Hurghada

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Hurghada
الغردقة
City
Hurghada Hotels R03.jpg
Morning at Hurghada Marina.JPG
سوما-باي.jpg
Sahl Hasheesh1.jpg
Hurghada is located in Egypt
Hurghada
Hurghada
Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 27°15′28″N 33°48′42″E / 27.25778°N 33.81167°E / 27.25778; 33.81167Coordinates: 27°15′28″N 33°48′42″E / 27.25778°N 33.81167°E / 27.25778; 33.81167
Country  Egypt
Governorate Red Sea
Founded 1905
Elevation 14 m (46 ft)
Population (auto)
 • Total 261,714
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
Area code(s) (+20) 65

Hurghada (/hərˈɡædə, -ˈɡɑː-/; Egyptian Arabic: الغردقة‎ El Ġardaʾa Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [el ɣæɾˈdæʔæ]) is a city in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. It is one of the country's main tourist centres located on the Red Sea coast.

Overview[edit]

Hurghada - panoramio (6).jpg

The city was founded in the early 20th century, and until a few years ago it was a small fishing village. But since the 1980s, it has been continually enlarged by Egyptian and foreign investors to become the leading coastal resort on the Red Sea. Holiday villages and hotels provide aquatic sport facilities for windsurfers, kitesurfers, yachtsmen, scuba divers and snorkelers. Hurghada is known for its watersports activities, nightlife and warm weather. Daily temperature hovers round 30 °C (86 °F) most of the year, during July and August temperatures reach over 40 °C (104 °F). Many Europeans have chosen Hurghada for their regular Holidays, specially during the Winter season and spend their Christmas and New Year holidays in the city. Tourism from Russia dropped drastically after the Metrojet Flight 9268 plane crash in November 2015.

Hurghada stretches for about 36 kilometres (22 mi) along the seashore, and it does not reach far into the surrounding desert. The resort is a destination for Egyptian tourists from Cairo, the Delta and Upper Egypt, as well as package holiday tourists from Europe. Today Hurghada counts 248,000 inhabitants and is divided into:

  • El Ahia and El Helal, the northern part;
  • El Dahar (Downtown) is the old part;
  • Sekalla is the city center;
  • El Kawsar is the modern part;
  • El Memsha (Village road) is pedestrian road stretching over 4 km.

Along the El Mamsha you find many of Hurghada's new hotels. Dahar is where the town's traditional bazaar, the post office and the long-distance bus stations, Go Bus and Upper Egypt Bus are situated.

The city is served by the Hurghada International Airport with scheduled passenger traffic connecting to Cairo and directly with several cities in Europe. A new terminal was opened in 2015 to accommodate rising traffic.

History[edit]

The village, which later evolved into what is now the city of Hurghada, was settled in 1905. It acquired its name from a plant which has grown naturally since ancient times. By then it was only a fishing village. Oil was discovered in the area in 1913, but actual production and export only began in 1921 under British oil magnates. During the reign of King Farouk a recreational center was built in the city, but after President Nasser's nationalization of Egypt's industries it was turned over to the armed forces.

During the War of Attrition between Israel and Egypt, Shadwan island east of the city in the Red Sea, was fortified and held by Egyptian troops and used as a radar post. On 22 January 1970, it was the site of Operation Rhodes, a heliborne assault by Israeli troops which occupied the island for 36 hours.

During the October War of 1973, Hurghada harbor was target for four Israeli operations (he). Israeli forces also[when?]occupied Shadwan Island with over 32 casualties to the Egyptian army, and only 7 to the Israeli army .[citation needed]

On September 27, 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.[1] The 2016 Hurghada attack was caused by two terrorists inspired by IS. Three tourists were wounded.[2] On 14 July 2017, in the 2017 Hurghada attack a man proclaiming that he wanted to kill only non-Egyptians attacked with a large knife German women on beach holidays at two separate resort hotels, killing 2 and injuring 4.[3][4][4]

Tourism[edit]

A fake Lidl store in Hurghada

Although a town in its own right, Hurgada’s current major industry is foreign and domestic tourism, 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 water-sports, particularly recreational scuba diving and snorkelling.

