Sahl Hasheesh
Sahl Hasheesh (Arabic: سهل حشيش Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈsæhle ħæˈʃiːʃ]) is a bay located on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, across from Sharm El Sheikh, approximately 18 km south of Hurghada International Airport .[1][2]
The Sahl Hasheesh Bay is home to a number of islands and coral reefs with diving and snorkeling. The nearby Abu Hasheesh Island is a local protectorate containing a thriving community of marine life.[3]
Development
Development rights to Sahl Hasheesh are held by Egyptian Resorts Company (ERC), who purchased the land in 1995. ERC itself was founded in 1995 and publicly listed in 1999. ERC had a vision of a huge project for this area. Plans for the 12-square mile community were to be completed by 2020.[4] The builder's stated objective was "to create a fully integrated mixed-use resort city, with the aim of achieving long-term economic and environmental sustainability."[5]
The residential units at El Andulous, in Sahl Hasheesh, were completed in 2008 and sold out quickly.[6] Palm Beach Piazza and Family Resort Ocean Breeze are the other residential projects selling apartments and villas in Sahl Hasheesh.[7]
In the resort town, tourists and residents can find something of a treasure, a partly submerged artificial city. This artificial reef attracts fish and is a favorite with tourists, for diving and snorkeling.[8][5]
In 2009, Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh was rated as one of the more upscale resorts in the Middle East and won first place in Trip Advisors 2016 Travelers Choice Award of top 25 Luxury Hotels in Egypt.[9][10] Other hotels at the resort were in the top 10 of Hurgada hotels, as well.[11]
In 2015, Bloomberg Financial reported that the developer was struggling to sell its properties and had lost a lot of value in its stock.[1] But in 2016, the developer had a strong financial balance sheet and its hotels were being highly rated by tourists from around the world.[7] In 2016, tourism was returning to pre-revolution levels.[12]
Another developer, Inertia Holdings had projects in Sahl Hasheesh as of 2018.[13]
Climate
The climate of Sahl Hasheesh is characterised by coastal aridity, with hot and dry summers and mild winters. Rainfall amounts are low and infrequent.
| Climate data for Hurghada | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
22.2 (72.0) |
26.3 (79.3) |
27.6 (81.7) |
31.3 (88.3) |
33.4 (92.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
34.2 (93.6) |
31.7 (89.1) |
29.8 (85.6) |
26.4 (79.5) |
22.9 (73.2) |
28.4 (83.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
20.4 (68.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
28.0 (82.4) |
28.7 (83.7) |
29.2 (84.6) |
26.9 (80.4) |
24.6 (76.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 9.7 (49.5) |
10.0 (50.0) |
14.5 (58.1) |
15.9 (60.6) |
19.8 (67.6) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.6 (74.5) |
24.2 (75.6) |
22.2 (72.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
17.4 (63.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
3 (0) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[14] | |||||||||||||
References
- Frontier: Exploring the Top Ten Emerging Markets of Tomorrow Bloomberg Financial. John Wiley & Sons. 2015. p. 64. ISBN 9781118823729. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- "Famous Cities - Sahl Hasheesh". State Information Service - Government of Egypt. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- "Abu Hashish Island Red Sea". Red Sea Boats Holidays Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- Stallings, Doug (2009). Fodors Egypt, Volume 3. Fodors. p. 8. ISBN 9781400007301.
- "Sahl Hasheesh Resort". SahlHasheesh. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- "El Andalous Residence". Orbit Alliance. Archived from the original on 2017-03-17.
- "Investor Relations Latest News". erc-egypt. Archived from the original on 2016-12-30.
- "Die Holiday Reporter erkunden die City of Isis "The Sunken City" / Sahl Hasheesh / Ägypten". YouTube Holiday Reporter Channel. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- "Best Luxury Hotels in Egypt". Trip Advisor. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- Teller, Matthew (November 27, 2009). "The Traveller's Guide to the Red Sea". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- "Baron Palace Sahl Hasheesh". Trip Advisor. Archived from the original on 2017-07-19.
- "Sahl Hasheesh invests in build-out of value-added components". Daily News Egypt. 4 March 2016.
- Al-Aees, Shaimaa (5 November 2018). "Inertia Holding earns EGP 4bn in Jefaira North Coast project sales since launch". Daily News Egypt.
- "Climate: Hurghada". Climate-Data. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.