Image: "Cleopatra's emerald mine" near Marsa Alam. Marsa Alam is situated just north of the tropic of cancer on Egypt's southern Red Sea coast, about 250km south of Hurghada. It's still a small town of about 7000 but, despite its' small size, most pundits consider Marsa Alam will be the next big Red Sea tourist destination. Until recently it was a sleepy fishing village, although not without a history. There is plenty of evidence in the rock inscriptions and paintings that stoneage man made in the surrounding mountains many thousands of years ago. The smooth rock was perfect for such work. This prehistoric art includes depictions of hunting scenes showing numerous animals including giraffes, ostriches and the hunting dogs. Graffiti from a later period can also be found in the towering smooth walls of Wadi Hammamat which is closer to El Quseir, but still a not too distant excursion from Marsa Alam. These include graffiti dating from Pharaonic times to the twentieth century. By the Pharaonic era Marsa Alam had become vital to the economy of ancient Egypt. For the surrounding coastal area was rich in deposits of copper, lead, gold, emeralds and semi-precious stones. The area is thought to have contained the first emerald mines anywhere in the world and was the sole source of emeralds for the Roman Empire. The mountainous Red Sea coastline was also an important source of granite for the Empire, and slaves were used to hack the stone out of the mountains. Even the Roman guards considered such locations as a punishment posting. One such Roman granite/quarry complex, Mons Claudianus, can be found a two hour drive to the north of Marsa Alam off the Safaga-Qena road; about 40km west of Safaga. It is thought that it was during the reign of Ptolemy II (281-246BC) that the first road was built linking Marsa Alam on the Red Sea with Edfu. This route ran through what is now the “Wadi el Gemal” (Valley of the Camels) national park. The main purpose of the road was to take emeralds and other precious stones and metals from the mines near the Red Sea to the Nile for onward shipment. Some of the gold mines continued to operate under the British administration during the early twentieth century before eventually closing down due to the high cost of extraction. However recently they were reopened by foreign investors using the latest mining technology. These mines together with some marble and granite quarries provide employment for some of the population, although others are now being drawn in to the tourist trade. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the coastal resorts of Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh to the north began to flourish, some began to realise that Marsa Alam, with its virgin beaches and coral reefs, had an enormous tourist potential. In 2001 Marsa Alam obtained it's first international airport. The only privately run airport in Egypt. The M.A. Kharafi Group were given a forty year concession. Soon after the airport's completion Egypt Air began a scheduled service. In July 2007 a new LE 707 million ($14 million) 220km road was completed between Edfu and Marsa Alam. Previously tourists had to take a long circuitous route by Safaga and Qena to reach Luxor. GO TO MarsaAlam.com home page Marsa Alam weather Marsa Alam hotels |