Marsa Alam
| Marsa Alam | |||
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| Coordinates | 25 ° 4 ' N , 34 ° 54' E | ||
 Mosque in Marsa Alam
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| Basic data | |||
| Country | Egypt | ||
| al-Bahr al-ahmar | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | EG-BA | ||
| Residents | 1918 (2006-11-11) | ||
 Cityscape of Marsa Alam
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Marsa Alam (aka Mersa; Arabic مرسى علم Marsā ‛Alam ) is a small town in southern Egypt .
geography
The city is located on the Red Sea in the governorate of al-Bahr al-ahmar , 271 kilometers south of Hurghada . Edfu on the western bank of the Nile is about 220 kilometers away and asch-Schalatin is about 250 kilometers south. The city of al-Qusair is about 131 kilometers to the north .
According to the November 11, 2006 census, the city of Marsa Alam had 1,918 inhabitants.
development
Marsa Alam has grown from a coastal village with a handful of low stone huts to a small town over the past two decades. It owes its importance to the traffic junction of the continuous coastal road with the connecting road to Edfu in the Nile Valley and to tourism, which has so far been concentrated mainly in the hotels on the coast. The first accommodations and restaurants indicate the hesitant beginning of tourist development.
Since November 2001, Marsa Alam can be reached directly via the new Marsa Alam Airport , which is about 60 kilometers northwest of the city.
climate
The average temperatures in the winter months from October to March are between 16 and 35 degrees Celsius and in the summer months from April to September between 19 and 41 degrees Celsius. The temperature of the Red Sea on the coast of Marsa Alam reaches values between 22 and 29 degrees Celsius during the year.
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Average monthly temperatures, hours of sunshine and rainy days for Marsa Alam
Source: missing
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Residents
The 1,918 inhabitants are mainly fishermen and farmers. They keep sheep, goats and dromedaries , or work in the few mines, marble and granite quarries . Unemployment in the region is high. Mining has been practiced in this region for thousands of years. Already in Pharaonic times and later under the Romans, the area was known for deposits of gold , emeralds and gemstones , as well as copper and lead . The road to Edfu was probably built under Ptolemy II and leads past many historically significant places, such as the Wadi Miya with its famous temple, built by Sethos I and the Wadi Baramiya , where the early Egyptians operated mines. Up until the time of the British occupation, the milling of quartz stone with thin gold veins at a content of around 20 grams of gold per ton was a business that was then discontinued due to unprofitability. For a few years the mines have been put back into operation by Australian investors using modern methods.
Two tribes originally lived in the area: the Ababda - in the northern area and the Bedscha - Bedouin in the southern area. These have long lived in the eastern desert and may have been used by the ancient Egyptians to defend the border. They later mixed in with the Arabs who also brought Islam to the country. (See also Gebel Elba National Park .) They raise cattle, are known for making charcoal, and were also known to be excellent hunters. Their houses are called kisha and are usually built on hills to avoid any floods after rainfall. The houses are made from branches and are built by the women and covered with palm leaves.
Rock carvings ( petroglyphs ) that date back to prehistoric times can often be found in the entire area . In the representations you can still see animal species such as giraffes and cattle, and they also contain hunting scenes. There are also many places for those interested in geology.
Diving and snorkeling
The reefs and bays along the coast allow diving in many places. Well-known places are Marsa Murena (Abu Dabbab Beach), the wreck of the Hamada near Abu Ghusun or the many house reefs of the hotels. Diving around Marsa Alam is comparable to diving in Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh in the 1980s. This means hardly touched places of partly excellent quality. In contrast to El Quseir , where diving takes place exclusively on land-based fringing reefs, there are still numerous offshore reefs in Marsa Alam, such as the Elphinstone Reef and Shaab Marsa Alam, a coral reef with an area of around 100 square meters. A little further south and three kilometers from the coast is the horseshoe-shaped Shaab Samadai ("Dolphin House"), which is regularly visited by spinner dolphins , and Shaab Claude near Berenike with a cave system. This can be safely dived because there is always a passage to the surface. Snorkeling is also possible at Marsa Alam, but the frequent strong surf makes it a bit prone to weather.
Attractions
Nearby tourist destinations are:
- The Wadi-al-Gamal National Park , located about 50 kilometers south of Marsa Alam , which extends to the coast of the Red Sea.
- The partly in Hala'ib -Dreieck, about 30 kilometers from the border with Sudan lying Gebel-Elba National Park , which is located 20 to 25 kilometers inland. Since 2005, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has approved the Hala'ib triangle for tourism.
- Marsa Murena (Abu Dabbab), one of the most famous beaches in Marsa Alam. The bay is known for its sea turtles , and dugongs and dolphins are also common here.
- The Emerald and the Pharaonic Gold Mine .
- The temple of Seti I at Khanais in Wadi Miya .
Individual evidence
- ↑ al-Baḥr al-Aḥmar: The population data for the cities and villages 2006 ( Memento from August 15, 2012 on WebCite )
- ^ Status of the census on November 11, 2006 ( memento from August 15, 2012 on WebCite ) (population in the markaz / district: 3,946)
