada has grown from a small fishing village to one of the largest resort destinations along the Red Sea coast, stretching close to 40 km.

Etymology

The city's name is derived from the Arabic name of the

Nitraria ''Nitraria'', known as the nitre bushes, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Nitrariaceae, native to Africa, Europe, Asia, Russia and Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising main ...

plant (). The English ''Hurghada'' comes from ''gharqad (''), a variant of the same name. The tree is mentioned in a

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

, where it is called the "tree of the Jews".

Overview

Hurghada was founded in the early 20th century. For many decades it was a small fishing village, but it has grown into a major Red Sea resort as a result of Egyptian and foreign investment that began in the 1980s. Holiday resorts and hotels provide facilities for

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind-propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

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

yachting Yachting is recreational boating activities using medium/large-sized boats or small ships collectively called yachts. Yachting is distinguished from other forms of boating mainly by the priority focus on comfort and luxury, the dependence on ma ...

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

and

snorkeling Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...

. The city is known for its

watersports Water sports or aquatic sports are sports activities conducted on waterbodies and can be categorized according to the degree of immersion by the participants. On the water * Boat racing, the use of powerboats to participate in races * Boatin ...

, nightlife and warm weather. Daytime temperatures are around most of the year, and during July and August temperatures can reach over . Hurghada is a popular holiday destination for Europeans, especially during the winter, and some spend Christmas and New Year there. In recent years, Hurghada has also become a gateway for day trips an
excursions
to nearby destinations such as

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

and

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

offered by various local tour operators. Hurghada extends for about along the coast, but does not reach far into the surrounding desert. The resort is a destination for Egyptian tourists from

, the Delta and

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...

, as well as

package holiday A package tour, package vacation, or package holiday comprises transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided such as a rental car, activities or outings during the ...

tourists from Europe. Many of Hurghada's newer hotels, restaurants, and shops are located along El Mamsha. Most of the largest hotel resorts are located in the area between Mamsha and Sahl Hasheesh on El Mamsha. Beyond Sahl Hasheesh there are the hotels of Makadi Bay. Dahar is considered the oldest part of the town, where the traditional

bazaar A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and long-distance bus stations (Go Bus and Upper Egypt Bus) are situated. Sakala could be considered older because, it was the place where Hurghada was established by

Ababda The Ababda ( or ) are an Arabs, Arab or Beja people, Beja tribe in eastern Egypt and Sudan. Historically, most were Bedouin, Bedouins living in the area between the Nile and the Red Sea, with some settling along the trade route linking Korosko wit ...

fishermen and where they settled along a natural harbor. The busiest area is also Sakala, the city center on Sheraton Road lined with hotels, shops and restaurants.

Transport

The city is served by the

Hurghada International Airport Hurghada International Airport is the international airport of Hurghada in Egypt. It is located inland, southwest of El Dahar, the city centre of Hurghada. It is the second busiest airport in Egypt after Cairo International Airport, one of th ...

with scheduled passenger traffic connecting to

and directly to several cities in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

History

The Egyptian Red Sea coast has been inhabited since antiquity, with the area of Hurghada being occupied since the

4th century The 4th century was the time period from 301 CE (represented by the Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Mid ...

, when the ancient settlement of Abu Sha’ar (), located 20 km north of the modern city, was established. Originally founded as a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

military fort for Ala Nova Maximiana unit between

309 __NOTOC__ Year 309 ( CCCIX) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Licinianus and Constantius (or, less frequently, year 1062 ''Ab urbe condita''). The ...

- 311, it was transformed into a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

community around

400 __NOTOC__ Year 400 (Roman numerals, CD) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Stilicho and Aurelianus (consul 400), Aurelianus (or, less frequently, year ...

. The Christians repurposed the fort into a church, leaving behind inscriptions, graffiti, and artifacts such as a 5th-century papyrus and a tapestry with a cross. The settlement declined after either the

Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

Arab conquest of Egypt The Arab conquest of Egypt, led by the army of Amr ibn al-As, took place between 639 and 642 AD and was overseen by the Rashidun Caliphate. It ended the seven-century-long Roman Egypt, Roman period in Egypt that had begun in 30 BC and, more broa ...

. The modern city Hurghada was established in 1905 as a fishing village by

fishermen along a natural harbor. Oil was discovered in the area in 1913 by

Anglo-Egyptian Oilfields Anglo-Egyptian Oilfields Limited was an oil company registered in London, England on 6 July 1911 with a capital of £676,000 (£226,000 Anglo-Saxon Petroleum (Royal Dutch Shell), £450,000 ''Red Sea Oilfields Ltd'') with oilfields in Egypt. It wa ...

Ltd. During the reign of

King Farouk Farouk I (; ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936 and reigning until his ...

a recreational center was built in the city, but after President

Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...

