Nuweiba (also spelled: Nueiba; , ) is a coastal town in the eastern part of

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), 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 a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

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 ...

, located on the coast of the

Gulf of Aqaba The Gulf of Aqaba () or Gulf of Eilat () is a large gulf at the northern tip of the Red Sea, east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian Peninsula. Its coastline is divided among four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. ...

History

Historically, it is in the Asian part of Egypt, and the area was inhabited by two different ancient

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

tribes: the Tarabin to the north, and the Muzeina some to the south. After the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...

when Israel occupied the area, a small town was established just south of Tarabeen under the Hebrew name of Neviot (). After the departure of the Israelis, former Egyptian President

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...

expanded the settlement.

Nuweiba Port Nuweiba Port is a seaport on the eastern portion of the Sinai Peninsula, roughly in the middle of the Gulf of Aqaba's coastline. Location The port is located in the east of Nuweiba, a coastal town. It serves as terminal for Aqaba-bound Ro ...

, some to the south, was established and developed, with several car

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

running every day to

Aqaba Aqaba ( , ; , ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148, ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

by the

Arab Bridge Maritime Arab Bridge Maritime Company (شركة الجسر العربي للملاحة) was founded in November 1985, to connect commercial routes in Asia and Africa. The company was founded by the governments of Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan. The company has ...

company, and with a small town growing up around it. Nuweiba castle (or Newibah castle), built on top of the remains of a still older castle in 1893, has been proposed as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

site.Newibah castle - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Retrieved on 2009-03-26

Geography

Nuweiba lies on a large flood plain measuring about , sandwiched between the Sinai mountains and the

, and is located some north of

Sharm el Sheikh Sharm El Sheikh (, , literally "bay of the Sheikh"), alternatively rendered Sharm el-Sheikh, Sharm el Sheikh, or Sharm El-Sheikh, is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip alo ...

, southeast from

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 ...

and south of the

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

–

border separating Taba and

Eilat Eilat ( , ; ; ) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port of Eilat, port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The c ...

. Nuweiba Port was built in 1985 on the Gulf of Aqaba, and serves as a ferry port as well, facilitating between Jordan and Egypt.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as

hot desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

(BWh). Most precipitation falls in February.

Tourism

Between the town and the port are a strip of modern hotels, catering to beach holiday makers and divers. One km north of Nuweiba City, Tarabin village is well known for its Bedouin-style camps where cheap huts are available for rent. Further north, in the direction of Taba, are several other beaches with similar accommodation options.

Gallery

File:Nuweiba Tarabeen.JPG, View of the coast, Nuweiba Tarabin File:Nuweiba, Beach, Red Sea, Sinai, Egypt.jpg, The beach of Nuweiba File:Nuweiba, Beach, Sinai, Egypt.jpg, Beach shack File:Nuweiba, Roundabout, Sinai, Egypt.jpg, Roundabout File:Nuweiba, Sinai, Egypt, Mountain realms.jpg, Desert near Nuweiba File:Nuweiba, Goat stack, Sinai, Egypt.jpg, Goats on the road File:Camel Nuweibaa 00 (22).JPG, Camel near Nuweiba File:Nuweiba, Camels, Sinai, Egypt.jpg, Camels roaming through Nuweiba

References

External links

{{Egyptian Cities Port cities and towns in Egypt Populated places in South Sinai Governorate Populated coastal places in Egypt Former Israeli settlements in Sinai Seaside resorts in Egypt Tourist attractions in Egypt