Dive sites around Abu Ramada Island, Fanadir, Giftun Kebir, and Giftun Soraya are popular. Tourists also visit shipwrecks such as the El Mina or the Rosalie Moller. The beach at Hurghada is not secluded, out to Sigala the beach is then followed by coastal holiday villages and then desert.[5][6][7][8]

In a 2016 attack and again in a 2017 attack foreign tourists at Hurghada's beach resorts were targeted by terrorists attacks.[3]

Demographics[edit]

Russian residents

Hurghada has 4 schools for Russian children, which are: Galaxy (Созвездие), Our Traditions (Наши Традиции), Dina (Дина) and The World of Knowledge (Мир знаний) (the Russian School Hurghada); as well as the newsletter MK in Egypt. Much of the signage in the city, as of 2015, is in Russian. 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.[9] Russian women staying in Hurghada often marry Egyptian men through an 'urfi (non-shariah) process.[10]

In 2017 the Russian Consulate was open in Hurghada.[11]

Climate[edit]

Hurghada has a subtropical-desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh), with mild-warm winters and hot to very hot summers. Temperatures in the period December–January–February are warm, while 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 24 °C (75 °F), ranging from 21 °C (70 °F) in February and March to 28 °C (82 °F) in August.

The highest temperature recorded occurred on June 12, 2013 and was 46 °C (115 °F), while the lowest record temperature was recorded on February 2, 1993 and was 0 °C (32 °F).[12]

Climate data for Hurghada
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 28.0
(82.4) 		30.7
(87.3) 		34.3
(93.7) 		41.3
(106.3) 		39.4
(102.9) 		46.0
(114.8) 		40.8
(105.4) 		38.6
(101.5) 		38.2
(100.8) 		38.2
(100.8) 		34.4
(93.9) 		30.3
(86.5) 		42.6
(108.7)
Average high °C (°F) 21.5
(70.7) 		22.6
(72.7) 		25.2
(77.4) 		29.1
(84.4) 		32.9
(91.2) 		35.3
(95.5) 		36.2
(97.2) 		36.1
(97) 		34.3
(93.7) 		31.1
(88) 		26.8
(80.2) 		22.7
(72.9) 		29.5
(85.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 15.7
(60.3) 		16.8
(62.2) 		19.3
(66.7) 		22.8
(73) 		26.1
(79) 		28.9
(84) 		29.7
(85.5) 		29.9
(85.8) 		28.0
(82.4) 		25.2
(77.4) 		21.0
(69.8) 		17.1
(62.8) 		23.4
(74.1)
Average low °C (°F) 11.0
(51.8) 		11.4
(52.5) 		14.0
(57.2) 		17.8
(64) 		21.9
(71.4) 		24.8
(76.6) 		26.4
(79.5) 		26.2
(79.2) 		24.2
(75.6) 		20.9
(69.6) 		16.6
(61.9) 		12.5
(54.5) 		19
(66.2)
Record low °C (°F) 5.6
(42.1) 		0.0
(32) 		7.5
(45.5) 		9.1
(48.4) 		13.4
(56.1) 		18.8
(65.8) 		20.9
(69.6) 		20.9
(69.6) 		17.0
(62.6) 		13.8
(56.8) 		9.2
(48.6) 		6.0
(42.8) 		5.6
(42.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 0.4
(0.016) 		0.0
(0) 		0.3
(0.012) 		1.0
(0.039) 		0.0
(0) 		0.0
(0) 		0.0
(0) 		0.0
(0) 		0.0
(0) 		0.6
(0.024) 		2.0
(0.079) 		0.9
(0.035) 		5.2
(0.205)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 mm) 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.3 2
Average relative humidity (%) 48 46 46 43 42 41 45 46 48 53 51 51 46.7
Mean monthly sunshine hours 265.7 277.6 274.3 285.6 317.4 348.0 352.3 322.4 301.6 275.2 263.9 246.7 3,530.7
Source #1: World Meteorological Organization (1971-2000)[13]
Source #2: NOAA (mean temperature, record high and lows, humidity and sun 1961–1990)[14]

Climate Charts[15] shows different averages and cooler day temperatures in summer.

