' ( ) is a bay located 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 ...

coast of

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 ...

, near

Hurghada Hurghada (; ', ) is a coastal city that serves as the largest city and capital of the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. Hurghada has grown from a small fishing village to one of the largest resort destinations along the Red Sea coast, stretching c ...

, approximately 18 km south of

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 ...

. The Sahl Hasheesh Bay is home to a number of islands and coral reefs with diving and snorkeling. The nearby Abou Hasheesh Island is a local protectorate containing a thriving community of marine life.

Development

Development rights to Sahl Hasheesh are held by Egyptian Resorts Company (ERC), who purchased the land in 1995. ERC itself was founded in 1995 and publicly listed in 1999. ERC had a vision of a huge project for this area. Plans for the 12-square mile community were to be completed by 2020. The builder's stated objective was "to create a fully integrated mixed-use resort city, with the aim of achieving long-term economic and

environmental sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

." The residential units at ''Old Town'' and Palm beaches, in Sahl Hasheesh, were completed in 2008 and sold out quickly. Palm Beach Piazza and Family Resort Ocean Breeze are the other residential projects selling apartments and villas in Sahl Hasheesh. In the

resort town A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...

, there is a partly submerged artificial city. This artificial reef attracts fish and is popular with tourists, for diving and snorkeling. In 2009, Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh was rated as one of the more upscale resorts in the Middle East and won first place in Trip Advisors 2016 Travelers Choice Award of top 25 Luxury Hotels in Egypt. Other hotels at the resort were in the top 10 of Hurgada hotels, as well. In 2015, Bloomberg Financial reported that the developer was struggling to sell its properties and had lost a lot of value in its stock. But in 2016, the developer had a strong financial balance sheet and its hotels were being highly rated by tourists from around the world. In 2016, tourism was returning to pre-revolution levels. Another developer, Inertia Holdings had projects in Sahl Hasheesh as of 2018.

Climate

The climate of Sahl Hasheesh is characterised by coastal aridity, with hot and dry summers and mild winters. Rainfall amounts are low and infrequent.

References

{{Red Sea Riviera Resort towns Geography of Egypt Red Sea Governorate Red Sea Resorts in Egypt Seaside resorts in Egypt

Development

Climate

See also

References