"… That exquisite corridor of tinted mountains and radiant water… here and nowhere else, is the vestibule between the Levant and the Tropics."

E.M. Forster describing the Gulf of Suez, 1923.

Egypt's Red Sea coast runs from the Gulf and Suez to the Sudanese border. Its mineral-rich red mountain ranges inspired the mariners of antiquity to name the Sea Mare Rostrum, or the Red Sea.

Today, the crags and limestone wadis of the Eastern Desert remain relatively unexplored, home to herds of ibex and gazelle. But the Red Sea itself, dotted with coral reefs, fringed by ancient ports, teeming with underwater life, has a rich maritime history which stretches back to Pharaonic times.

Ships have sailed, and sunk, in the Red Sea since it was the main route to the Indies for Phoenician and Ancient Egyptian traders. In those times, ships loaded with copper, cooking pots and clothing departed from El-Quseir and Berenice and returned bearing elephants, ebony, gems and spices. For centuries, the Red Sea remained a scene of shipwreck and adventure for smugglers, merchants, pirates and pilgrims. After the opening of the Suez Canal, in 1869, it continued its role as an international trade route and "Passage to India" for European travelers.

"The magical dance of the reef continues … each night, with unchanging rhythms, in the silence of a thousand noises in the ocean deep."
David Doubilet, The Red Sea.

The thermal winds that once sped clippers to the East still bring thousands of migrating birds to the shores of the Red Sea, making it a paradise for bird-watchers. Today, the ancient ports are better known as some of the best diving and fishing resorts in the world. Sunbathers relax on white sand beaches, or find shade in the mangrove lagoons that line the coast, while snorkellers explore the reefs. And the underwater wonder of the Red Sea remains: a living tapestry of vibrant corals and exotic fish, waiting for you to discover its secrets.