Sharm al-Sheikh, an oasis of calm amid Egypt's turbulence

Egyptians call it "Sharm". It is known in the media as "Mubarak’s city", named after former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. It has just now played host to the largest economic conference since the 25 January revolution that ousted Mubarak.

Sharm al-Sheikh is located in the south of Sinai, where the Aqaba and Suez gulfs meet the Red Sea. The area of the city is not more than 420 square kilometres.

Even though, unlike other Egyptian cities, the city is neither ancient nor full of antiquities and so does not reflect Egypt’s history, its high security make it the location of choice for successive Egyptian governments to hold major international conferences.

Until the 1960s, Sharm al-Sheikh was no more than a fishing town.

Until the 1960s, Sharm al-Sheikh was no more than a fishing town. Israel occupied it in 1967, building a seaport and a number of resorts and touristic projects.

In 1982, Egypt took over the city after the departure of Israeli troops. This was the beginning of Mubarak’s rule, and he launched a major marketing campaign to attract tourists to the city.

According to the Turkish Anadolu News Agency, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism never conducted a survey on the numbers of tourists arriving in the city. However, Sharm al-Sheikh is considered one of the foremost tourist destinations in the country, as tourists flock there for the scenery and entertainment. It has also been one of the safest places in Egypt over the past few years.

Security first

Sharm al-Sheikh has been calm over the past few decades due to the high level of security imposed on it by consecutive governments. The city was also a refuge for Mubarak and his family. The former president would hold conferences in the city, spending long periods of time in it and even using it as a base to govern the country.

Despite the series of bombings witnessed by the normally calm city in 2005, which killed 88 and injured over 200, most of them Egyptians, the city did not lose its reputation for security. Some Egyptians call it "the land of peace".

Sharm al-Sheikh was immune to the chaos and instability in much of the country after the 21 January 2011 revolution, which is why Mubarak and his family chose it as appropriate place to retire after Mubarak stepped down from power, before his arrest in April of that year.

A conference host

Mubarak and his family chose it as appropriate place to retire after Mubarak stepped down from power.

Sharm al-Sheikh has hosted a large number of political, scientific and tourism conferences over the years, such as the Peacemakers in the Middle East conference in 1996, which was attended by a number of Arab and western leaders, and the G-15 Summit in 1998.

In 1999, Sharm al-Sheikh hosted the signing of the Wye River Memorandum between the Palestinians, represented by the late president Yasser Arafat, and Israel, represented by then-prime minister Ehud Barak, with American and Jordanian participation.

In 2000, the city hosted an international summit attended by the former US president, Bill Clinton, to put an end to Israeli violence in the Palestinian territories.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) also awarded Sharm al-Sheikh its Cities for Peace prize for 2000-2001.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.