Egypt is opening up! Red Sea 2021
Egypt It opens!
Since 2015, Russian travelers have been dreaming about the Red Sea, and now, a few years later, on August 9, 2021, a historic moment comes - the first 500 of our compatriots will fly from Moscow to Egyptian resorts by direct flights.
Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh are the two main Red Sea resorts in Russia, a city with which charter flights have been established for many years.
Hurghada
The Coptic Church, located in the Old City of El Dahar, is a monument of history and architecture. It was built in 1922 by British workers working in oil fields.
From the point of view of architecture, it mixed elements of Christian architecture and Islamic traditions. The church is very bright and spacious, with high ceilings and windows. It has a rectangular shape with a dome. Inside you can see posters with portraits of Coptic hierarchs. Icons are installed inside wooden cabinets. Attention is attracted by a large Kotpa plot on the canvas.
Entrance is free for anyone who wishes. The main value of the temple is a large iconostasis.
Monastery of St. Anthony the Great
The Monastery of St. Anthony the Great is considered one of the oldest in Egypt. This is a whole temple complex, occupying an area of seven hectares. It's a Christian shrine. Anthony at a young age renounced everything worldly and settled in a cave in the mountains. A small path led to her, along which he descended daily for water. Today it is 1,700 steps to the holy place. The beginning of construction dates back to the 3rd century AD. This place became a refuge for believers in Egypt, Syria, Ethiopia. The monastery grew, developed, was the abode of believers of different religions. In the 11th century it was completely destroyed, and only centuries later the Copts rebuilt it. Today, millions of pilgrims come to this place.
In the Church of St. Anthony preserved frescoes of the 13th century. There are several healing holy springs on the territory, one of which was discovered by Anthony himself. 2.5 kilometers from the monastery you can visit the cave where the saint lived, inside it there is an altar with icons, which holds divine services for big holidays.
Sharm El-Sheikh
One of the central streets in the famous Sharm el-Sheikh is El-Fanar Street. It stretches from the business center of the district to the bay of Ras-um-Sid. Its name was due to the twenty-meter lighthouse located on the coast (“fanar” in translation means “lighthouse”). It is quite long, almost along the entire Hadaba Peninsula.
Also, the attention of tourists is attracted by the memorial of the victims of the plane crash of 2004, located on it. The crash occurred in the Red Sea area when a plane carrying French tourists crashed into the water.
The street overlooks the paid beach of the same name owned by an Italian entrepreneur, with a unique coral reef. El Fanar crosses other city streets.
Sharm El Sheikh Old Market is a large market where every tourist will find food to his liking. This is a district bazaar with a huge number of shops. Here you can find spices, fruits, vegetables and Egyptian rarities. Prices for goods are average and depend on the seller himself, since they themselves regulate the cost "for themselves". In addition to the fact that the market is rich in its range, in the evening and at night it will serve as a place for atmospheric walks due to the lights and lanterns surrounding this place. Not far from the old market is the port of departure of yachts for sea trips.
Getting to Sharm El Sheikh’s old market is easy. It is located in the Naama Bay area on the left side of Sharm El Sheikh. Directly opposite the market there is a public transport stop, which is very convenient. You can also take a taxi.
Taba
Taba is a small town on Egypt’s border with Israel. The long road from Sharm el-Sheikh is replenished with an amazing view - from the coast of Taba you can see Jordan and Saudi Arabia, which are just the opposite, across the border. gulf.
The Cathedral of St. Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai was founded in the sixth century AD thanks to Emperor Justinian. In the 10th century, after the emergence of Islam, a mosque was built here. The monastery is functioning, preserving its integrity despite wars and conflicts. It was called the Monastery of Transfiguration.
It was renamed in the 11th century in honor of the holy martyr Catherine, who converted people to the Orthodox faith, for which she was beheaded. Her relics are kept in the church. They are carried daily in silver crayons from the altar so that pilgrims can bow before them. Ancient icons and mosaics also attract attention. But the Sinai Library is truly considered a valuable relic of the sanctuary.
Pharaoh's island is located 8 kilometers from the small resort town of Taba. It is an interesting place from a historical point of view and very picturesque.
On the rocky island, whose area is about a hundred meters, is the fortress of Saladdin of the Middle Ages. Various performances are held here in the evening.
