Marsa Alam
Marsa Alam
مرسي علم | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Governorate | Red Sea Governorate |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
Marsa Alam (Template:Lang-ar Marsā ʿAlam IPA: [ˈmæɾsæ ˈʕælæm]) is a town in south-eastern Egypt, located on the western shore of the Red Sea. It is currently seeing fast increasing popularity as a tourist destination and development following the opening of Marsa Alam International Airport in 2001.
Among the most famous beaches around Marsa Alam is the Abu Dabab beach. In Abu Dabab, turtles are a common sight and it is nearly guaranteed that when diving, one will see at least one turtle. For tourists who seek to see something less typical, there is marine wildlife like sea snakes, crocodilefish and octopuses.
Marsa Alam also has some inland attractions, such as the Emerald Mines and the Temple of Seti I at Khanais.
Climate
Despite being over 135 miles (217 km) north of the tropical zone, the city experiences a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh),[1] with steadier temperatures than places to the north such as Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, yet Kosseir is steadier and has cooler summers. Marsa Alam, Kosseir and Sharm el-Sheikh have the warmest night temperatures of all other Egyptian cities and resorts. Average maximum temperatures during January typically range from 22 to 25 °C (72 to 77 °F) and in August 33 to 40 °C (91 to 104 °F). The temperature of the Red Sea at this location during the year ranges from 22 to 29 °C (72 to 84 °F).[2]
The highest record temperature was 45 °C (113 °F), recorded on May 10, 2010, while the lowest record temperature was 5 °C (41 °F), recorded on January 3, 2008.[3]
| Climate data for Marsa Alam | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 29 (84) |
32 (90) |
35 (95) |
39 (102) |
45 (113) |
43 (109) |
43 (109) |
42 (108) |
39 (102) |
38 (100) |
34 (93) |
31 (88) |
45 (113) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.1 (75.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
26.9 (80.4) |
29.8 (85.6) |
33.1 (91.6) |
34.7 (94.5) |
35.5 (95.9) |
35.6 (96.1) |
34.2 (93.6) |
32.6 (90.7) |
29.3 (84.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
30.5 (87.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) |
19.4 (66.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.2 (75.6) |
27.9 (82.2) |
29.5 (85.1) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.8 (87.4) |
29.3 (84.7) |
27.4 (81.3) |
24 (75) |
20.1 (68.2) |
25.3 (77.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.2 (55.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.7 (65.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
26 (79) |
24.4 (75.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
14.8 (58.6) |
20.0 (68.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5 (41) |
8 (46) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
16 (61) |
19 (66) |
22 (72) |
20 (68) |
19 (66) |
15 (59) |
12 (54) |
10 (50) |
5 (41) |
| 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) |
3 (0.1) |
1 (0.0) |
5 (0.1) |
| Average rainy days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 279 | 283 | 310 | 330 | 372 | 390 | 403 | 372 | 330 | 310 | 300 | 279 | 3,958 |
| Source 1: Climate-Data.org,[1] Weather2Travel for sunshine and rainy days[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Voodoo Skies[3] and MarsaAlam.com[5] for record temperatures, HolidayCheck.com[2] | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73 °F
23 °C |
72 °F
22 °C |
72 °F
22 °C |
73 °F
23 °C |
77 °F
25 °C |
81 °F
27 °C |
82 °F
28 °C |
84 °F
29 °C |
82 °F
28 °C |
81 °F
27 °C |
79 °F
26 °C |
75 °F
24 °C |
Near by Resorts
Madinat Coraya is located about 65 km from Marsa Alam City and just 5 km from Marsa Alam International Airport. The resorts of Madinat Coraya overlook Coraya Bay, an untouched Red Sea paradise renowned for astonishing emerald and turquoise waters. Visitors can enjoy an unhurried pace and tranquility with first class service against majestic mountain views, a breathtaking sea environment and mystifying reefs set in the protected beauty of a nature reserve stretches from Madinat Coraya to Gebel Elba in the south. Madinat Coraya and Coraya Bay in particular are tipped to be the next diving "hot spot". The whole coastline offers exceptional diving sites as well as an array of sporting activities on land and in the water for those who prefer a more active Egypt holiday experience. The most immediate attraction of the area is undoubtedly the underwater world of reefs and marine wildlife.[6]
Gallery
-
View over Marsa Alam -
Mosque in Marsa Alam -
Dugong off Abu Dabab beach -
Dugong "rolling" on sea floor -
Coral Reef north of Marsa Alam
See also
References
- ^ a b "Climate: Marsa Alam - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". climate-data.org. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ a b c "Marsa Alam/ El Quseir - Holiday facts and Information". HolidayCheck.com. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Marsa Alam, Egypt". Voodoo Skies. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Marsa Alam, Egypt: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ^ a b "MARSA ALAM WEATHER". MarsaAlam.com. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ^ http://www.jaz.travel/destinations/egypt/madinat-coraya-hotels/
External links
- On the Red Sea, as Hotels Go Up, Divers Head Down The New York Times on diving in Marsa Alam (April 8, 2007)
- Marsa Alam Guide, helpfull informations and photo galleries
- Red Sea Spinner Dolphins
- The Dugong of Marsa Abu Dabbab
- Marsa Alam Guide
- Marsa Alam Dugon
- Marsa Alam airport