Links to Port Pages
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Well wish we could say anything about this port! We did not get off and explore. Several couples we visited with during the cruise had taken the shuttle in to town earlier in the morning and come right back to the ship. Apparently the lack of money coming in has severely affected the town. The Russians previously invested heavily in Sharm El Sheikh and many vacationed there regularly. In November 2015 ISIS took down a Russian charter plane from Sharm El Sheikh.
So the day was spent relaxing and continuing our Gin Rummy tournament! Dinner was our first time this trip at the Hot Rocks grill. We had fantastic steaks and enjoyed the evening.
Pre-cruise Post
Our third port of call on the cruise after we transit the Suez Canal is Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. This will be after a very long two days visiting the pyramids!
Reading about Sharm el Sheikh on the internet and Wikipedia we learned:
"Sharm El Sheikh is located on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula.
Sharm El Sheikh is on a promontory overlooking the Straits 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 Suez Crisis 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. Sharm El Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the Sinai peninsula was restored again to Egypt in 1982 after the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty of 1979.
A hierarchical planning approach was adopted for the Gulf of Aqaba, whereby their components were evaluated and subdivided into zones, cities and centers. In accordance with this approach, the Gulf of Aqaba zone was subdivided into four cities: Taba, Nuweiba, Dahab and Sharm El Sheikh. Sharm El Sheikh city has been subdivided into five homogeneous centers, namely Nabq, Ras Nusrani, Naama Bay, Umm Sid and Sharm El Maya.
Sharm El Sheikh city, together with Naama Bay, Hay el Nour, Hadaba, Rowaysat, Montazah and Shark's Bay form a metropolitan area.
Before 1967, Sharm El Sheikh was little more than an occasional base of operations for local fishermen; the nearest permanent settlement was in Nabk, north of Ras El Nasrani ("The Tiran Straits"). Commercial development of the area began during the Israeli presence in the area. The Israelis built the town of Ofira, overlooking Sharm El Maya Bay and the Nesima area, and opened the first tourist-oriented establishments in the area 6 km 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, a now well-known promenade, and the Naama Bay Hotel. The site off the shore gun emplacements at Ras Nasrani opposite Tiran Island is now a diving area."
We may try to schedule a tour off to the beach so we can swim in the Red Sea. Temperatures in November are in the 80s with water temperatures around 78!
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Coastal map of Sharm El Sheikh From www.mappery.com |
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