Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm El Sheikh

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Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm el Sheikh (Sharm al-Shaykh), is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula

Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, forming a land bridge between Africa and Southwest Asia....
, in Janub Sina'

Janub Sina'

South Sinai Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt of Egypt. It is in the east of the country, covering the southern half of the Sinai Peninsula....
, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea

Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
and Mount Sinai.

Sharm el-Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egypt's Southern Sinai province

Janub Sina'

South Sinai Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt of Egypt. It is in the east of the country, covering the southern half of the Sinai Peninsula....
which includes the smaller coastal towns of Dahab

Dahab

Nuweiba

Nuweiba is a coastal town in the eastern part of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. It is located at around ....
as well as the mountainous interior, Saint Catherine's Monastery

Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai

Saint Catherine's Monastery on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of an inaccessible gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. The monastery is Greek Orthodox Church and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site....
and Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai , also known as Mount Horeb, Mount Musa, Gebel Musa or Jabal Musa by the Bedouin, is the name of a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula....
. Sharm el-Sheikh is known as The City of Peace referring to the large number of international peace conferences that have been held there.

m el-Sheikh (27°51'N 34°17'E)is on a promontory

Promontory

Promontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
overlooking the Straits of Tiran

Straits of Tiran

The Straits of Tiran , are the narrow sea passages, about 13 km wide, between the Sinai peninsula and Arabian Peninsula peninsulas which separates the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea....
at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba

Gulf of Aqaba

The Gulf of Aqaba , in Israel known as the Gulf of Eilat is a large Headlands and bays of the Red Sea. It is located to the east of the Sinai peninsula and west of the Arabian peninsula....
.

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Encyclopedia

Sharm el Sheikh (Sharm al-Shaykh), is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula

Sinai Peninsula

Janub Sina'

South Sinai Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt of Egypt. It is in the east of the country, covering the southern half of the Sinai Peninsula....
, Egypt

Egypt

Red Sea

Janub Sina'

Dahab

Nuweiba

Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai

Geography and history

Sharm el-Sheikh (27°51'N 34°17'E)is on a promontory

Promontory

Straits of Tiran

Gulf of Aqaba

The Gulf of Aqaba , in Israel known as the Gulf of Eilat is a large Headlands and bays of the Red Sea. It is located to the east of the Sinai peninsula and west of the Arabian peninsula....
. Its strategic importance led to its transformation from a fishing village into a major port

Port

||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and transferring cargo. They are usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake....
and naval base for the Egyptian Navy. It was captured by Israel

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
during the Sinai conflict

Suez Crisis

The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, was a military attack on Egypt by United Kingdom, France, and Israel beginning on 29 October 1956....
of 1956 and restored to Egypt in 1957. A United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
peacekeeping force was subsequently stationed there until the 1967 Six-Day War

Six-Day War

In the Six-Day War of June 5-10, 1967, Israel defeated the armies of the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. In Arabic, the war is called ....
when it was recaptured by Israel. Sharm el-Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the Sinai

Sinai Peninsula

Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty

The Egyptian?Israeli Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, DC, United States, on March 26, 1979, following the Camp David Accords . The main features of the treaty were the mutual recognition of each country by the other, the cessation of the state of war that had existed since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the complete withdrawal by Isra...
of 1979.

A hierarchical planning approach was adopted for the Gulf of Aqaba

Gulf of Aqaba

The Gulf of Aqaba , in Israel known as the Gulf of Eilat is a large Headlands and bays of the Red Sea. It is located to the east of the Sinai peninsula and west of the Arabian peninsula....
, whereby their components were evaluated and subdivided into zones, cities and centers. In accordance with this approach, the Gulf of Aqaba zone was subdivided into four cities: Taba

Taba (Egypt)

Taba is a small Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba is the location of Egypt's busiest Taba Border Crossing with neighboring Israel....
, Nuweiba

Nuweiba

Nuweiba is a coastal town in the eastern part of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. It is located at around ....
, Dahab

Dahab

Dahab is a small town situated on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Formerly a Bedouin fishing village, located approximately 80 km northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab is still considered to be one of the Sinai's most treasured diving destinations....
and Sharm El-Sheikh. Sharm El-Sheikh city has been subdivided into five homogeneous centers namely: Nabq, Ras Nusrani, Naama Bay, Umm Sid and Sharm El Maya. Sharm El-Sheikh city together with Naama Bay, Hay el Nour, Hadaba, Rowaysat, Montazah and Shark's Bay form a metropolitan

Metropolitan

Metropolitan may refer to:* A metropolis* A metropolitan area* Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical 'mother see'* Rapid transit system in an urban area ....
area.

