Panorama of Taba

Taba

  Taba

Taba is a small Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba is the location of Egypt's busiest border crossing with neighboring Israel. Little more than a bus depot and a luxury hotel (complete with casino), Taba is a frequent vacation spot for Egyptians and tourists, especially those ...from Israel on their way to others destinations in Egypt or as a weekend getaway. It is the northernmost resort of Egypt's Red Sea Riviera

Taba Egyptian  Flag

Taba was located on the Egyptian side of the armistice line agreed to in 1949. During the Suez Crisis in 1956 it was briefly occupied but returned to Egypt when Israel withdrew in 1957. Israel reoccupied the Sinai Peninsula after the Six-Day War in 1967, and subsequently built a 400-room hotel in Taba. Following the 1973 Yom-Kippur War, when Egypt and Israel were negotiating the exact position of the border in preparation for the 1979 peace treaty, Israel claimed that Taba had been on the Ottoman side of a border agreed between the Ottomans and British Egypt in 1906 and had, therefore, been in error in its two previous agreements. Although most of Sinai was returned to Egypt in 1982, Taba was the last portion to be returned. After a long dispute, the issue was submitted to an international commission composed of one Israeli, one Egyptian, and three outsiders. In 1988, the commission ruled in Egypt's favor, and Israel returned Taba to Egypt in 1989.

 

Taba hotel

As part of this subsequent agreement, travellers are permitted to cross from Israel at the Eilat - Taba border crossing, and visit the "Aqaba Coast Area of Sinai", (stretching from Taba down to Sharm el Sheikh, and including Nuweiba, St Catherine and Dahab), visa-free for up to 14 days, making Taba a popular tourist destination. The resort community of Taba Heights is located some 20 km (12 mi) south of Taba. It features several large hotels, including The Hyatt Regency, Marriott, Sofitel and Intercontinental. It is also a significant diving area where many people come to either free dive, scuba dive or learn to dive via the many PADI

courses on offer. Other recreation facilities include a new desert style golf course
.

Taba / Sinai

Panorama of Sharm El Sheikh

City of Peace

Sharm el Sheikh Hotels

The simplicity of sun, sea and sand. The luxury of five-star hotels, water sports, shopping and entertainment. This is Sharm el-Sheikh, one of the most accessible and developed tourist resort communities on the Sinai peninsula. All around are Bedouins, colorful tents, mountains and sea. There are small, intimate hotels with modern designs, as well as larger hotel

 complexes belonging to International chains, plus about all the amenities one could expect of a tourist center, including casinos, discos and nightclubs, golf courses and health facilities. In fact, with diving and snorkeling, windsurfing and other water sports, horses and camel riding, desert safaris, and great nearby antiquities attractions, it is almost impossible for a visitor to ever suffer from boredom.

Na'ama Bay

Four miles south the southern section of the town stands on a cliff overlooking the port. and is a great view.

Na'ama Beach is one of the center of the tourist activities. Located just north of Sharm, this area is developing into a resort town of its own. Most hotels at Na'ama Bay have their own, private beaches with comfortable amenities such as chairs, shades and even bars.

Shark's Bay is also nearby, and again is a growing resort community with more and more to offer, along with several diving centers.

Dive in Sharm El Sheikh

The small harbor known as Sharm el-Moiya is located next to the civil harbor, has accommodations for boats, and includes a Yacht Club with rooms.

For those who live to shop, the Sharm El-Sheikh mall provides shops with both foreign and local products, including jewelry, leather goods, clothing, pottery and books.

It has been said that this is a must visit for all diving enthusiasts. There are many diving sites along the 10 mile beach between Sharm el-Sheikh and Ras Nusran.

Sharm el-Sheikh is sometimes called the "City of Peace

Sharm El Sheikh underwater

Sharm el-Sheikh has also become a favourite spot for Scuba 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, snorkelling, wind surfing, kite surfing, para-sailing, boating, and canoeing.

The Coral

 

Diving Sharm El Sheikh

Red sea-reefRas Mohammed is the national park of South Sinai, located on the tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Along with Nabq, it has famous dive sites in the Red Sea, with 800-metre (2,600 ft) deep reef walls, pounding current and coral gardens.

Panorama of Dahab

Dahab underwater

Dahab is the Arabic word for gold - have a look at the colour of the sand around here and you immediately know where the town took its name from. The combination of soft sand, gorgeous blue water, and a luxuriant strip of palm trees is pulling in visitors in growing numbers.

Masbat & Mashraba are the most developed parts of Dahab, a sprawling conglomeration of palm trees, shops, hotels, camps, bars and restaurants that lie along the shore of Masbat Bay. Masbat has a distinctly bohemian feel, and during the Israeli occupation it wasn't uncommon to see soldiers patrolling the same beaches as dreadlocked vagabonds from Europe and America. Less laid back, but still relaxed, is the area just south lying along El-Qura Bay (Laguna).

Dahab dive

Within just a few miles of Dahab are some great adventure spots. Excellent dive sites lie both to the north and south, including Blue Hole, one of Sinai's best. Just south are the wadis of Qnai el-Rayan and Qnai el-Atschan - now home to fantastic rock climbing.

Dahab is served by the Sharm el-Sheikh Airport. There are several air carriers including budget airlines that operate regular flights to Dahab from many parts of Europe. You can also travel by road. If you prefer to take the bus then there are several buses from Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh, Suez, Eilat and Taba that are routed to Dahab. When exploring around Dahab you can either ride in a taxi or the minibuses. Another good idea is to rent a bicycle to explore the place.