The underwater world is filled with corals and colorful fish. Initially, the island was the crossroads of trade routes, was an observation point. It was first mentioned in the tenth century BC.
The fort survived the Byzantines, the Knights of the Crusade, the great Saladdin. The latter strengthened it, building a powerful fortress. It is well preserved to our days. Thick walls, an observation tower with loopholes, the remains of the residential premises of the military garrison - all reminds that this was the main citadel. PP
Lawrence of Arabia also settled this place, as he described in his book. To get to the Pharaoh's island, you can hire a boat in Taba, or take excursion transport from the resort.
El Gouna
El Gouna is a charming resort that is often referred to as the Venice of Egypt due to the fact that it is possible to move between small islands by boat.
The wish fulfillment bridge is one of the most famous attractions located in a beautiful tourist resort called El Gouna. The bridge looks like 2 large arches, under which ships and various boats constantly swim.
This post has traditionally become one of the best places in the whole resort for making wishes, in the evening crowds of lovers come to it to wish themselves eternal love or another miracle. Most of the wishes come true.
Kafr Island is a central island in a small archipelago of artificial islands located in the resort of El Gouna.
This island, in addition to its central position, is also the most beautiful, picturesque and well-organized island. Its architecture can be described as traditional Egyptian, for example, each building has its own courtyard.
Another interesting thing is that the island does not fall asleep. At night there are also shops and all other attractions. You can get there by boat for free.
safaga
Safaga is a popular resort in eastern Egypt. Mecca of lovers of diving and snorkeling. Near this resort is the valley of the Nile River and magnificent monuments of ancient Egyptian history: Luxor and Karnak, Cairo and the pyramids, the temple of Abu Simbel.
The Turkish fort is a legend and at the same time the most visited place in the city of Safaga. It is located not in the center, as many people mistakenly believe, but with the edge, but this does not prevent you from easily reaching it and looking at the historical monument with your own eyes.
It was built by the Turks many hundreds of years ago, and only now scientists have come to the conclusion that breathing sea air in this place can be very beneficial for health.
The fort itself is in a partially fit condition, and if it were needed now, it would serve a good service. To get to the city of Safaga, where the fort is located, you need to take a bus from the city of Hurghada. There's an air service in Hurghada.
Egypt is famous not only for its pyramids and deserts, but also for underwater attractions - reefs. And in the city of Safaga they are too! For example, Reef Ras Abu Soma is just a diver's paradise. The name of the reef has a literal translation of "4 towers", and at its bottom life boils. Here you can meet fish-Napoleon, octopus, turtle, and infinitely many other inhabitants of the bottom.
There are also many different colorful corals that amaze the imagination with their pretentiousness and uniqueness. And at the bottom of the cave unobtrusively located. Anyone who goes to Safaga should go there.
dahab
The city was founded in the IV century BC.
Now it is a famous paradise place 100 km from Sharm el-Sheikh for lovers of water and underwater entertainment: diving, kiting, windsurfing, snorkeling.
Do you like diving? So that you can immerse yourself in warm water, forgetting about the problems, see the underwater world, its inhabitants. In such moments, you feel complete peace of mind, complete unity with yourself. You want that? Three lagoons in Dahab await you. But diving is not the only advantage of this place. Here you can also sunbathe, lying on the beach, near the crystal clear water, surf.
The colored canyon, hidden in the desert, in the Sinai Peninsula, is an interesting place to visit in the wonderful country of the Great Pyramids.
Where is the Color Canyon?
The Color Canyon is located 210 miles from the big city of Cairo, in the Sinai district. The colored canyon is 800 meters long and 30 meters deep. Nuweiba, a very quiet and small village in Egypt, is the closest town to the Colored Canyon.
Visiting the canyon allows you to instantly know where it got its name. The canyon walls, reaching sixteen floors, are the most colorful and intriguing rock formations in all of Sinai. They were created by water erosion on sandstone and limestone. In some places, the deep coloring of the rocks gives the walls of the canyon a prismatic and metallic shine; in other cases, the stone is so smooth that it appears soft and wavy.
The mouth of the canyon can be reached by car, and its small length (about 700 meters) is ideal for hiking. When entering the canyon, the walls narrow to a few feet wide in some places, giving the canyon a closed and mysterious atmosphere.
Photo: personalguide and pixabay archive, free source
Text: personalguide
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