's nationalization of Egypt's industries it was reallocated to the

Egyptian Armed Forces The Egyptian Armed Forces () are the military forces of the Egypt, Arab Republic of Egypt. The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces directs (a) Egyptian Army forces, (b) the Egyptian Navy, (c) Egyptian Air Force and (d) Egyptian Air Defense Forces. ...

. During the

War of Attrition The War of Attrition (; ) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from 1967 to 1970. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts were made to resolve t ...

between Israel and Egypt (1967–70),

Shadwan Island Shadwan () is a barren rocky island 30 miles southwest of the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula and 20 miles northeast of El Gouna. It is the largest of a group of islands in the mouth of the Gulf of Suez in the northern Re ...

in the Red Sea to the east of the city was fortified by Egyptian troops and used as a radar post. On 22 January 1970 the island was the site of

Operation Rhodes Operation Rhodes () was an Israeli heliborne raid against the Egyptian island of Shadwan on 22 January 1970, during the War of Attrition. It was carried out by Israeli paratroopers and Shayetet 13 naval commandos, who took control of the island ...

, a helicopter assault by Israeli troops who occupied it for 36 hours. During the

October War of 1973 The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. Most o ...

, Hurghada harbor was the target of . In September 1994, drive-by shooters killed two Egyptians and a German tourist; another German man was wounded in the attack and died of his injuries after returning to Germany. In 2016, a terrorist attack in Hurghada, inspired by the jihadist group

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

, wounded three tourists. In another terrorist attack in Hurghada in 2017, a man declared that he wanted to kill only non-Egyptians, and stabbed seven female tourists. Two

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

women and one

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

woman were killed in the attack, which took place at two separate resort hotels.

Tourism

Hurghada's major industry is foreign and domestic tourism thanks to its year-round hot and dry climate and long beaches. Its waters are clear and calm for most of the year, making Hurghada a popular destination for

underwater diving Underwater diving, as a human activity, is the practice of descending below the water's surface to interact with the environment. It is also often referred to as diving (disambiguation), diving, an ambiguous term with several possible meani ...

and snorkelling. Al Mina Mosque with two 40-metre-high minarets is the largest mosque in the

. Hurghada Museum is the first antiquities museum in the Red Sea Governorate, containing 2000 artifacts that tell the history of Egypt.

Hurghada Grand Aquarium Hurghada Aquarium is an aquarium located in Hurghada, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt in Magawish area. It opened in January 2015, and contains nearly in tank space. It is home to over 1200 individual animals, and 100 species. It is easily one of th ...

opened in 2015, it is the largest

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

in Egypt and the second largest in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

(after

uShaka Marine World uShaka Marine World is a theme park that opened on 30 April 2004 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It has a total capacity of 4.6 million gallons containing 10,000 animal species. History Designed by American firm Creative Kingdom ...

). There are diving sites around Giftun Islands, Abu Ramada Island and Fanadir where tourists can see shipwrecks such as the ''El Mina'' or the ''Rosalie Moller''. Beyond the town the coast road passes through other holiday resorts and villages.

Demographics

In June 2015 ''MK in Egypt'' publisher Yulia Shevel stated that there were about 20,000 Russians in Hurghada, giving it Egypt's largest Russian population, though only about 3,000 were officially documented. Russian women staying in Hurghada often marry Egyptian men through an (non-

shariah Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

) process. The city is also nicknamed ''Krasnomorsk'' by Russians, a name modelled on the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

(''Krasnoye More'' in Russian) and Russian city names like Krasnogorsk. Hurghada has 4 schools for Russian children: Constellation (), Our Traditions (), Dina () and The World of Knowledge () (the

Russian School Hurghada Russian School Hurghada () is a private Russian international school in Hurghada, Egypt. It serves primary (years 1–4) and secondary (years 5–11) sections.

), as well as the newsletter ''MK in Egypt''. In 2017, a Russian Consulate opened in Hurghada.

Climate

Hurghada has a

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: BWh), with mild-warm winters and hot to very hot summers. Temperatures in the period December–January–February are warm, but in the evenings temperature may drop from an average 20 Celsius degrees to 10. November, March and April are comfortably warm. May and October are hot and the period from June to September is very hot. The average annual temperature of the sea is , ranging from in February and March to in August. Along the Red Sea coast, Hurghada has cooler temperatures in summer.

Resorts near Hurghada

Sahl Hasheesh

Sahl Hasheesh ' ( ) is a bay located on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, near Hurghada, approximately 18 km south of Hurghada International Airport. The Sahl Hasheesh Bay is home to a number of islands and coral reefs with diving and snorkeling. The ...

is a newly developed resort located south of Hurghada on the Red Sea. It has clear long descending seas and is home to diverse marine life around artificial underwater walls.