Hurghada mean sea temperature[16]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
22 °C (72 °F) 21 °C (70 °F) 21 °C (70 °F) 22 °C (72 °F) 24 °C (75 °F) 26 °C (79 °F) 27 °C (81 °F) 28 °C (82 °F) 27 °C (81 °F) 26 °C (79 °F) 25 °C (77 °F) 23 °C (73 °F)

Resorts near Hurghada[edit]

El Qoseir[edit]

Main article: El Qoseir
Russian dumplings (Pelmeni) in central Hurghada.

El Qoseir 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) 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 Quseir used to be an important port. Many people traveled from there to the land of Punt to buy ivory, leather and incense. During the Ottoman and the Islamic periods, Egyptians and Muslims from North Africa traveled from El Quseir as pilgrims to Mecca. It was also the only port importing coffee from Yemen. During the French occupation of Egypt, El Qoseir was the arrival point for Arabs and Muslims from Hegaz coming to fight beside the Mamalic 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 is another important site as well. It was the old Roman port where hundreds of amphora and old pottery artifacts were found. Even the police station is located at a historical site. There are now many bazaars here, as well as cafes, coffee shops and restaurants offering sea food. There are several 300-year-old buildings here: the Ottoman fort and the old mosques El Farran, El Qenawi and El Senousi.

Makadi Bay[edit]

A Tourist Resort located 30 km south of Hurghada dedicated only to hotels, shops and clubs. There's no settlements with locals. Place features good sandy beach. Surprisingly, the local delicacy is camel marinaded in Buckfast.[citation needed],

Anemone and clownfish at Sharm El Naga beach

Sharm El Naga[edit]

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

Soma Bay[edit]

Main article: Soma Bay
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[edit]

Main article: El Gouna
Walkway in Hurghada by night.

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 2200 private villas and apartments, while many more are under construction. It is promoted by some as Egypt's Venice. 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[edit]

A tourist beachfront camp on the protected Giftun island, 45 minutes by boat from Hurghada.[17]

Education[edit]

International schools include:

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ German, Egyptians killed by militants
  2. ^ "Egypt hotel attack: Three tourists wounded by assailants in Hurghada resort". The Independent. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 6 Feb 2017. 
  3. ^ a b Sanchez, Raf (16 July 2017). "Two tourists killed and four wounded in Egypt beach resort stabbing". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2017. 
  4. ^ a b Two tourists stabbed to death in beach attack at Egyptian resort, The Guardian, 14 July 2017
  5. ^ Dive sites Hurghada
  6. ^ The Rough Guide to Egypt Daniel Jacobs, Dan Richardson, Shafik Meghji - 2010 - Page 576 1848365012 "From Ed-Dahar, two main roads run 2–4km south to Sigala, which contains the modern port of Hurghada and a mass of restaurants and hotels, squeezed in wherever the terrain allows. Beyond Sigala is nothing but desert and an endless array of coastal holiday villages..."
  7. ^ Lonely Planet Middle East - Anthony Ham - 2009 Page 185 1742203590 "Activities There's little to do in Hurghada itself other than sit on a beach and dream of more secluded places. The public beach in Sigala is less than appealing, though many resorts offer preferable sun-and-sand options"
  8. ^ Scuba diving in Hurghada
  9. ^ Abdallah, Buruddeen M. "Hurghada: ‘Russian’ capital of Egypt" (Archive). Daily Trust. June 6, 2015. Retrieved on November 18, 2015.
  10. '^ Walby, Joanne (2010). "Extended Holiday in Hurghada: Russian Migrant Women and Urfi Marriage" (PDF). 1. Surfacing. 
  11. ^ "Russia to open consulate in Hurghada to boost tourism". The Cairo Post. 2015-02-14. Archived from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2017-01-26. 
  12. ^ "Hurghada, Egypt". Voodoo Skies. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2013. 
  13. ^ "Weather Information for Hurghada". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 17 August 2013. 
  14. ^ "Hurguada (Hurghada) Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 25, 2015. 
  15. ^ a b "Hurguada, Egypt: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data". Climate Charts. Retrieved 18 August 2013. 
  16. ^ "Hurghada Climate and Weather Averages, Egypt". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 13 August 2013. 
  17. ^ "Giftun island Hurghada, Egypt". Retrieved 13 August 2015. 

External links[edit]

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