The Sinai Peninsula and Red Sea Coast Travel Guide

Guidebooks

For centuries, European traders and Arab merchants had to sail around the Cape of Good Hope to travel east to Asia from Europe and the Mediterranean. However, 2,000 years earlier, ancient Egyptians had that problem licked. The records of the Greek historian Herodotus speak of a canal begun around 600 BC that connected the Nile to the Gulf of Suez. The canal was used during the time of Alexander the Great, left to ruin, then reopened during the Arab domination that began around AD 645. The canal was the primary route between the Nile Valley and the Arab world's trading center in Mecca, on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. Then the ancient canal was abandoned, and traders returned to the desert, risking their goods and their camels. Aside from the accounts of historians, all traces of that canal have vanished. The Suez Canal—an effort of thousands of Egyptian men who manually shoveled tons of sand between 1859 and 1869 to create a 110-km (66-mi) trench through the desert—follows a different course.

Hotels

The Sinai Peninsula and Red Sea Coast Hotels

Around the Sinai and the Red Sea you'll find everything from luxury resorts to motels and seedy camping areas. Prices are considerably higher in peak seasons...read more

Restaurants

The Sinai Peninsula and Red Sea Coast Restaurants

The Sinai and the Red Sea Coast resorts cater primarily to European tastes, so resort food tends to be Continental and Italian fare and buffet breakfasts...read more

Things To Do

Things To Do in The Sinai Peninsula and Red Sea Coast

Explore the best sights, entertainment, and shopping with our top choices and insider tips.

Hotels

The Sinai Peninsula and Red Sea Coast Experiences

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