El Qoseir

El Qoseir El QoseirAlso spelled ''Kosseir'', ''Al Qusair'', ''El Quseir'', ''Quseir'', ''Qusseir'' or ''Qosseir''. (, ) is a city in eastern Egypt, located on the Red Sea west coast. Populated for approximately 5,000 years, its ancient Egyptian name was Tja ...

is one of the Egyptian gateways, and one of the oldest cities on the western coast of the Red Sea. In the past it was known by various names, such as ''Thagho'' in the pharonic period, ''Leucos Limen'' (white port in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

) in the Hellenistic and Ptolemaic period, and ''Portus Albus'' in the Roman period. In the Islamic period it was given the name ''El Qoseir'', which means "a small palace or fortress". Located between Hurghada and Marsa Alam, El Qoseir used to be an important port. Many people traveled from there to the

Land of Punt The Land of Punt (Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pwnt#Egyptian, pwnt''; alternate Egyptian language#Egyptological pronunciation, Egyptological readings ''Pwene''(''t'') ) was an ancient kingdom known from Ancient Egyptian trade records. ...

to buy ivory, leather and incense. During the Ottoman and the Islamic periods, Egyptians and Muslims from North Africa traveled from El Qoseir as pilgrims to Mecca. It was also the only port importing coffee from

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. During the French occupation of Egypt, El Qoseir was the arrival point for Arabs and Muslims from

Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...

coming to fight beside the

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

against the French army. The most important sites in El Qoseir are the fort and the water reservoir. The water reservoir was El Qoseir's only source of drinking water 100 years ago. El Qoseir El Adima, the city's historic area, was once a Roman port and hundreds of

amphora An amphora (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

and old

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

artefacts have been found there. There are several 300-year-old buildings in the area, including an Ottoman fort and a number of historic mosques: El Farran, El Qenawi and El Senousi. The police station is also located at a historic site. The area contains bazaars, cafes, coffee shops and restaurants selling sea food.

Makadi Bay

A tourist resort located 30 km south of Hurghada dedicated only to hotels, shops, and clubs. There are no settlements with locals. The place features good sandy beach.

Sharm El Naga

A village, around 40 km (25 mi) south of Hurghada. Its beach contains a beautiful reef cliff.

Soma Bay

Soma Bay A tourist resort situated 45 km (28 mi) south of Hurghada, with various hotels including Palm Royale Soma Bay, La Residence des Cascades, Robinson Club, Sheraton (Kempinski – opening August 2008) & Caribbean World Resort Soma Bay (opened December 7).

El Gouna

A privately owned luxury hotel town, about 25 km north of Hurghada. Quiet and clean, the town consists of several islands separated by channels and connected by bridges. Besides 14 hotels and 3 marinas, there are also 2,200 private villas and apartments, while many more are under construction. It is promoted by some as Egypt's

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. It is built on 10 km of beachfront and has unique and diverse architecture. El Gouna provides diving and watersports centers, horse stables, go-karting, shopping arcades, bazaars, a wide selection of restaurants and bars, night clubs, an internet cafe, four bank branches, many automated teller machines (ATMs), two pharmacies, the El Gouna international school
El Gouna
national school, a nursery, a private hospital, three marinas, a library, an airport, one of several casinos on the Red Sea coast, a private radio station, a post office, a museum, real estate offices and an 18-hole golf course designed by Gene Bates with a unique aqua driving range.

El Mahmya

A tourist beachfront camp on the protected Giftun island, 45 minutes by boat from Hurghada.

Education

Universities include

South Valley University South Valley University (SVU) () is a university in Egypt that provides teaching and research facilities. The President of South Valley University is Prof. Dr. Ahmed Akkawy Abdulaziz. South Valley University is one of Egypt's more modern hig ...

(Hurghada Branch) International schools include: *

German School Hurghada German School Hurghada (, DSH) is a German international school in Hurghada, Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corn ...

Russian School Hurghada Russian School Hurghada () is a private Russian international school in Hurghada, Egypt. It serves primary (years 1–4) and secondary (years 5–11) sections.

French School of Hurghada French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), a ...

Gallery

File:Hurghada port mosque.jpg, Al Mina Mosque File:Mahmya.jpg, Mahmya Beach File:Hurghada Museum 2.jpg, Hurghada Museum File:Hurghada Grand Aquarium by Hatem Moushir 1.JPG, Hurghada Grand Aquarium File:Chaetodon semilarvatus, mar Rojo.jpg, Dive site near Abu Ramada Island

References

External links

Egyptra
Travel Guide from Egypt *
RedSeaPages - Pulse of the Red Sea
{{Authority control Governorate capitals in Egypt Populated places established in 1905 Populated places in Red Sea Governorate Populated coastal places in Egypt Port cities and towns of the Red Sea Underwater diving sites in Egypt Seaside resorts in Egypt Cities in Egypt Red Sea Riviera

Etymology

Overview

Transport

History

Tourism

Demographics

Climate

Resorts near Hurghada

Sahl Hasheesh

El Qoseir

Makadi Bay

Sharm El Naga

Soma Bay

El Gouna

El Mahmya

Education

Gallery

See also

References

External links