The land plan shows that the total area of Sharm El-Sheikh is expected to be about 42 km², in the year 2017. This area is designed to include:

Tourism resorts 8.4%
Tourism Facilities 40.9%
Green & Open areas 12.3%
Social Services 9.9%
Roads 12.2%
Urban Housing 13.7%
Bedouin Housing 1.6%
Hand crafts & small industries 1.0%

Before 1967, Sharm el-Sheikh was little more than an occasional base of operations for local fishermen; the nearest permanent settlement was in Nabk, north of Ras el-Nasrani ("The Tiran Straits"). Commercial development of the area began during the Israeli presence in the area. The Israelis built the town of Ofira

Ofira

Ofira was an Israeli settlement in the Sharm el-Sheikh area of the southern Sinai Peninsula, an Egyptian territory that was under Israeli occupation from 1967 to 1982....
overlooking Sharm el-Maya Bay, and the Nesima area, and opened the first tourist-oriented establishments in the area six kilometers north at Naama Bay. These included a marina

Marina

A marina is a sheltered harbor where boats and yachts are kept in the water and where services geared to the needs of recreational boating are found....
hotel

Hotel

----A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including Bathroom#Types of bathroomss and air conditioning or clima...
on the southern side of the bay, a nature field school on the northern side, diving clubs, a now well-known promenade, and the Naama Bay Hotel.

After the Sinai was restored to Egypt in 1982, the Egyptian government embarked on an initiative to encourage continued development of the city. Foreign investors - some of whom had discovered the potential of the locality during the Israeli occupation - contributed to a spate of building projects. Environmental zoning laws currently limit the height of buildings in Sharm el-Sheikh so as to avoid obscuring the natural beauty of the surroundings.

The city has played host to a number of important Middle Eastern peace conferences, including the September 4, 1999 agreement to restore Palestinian self-rule over the Gaza Strip

Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
. A second summit was held at Sharm on October 17, 2000 following the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada

Intifada

Intifada is an Arabic Language word which literally means shaking off, though it is generally translated into English as rebellion or uprising....
, but it failed to end the violence. A summit was held on August 3, 2005 in this city on developments in the Arab

Arab

An Arab is a person who Identity as such on linguistic or cultural grounds. The plural form, Arabs , refers to the Ethnocultural group at large....
world such as the situation in Iraq

Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

On July 23, 2005, the city was struck by the 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh attacks

2005 Sharm el-Sheikh attacks

The 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh attacks were a series of terror attacks on July 23, 2005, perpetrated by a Wahhabi organization, targeting the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula....
. In total, 88 people were killed, including foreign tourists. The attacks are believed to have been carried out by a militant Wahabbi group.

Climate

Average temperatures during the winter months (November to March) range from 15 to 35 degrees Celsius (59-95°F) and during the summer months (April to October) from 20 to 45 degrees Celsius (68-113°F). The temperature of the Red Sea in this region ranges from 21 to 28 degrees Celsius (70-84°F) over the course of the year.

Monthly Temperatures and Precipitation
Jan		Feb		Mar		Apr		May		Jun		Jul		Aug		Sep		Oct		Nov		Dec
°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C	°F	°C
Normal High Temperature

Normal Low Temperature

Precipitation
in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm

Source:

Economy and tourism

Sharm el-Sheikh was formerly a port

Port

||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and transferring cargo. They are usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake....
, but commercial shipping has been greatly reduced as the result of strict environmental laws introduced in the 1990s. Until 1982, there was only a military port in Sharm el-Sheikh, on the northern part of Marsa Bareka. The civilian port development started in the mid 1980s when the Sharem-al-Maya bay became the city's main yacht and service port.

Sharm el-Sheikh's major industry is foreign and domestic tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
, owing to its dramatic landscape, year-round dry and temperate climate and long stretches of natural beaches. Its waters are clear and calm for most of the year and have become popular for various watersports, particularly recreational scuba diving

Scuba diving

SCUBA diving is Underwater diving, or taking part in another activity, while using a scuba set. By carrying a source of breathing gas , the scuba diver is able to stay underwater longer than with the simple breath-holding techniques used in snorkeling and free-diving, and is not hindered by air lines to a remote air source....
and snorkelling which some consider to be among the best in the world. Coral reefs, under water and marine life, unmatched anywhere in the world, offer a spectacular and dazzling time for divers. There is wide room for scientific tourism with diversity in marine life species; 250 different coral reefs and 1000 species of fish.

These natural resources, together with its proximity to European tourism markets, have stimulated the rapid growth of tourism that the region is currently experiencing. Guest nights also increased in that period of time from 16 thousands to 5.1 million. The total number of resorts increased from 3 in 1982 to 91 in 2000. Highly reputable management companies have been attracted to invest in this city such as Hyatt Regency

Hyatt

Hyatt is an international brand of hotels within the Global Hyatt Corporation that operates numerous properties.Mark Hoplamazian is the current President and CEO of Global Hyatt Corporation....
, Accor

Accor

Accor is a large France multinational corporation, part of the CAC 40 index, operating in nearly 100 countries.Accor is the European leader in hotels and a global leader in corporate services ....
, Marriott

Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a range of value and luxury hotels and related lodging facilities. Marriott currently has 2,300 accommodation properties in North America alone....
, Le Méridien

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is a hospitality ownership, management, and franchise organization based in White Plains, New York. One of the world's largest hotel companies, it owns, operates, franchises and manages hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties under its nine owned brands....
, Four Seasons

