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Sharm
el-Sheikh is located on the Egyptian Red Sea coast,
at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula.. |
Sharm
el-Sheikh ( also transliterated as Sharm ash Shaykh), often
known simply as "Sharm," is a city situated on the
southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in Janub Sina', Egypt,
on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai.
The drive to Ismaïlia is about four hours; to Taba it's
three.
Sharm el-Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egypt's Southern
Sinai province which includes the smaller coastal towns of
Dahab and Nuweiba as well as the mountainous interior, Saint
Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai.
Geography and History:
Sharm el-Sheikh is situated on a promontory overlooking the
Strait of Tiran at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. Its strategic
importance led to its transformation from a fishing village
into a major port and naval base for the Egyptian Navy. It
was captured by Israel during the Sinai conflict of 1956 and
restored to Egypt in 1957. A United Nations peacekeeping force
was subsequently stationed there until the 1967 Six Day War
when it was recaptured by Israel and renamed Mifratz Shlomo,
Hebrew for "Gulf of Solomon". Sharm el-Sheikh remained
under Israeli control until the Sinai peninsula was returned
to Egypt in 1982.
Prior to 1967, Sharm el-Sheikh was little more than an occasional
base of operations for local fishermen; the nearest permanent
settlement was in Nabek, north of Ras el-Nasrani ("The
Tiran Straits"). Commercial development of the area began
during the Israeli occupation. The Israelis built the town
of Ofira overlooking Sharm el-Maya Bay and opened the first
tourist-oriented establishments in the area six kilometers
north at Naama Bay. These included a marina hotel on the southern
side of the bay, a nature field school on the northern side,
diving clubs, and a now well-known promenade.
Economy and Tourism:
Formerly a port, 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,
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
and snorkeling, which many consider to be among the best in
the world. Major luxury hotels, such as The Ritz-Carlton and
The Four Seasons, as well as franchises like Planet Hollywood,
Hard Rock Cafe, and Buddha Bar, can be found in Sharm el-Sheikh.
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. 40 kilometers northeast, a number of international hotels
and noted restaurants are clustered around Naama Bay, with
golf courses and other leisure facilities further up the coast.
Transportation:
Sharm's marina has been redeveloped for private yachts and
sailboats, with a passenger terminal for cruise ships and
scheduled ferry service to Hurghada and Aqaba.
In addition to scheduled flights to Cairo, Hurghada, Luxor
and Alexandria, Sharm's airport is served by frequent charter
flights to Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom,
among other destinations.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Sharm El Sheikh".
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