El Quzair (Egypt)

El Kuzeir is located 80 km south of the city of Safaga. This is one of the largest ports in the Red Sea. In ancient times, it was the terminus on the route from the Nile Valley to the Red Sea coast, so merchants came here daily to go to other countries, as well as pilgrims who wanted to reach Mecca on the other side of the Red Sea. In 1896, with the construction of the Suez Canal, the port lost its importance.

From ancient times in El Quzair many old buildings remain. 8 km north of the city are the ruins of the old port city, which have been preserved since the time of the Roman Empire, here you can see many Roman amphorae. During the Turkish rule, a fortress was built here, which was later restored, now between the fortress and the city port lies the old part of El Kuzeira. Many buildings in the city are built in the tradition of Islamic architecture with intricate wooden terraces. After the French domination under Napoleon and from the occupation of the British troops in the 19th century, there are houses made in French and British styles, with large terraces and wooden balconies. Today, El Quseir is a developing beach resort in Egypt.with excellent diving opportunities. There are many interesting dive sites in theĀ coastal waters of El Quseira, among which Sharm Fugani, Ras Maaleg and Erga Malek stand out. The local coral reefs are located at sufficiently great depths, so they are only suitable for experienced divers. On the sandy underwater slopes, you can see coral formations, and a little lower – coral gardens, in which moray eels, rays, Napoleon wrasses, turtles and reef sharks are found.

According to Country Library, El Quzair is a well-known point from where divers go on a dive safari. Some dive sites need to be reached within a day, the most interesting are travel to the southern parts of the Red Sea coast, for example, to Elphinstone Reef or to the sunken Salem Express. In the central part of the Elphinstone reef, corals are located at a depth of 1 m, but on its outskirts, coral walls descend to a depth of 40 m. The length of the reef is 300 m, underwater visibility is 20 m, strong currents are noted here, which is why the underwater world is very diverse. The reef is interesting for a wide variety of sharks; when diving, you can see white sharks, gray reef sharks, hammerheads, and whitetip sharks.

The Salem Express is a passenger ship that sank in 1991, killing over a thousand people. This is one of the largest wrecks in Egypt., its length is 100 m. The ship lies at a depth of 30 m, underwater visibility reaches 20 m here. Many divers refuse to go to this place, because for Egypt this wreck was a real disaster. Until now, in the vicinity of the Salem Express, you can see a lot of things that belonged to passengers.

Some divers go to the Brothers Islands located in the center of the Red Sea. These islands and their surroundings are under the protection of the state and to visit them you need to pay a certain amount of money. In the summer months, you can see a large number of sharks (mainly whitetip sharks and hammerhead fish), in addition, the coral walls are very beautiful, going down to a depth of 40 m and covered with soft corals.

El Gouna (Egypt)

El Gouna is located 30 km north of Hurghada. “Egyptian Venice”, “pearl of the Red Sea”, “little paradise”, “toy city” – all this is said about this young resort. It occupies numerous artificial islands connected by canals and bridges. The whole city is designed in the same style – the banks of the canals are built up with one- and two-story villas, and the Mediterranean and Oriental styles are combined in the appearance of the hotels.

Guests of El Gouna enjoy free minibuses and boats to move around the resort. By boat you can reach the sandy beach, which stretches for 11 km. In addition, each island has one hotel on its coast.and a private beach with coral reefs. All the beaches of the resort are sandy, with a gentle entry into the water, and the sand on them is clean and soft.

Outdoor enthusiasts can go on a desert safari, play golf (the local golf club is considered one of the best in the Middle East) or go carting. Diving enthusiasts will find interesting finds – the largest ships sunk in the Red Sea are located nearby.

The city center is called Kafr. There are oriental bazaars, shopping arcades, museums and an observatory, and modern shops, cinemas, entertainment centers and discos are ready to receive their guests at any time of the day.

El Quzair (Egypt)

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