Four Seasons Hotels

Four Seasons Hotels, Inc. is a five-star Canada-based international luxury hotel chain. It is considered among the finest luxury hotels worldwide, according to Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey, and operates 78 hotels in 32 countries including 22 Five Diamond award properties....
, Ritz-Carlton

Ritz-Carlton

'Ritz-Carlton' is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 70 properties that are located in major cities and exclusive resort destinations of 23 countries worldwide....
, and others, with categories from three to five star

Star (classification)

Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels....
s. Franchises like Starbucks, Hard Rock Cafe

Hard Rock Cafe

Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of bar-restaurants founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton. The first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London....
, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken can be found in Sharm el-Sheikh. Sharm is also the home of a state of the art congress center, where many political meetings have been held of international tenure. Peace conferences, ministerial meetings, world bank meetings, Arab league conferences for mentioning a few. It is rightly located along peace road and have been lately re-branded to be a outlet. The Maritim Sharm el Sheikh International Congress Centre can host events and congresses for up to 4,700 participants.

The nightlife of Sharm El-Sheikh is modern and developed. In 2005, Little Buddha, a sushi bar, nightclub, and bar, took the title of having the longest continuous bar in the Middle East. Other popular bars include the Camel Bar, The Tavern, Pirate's Bar, Movenpick Beach, and The Mexican. Dance club franchise Pacha

Pacha

Pacha is a clubbing franchise with headquarters in Ibiza. The first Pacha club was opened in Sitges outside Barcelona in 1967. The Ibiza club, however, is the most well-known and prestigious venue today and is one of two of the island's top clubs located in Ibiza Town, the other being El Divino which is on the marina just a couple of blocks a...
has one of its three African clubs in Sharm (the other two are in Morocco and Nigeria). These nightclubs and restaurants contribute greatly to the lifestyle led by Sharm el-Sheikh's visitors each year.

The colorful handicraft stands of the local Bedouin culture are a popular attraction. Ras Mohammed, at the southern-most tip of the peninsula, has been designated a national park, serving to protect the area's wildlife as well as its natural landscape, shoreline and coral reef

Coral reef

Coral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms. In most reefs the predominant organisms are colonial cnidarian that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate....
. A number of international hotels and noted restaurants are clustered around the centre of Sharm, known as Naama Bay, with golf

Golf

Golf is a sport in which players using many types of Golf club including wood , iron , and putter , attempt to hit golf ball into each hole on a golf course in the lowest possible number of strokes....
courses and other leisure facilities further up the coast.

Transportation

]] Sharm's marina

Marina

A marina is a sheltered harbor where boats and yachts are kept in the water and where services geared to the needs of recreational boating are found....
has been redeveloped for private yachts and sailboats, with a passenger terminal for cruise ships and scheduled ferry service to Hurghada

Hurghada

Hurghada is a city in the Port Said Governorate of Egypt. It is a tourist center located on the Red Sea coast.The city was founded in the early 20th century, and since the 1980s has been continually enlarged by Egyptian and foreign investors to become the leading seashore resort on the Red Sea....
and Aqaba

Aqaba

Aqaba is a coastal town in the far south of Jordan. It is the capital of Aqaba Governorate. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport....
.

Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport

Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport

Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport , formerly known as Ophira International Airport, is an international airport located in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt....
in addition to scheduled flights to Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , which means "the triumphant", is the Cairo and largest city of Egypt.It is the most populous metropolitan area in Egypt and is also one of the most populous in the world....
, Hurghada

Hurghada

Luxor

Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. Its population numbers 376,022 , and its area is about . As the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Egypt, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor Temple standing wi...
, Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports....
and 5 weekly flights to London

London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
(Gatwick), Sharm's airport is served by frequent charter

Charter

A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified....
flights to Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
and the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, among other destinations.

Sharm has frequent good quality coach services to Cairo leaving from the Delta Sharm bus station. There are three companies on the route charging between 70 and 100 LE in 2008 for the 6 hour journey.

Scuba diving and Water Sports

Sharm el-Sheikh has also become a favourite spot for Scuba

Scuba set

A scuba set is an independent breathing set that provides a scuba diver with the breathing gas necessary to breathe underwater during scuba diving....
divers from around the world. Being situated near to the Red Sea, it provides some of the most stunning underwater scenery and warm water making this an ideal place to dive. Visitors to Sharm el-Sheikh can experience a variety of water and activities. Beach seekers find many activities such as diving, snorkeling, wind surfing, para-sailing, boating, and canoeing.

Ras Mohammed is the National Park of South Sinai and located on the very tip of the Sinai Peninsula; it probably represents some of the most famous dive sites in the Red Sea with deep reef walls and pounding current and coral gardens. The Sharm el-Sheikh Hyperbaric Medical Center was founded in 1993 with a grant from USAID by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, represented by Dr Adel Taher to assist with diving related illnesses and complete the area's reputation as a full-service dive destination.

Sharm el-Sheikh

Geography and history

Climate

Economy and tourism

Transportation

Scuba diving and Water Sports

See also

External links