Dahab

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Sinai Peninsula and surrounding areas, showing location of Dahab

Dahab

Beach promenade

Dahab (دهب) is a small village situated on the south-eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Formerly a Bedouin fishing village, the construction of international chain-hotels and other ancillary facilities has now made this a popular destination with tourists. The nearest international airport is located at Sharm el-Sheikh.

Tourist highlights include:

Dahab is world-renowned for its windsurfing. Reliable winds provide superb flat water conditions inside Dahab's sand spit. Beyond the sand spit, wavy conditions couple with strong winds to provide formidable conditions for keen windsurfers.
The SCUBA diving and snorkelling are very good, with many reefs immediately adjacent to waterfront hotels. The nearby Blue Hole and Canyon are internationally famous dive spots.
The seafood restaurants along the waterfront of the down-town tourist area, known as Masbet, are good, with red snapper, calamari and lobster being highlights. The Bedouin-style seafood is based on baking in earthenware.
There are camel, horse, jeep and quad-bike safaris. These are either parallel to the shoreline, up one of the several valleys or around the township.
A two hour drive is sufficient to reach Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine's Monastery; ascents to view sunrise and sunset are popular.
Historically, most vistors to Dahab have been backpackers travelling independently and staying in hostels in the Masbet area. In recent years, development of hotels in the Medina area has facilitated the arrival of a wider range of tourists, many of whom visit Dahab specifically to partake in the windsurfing, diving and other activities.

The word Dahab is Arabic for gold and is possibly a reference to the geographic locality; gold washed down from the desert mountains may have accumulated on the alluvial flood plain where the town was built. The name may also be a reference to the colour of the sands to the south of the town itself.

2006 bomb attacks

main article: 2006 Dahab bombings

On April 24, 2006 at about 19:15 local time, 3 bombs exploded in tourist areas in Dahab, killing 18 and wounding 60 people. These explosions follow other bombings elsewhere in the Sinai peninsula, in Sharm el-Sheikh and in Taba in the previous two years. According to the Reuters news agency [link], the explosions took place at two restaurants (Aladdin and Nelson) and at the Ghazala supermarket.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[Special]

[Photos of Dahab and Blue Hole] on GlobalAmity.net
[Images of Dahab on Odd-stuff!]

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