Dahab Hotels

Accommodations

Dahab is divided into two major parts; the Bedouin village of Assalah and Laguna or Dahab City/Medina. If you are looking for affordable accommodations that are located along the beachfront then Assalah is the place to go. Here you can find campsites, dormitories and simple lodging like Bish Bishi, Dahab Dorms, Dolphin Camp, Bedouin Moon Hotel and Blue Beach Club. If you want luxury accommodations that are within the city and other tourist hot spots, then head over to Laguna. Here you can choose to stay at hotels like Le Meridien Dahab Resort, Iberotel Dahabeya and the Swiss Inn Resort

Panorama of Hurghada

Hurghada

Diving in Hurghada

Hurghada was founded in the early 20th century, and until a few years ago, remained a small fishing village. But today, it has gone on to become the foremost tourist resort of the Red Sea coast and an international center for aquatic sports. If it takes place in or on the water you can do it here: windsurfing, sailing, deep-sea fishing, swimming, but, above all, snorkeling and diving. The unique underwater gardens offshore are some of the finest in the world,

 justifiably famous amongst divers. The warm waters here are ideal for many varieties of rare fish and coral reefs, which may also be observed through glass bottom boats. This area has many fine accommodations, usually offering warm and efficient service. Restaurants are mostly along the main road. While in Hurghada, don't miss the museum and aquarium, with their complete collections of flora and fauna of the Red Sea.

Today, Hurghada is known as a party town, particularly among Europeans. Locals and others will tell you that life begins at night in

Snorkeling Trips

Hurghada, with the many, many clubs They are particularly frequented by the young, but certainly many others of all ages. One may often find a rousing party centered around the visitors from a tour group taking over the action of a particular bar. They are easy to find along the main street, along with loads of inexpensive and expensive hotels.

 It is also a beach resort, where thousands of older Europeans and others come with their families to enjoy the sun and fun of private resort beaches, some all inclusive. Many of these hotels offer so many activities and facilities that one may never need to leave the resort. Often, the larger resorts have zoos, playgrounds, discos, bars, a number of pools and even small theaters

Diving with Dolphin

Panorama of Luxor

Luxor

Luxor is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 (2010 estimate)[2], with an area of approximately 416 square kilometres (161 sq mi) [1]. As the site of the Ancient Egyptan city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of international tourists arrive annually to visit these monuments, contributing a large part towards the

economy for the modern city    

History of Luxor

Nile River

Karnak Temple

Luxor (Arabic: الأقصر ) Luxor is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. Its population numbers 376,022 (1999 survey), and its area is about 416 km² [1]. As the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterised as the "world's greatest open air museum", the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor standing within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the Nile River, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of international tourists arrive each year to visit these monuments, their presence forming a large part of the economic basis for the modern city. As a result, Luxor represents an excellent base for touring Upper Egypt, and is a popular holiday destination, both in its own right and as a starting or finishing point for Nile cruises.

uxor

Luxor Temple

Panorama of egyptian museum

Egyptian museum

This museum was built in a neo-classic style, in the year 1900 by a French architect.

It is an exhibition of 120 000 objects that are the best collection from ancient Egypt.

There are artifacts from the tombs of kings and members of the royal families of the Middle

Kingdom, founded at Dahshur in 1894

Also there are royal tombs of some pharaohs of the 18 to 20th Dynasty.

Address: Tahrir square

Egyptian museum inside

Zone/Area: Cairo

The Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo, known more commonly as the Egyptian Museum, is a huge neoclassical building that houses the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world.

The Egyptian Museum is an outgrowth of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, established by the Egyptian government in 1835 in an attempt to limit the looting of

the Mask of king Tut

Egypt's priceless artifacts

 a mummy

inside the Museum

 

Panorama of Islamic Cairo

Cairo Citadel

Islamic Cairo is a part of central Cairo noted for its historically important mosques and other Islamic monuments. It is overlooked by the Cairo Citadel.

Islamic Cairo was founded in 969 AD as the royal enclosure for the Fatimid caliphs, while the actual economic and administrative capital was in nearby Fustat. Fustat was established by Arab military commander 'Amr ibn al-'As following the conquest of Egypt in 641, and took over as the capital which previously was located in Alexandria. Al-Askar, located in what is now Old Cairo, was the capital of Egypt from 750 to 868. Ahmad ibn Tulun established Al-Qatta'i as the new capital of Egypt, and remained the capital until 905, when the Fustat once again became the capital. After Fustat was destroyed in 1168/1169 to prevent its capture by the Crusaders, the administrative capital of Egypt moved to Cairo, where it has remained ever since. It took four years for the General Jawhar Al Sikilli (the Sicilian) to build Cairo and for the Fatimid Calif Al Muizz to leave his old Mahdia in Tunisia and settle in the new Capital of Fatimids in Egypt.

Islamic Cairo

After Memphis, Heliopolis, Giza and the Byzantine fortress of Babylon-in-Egypt, Fustat was a new city built as a military garrison for Arab troops. It was the closest central location to Arabia 

Panorama of Cairo

Cairo View

 Cairo is the capital of Egypt, the largest city in Africa and the Arab World, and one of the most densely populated cities in the world.[1][2] Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and cultural life. Even before Cairo was established in the 10th century, the land composing the present-day city was the site of national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo is also associated with Ancient Egypt due to its proximity to the Great  Sphinx and the pyramids in adjacent  Giza..

Egypt

Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its estimated 78.7 million[1] live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi),[citation needed] where the only arable agricultural land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.

Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx. Its ancient ruins, such as those of Memphis, Thebes, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, are a significant focus of archaeological study, and artefacts from these sites are now displayed in major museums around the world. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East.

Egypt possesses one of the most developed and diversified economies in the Middle East, with sectors such as tourism, agriculture, industry and service at almost equal rates in national production.[citation needed] Consequently, the Egyptian economy is rapidly developing, due in part to legislation aimed at luring investments, coupled with both internal and political stability, along with recent trade and market liberalization.