El Qoseir
[Also spelled ''Kosseir'', ''Al Qusair'', ''El Quseir'', ''Quseir'', ''Qusseir'' or ''Qosseir''.] (, ) is a city in eastern
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, located on the
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
west coast. Populated for approximately 5,000 years, its ancient Egyptian name was Tjau, while its ancient Greek name during the
Ptolemaic era was
Myos Hormos.
[Myos Hormos - Quseir al-Qadim: Roman and Islamic Ports on the Red Sea, Blue, Lucie, Peacock, David P. S.,Oxbow (2006)] Historically, it was the endpoint of the
Wadi Hammamat trail, an important route connecting Egypt and the Red Sea.
El Qoseir is located 138 kilometers south of
Hurghada, 130 km north of
Marsa Alam
Marsa Alam ( ' , Classical Arabic ) is a tourist List of cities and towns in Egypt, town in south-eastern Egypt, located on the western shore of the Red Sea. It is described as a "popular" tourist destination. Marsa Alam is a relatively recently ...
and 68 km north of the
Marsa Alam International Airport. In 1986, its population was approximately 20,000. Today, the population of El Qoseir is around 50,000.
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as
hot desert (BWh).
Summer
Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
s are hot and
winter
Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...
s are warm. Winter night temperatures in El Qoseir, along with those of
Marsa Alam
Marsa Alam ( ' , Classical Arabic ) is a tourist List of cities and towns in Egypt, town in south-eastern Egypt, located on the western shore of the Red Sea. It is described as a "popular" tourist destination. Marsa Alam is a relatively recently ...
and
Sharm El Sheikh
Sharm El Sheikh (, , literally "bay of the Sheikh"), alternatively rendered Sharm el-Sheikh, Sharm el Sheikh, or Sharm El-Sheikh, is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip alo ...
are the warmest of any other cities and resorts in
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. Rain is very rare, as in most of Egypt. Seasonal variation is small, comparable to Marsa Alam, but its summer days are cooler, even cooler than similar more northern areas at the Red Sea, like
Hurghada and
Sharm El Sheikh
Sharm El Sheikh (, , literally "bay of the Sheikh"), alternatively rendered Sharm el-Sheikh, Sharm el Sheikh, or Sharm El-Sheikh, is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip alo ...
.
The highest record temperature was , recorded on July 12, 1983, while the coldest record temperature was , recorded on January 6, 1976.
See also
*
Hurghada
*
Marsa Alam
Marsa Alam ( ' , Classical Arabic ) is a tourist List of cities and towns in Egypt, town in south-eastern Egypt, located on the western shore of the Red Sea. It is described as a "popular" tourist destination. Marsa Alam is a relatively recently ...
*
Red Sea Riviera
Notes
References
External links
Columbia Encyclopedia entry
{{Authority control
Populated places in Red Sea Governorate
Underwater diving sites in Egypt