Hurghada or "Al-Ghardaka"

Around 1900 Hurghada consisted of just a few huts and was just a resting place for fishermen. The town’s name originates from these days, when the fishermen arranged to meet before their journey home at a large tree that made for a prominent landmark in the desert. This tree was called Gharkad and the fishermen renamed the village “Al-Ghardaka”, which is Arabian for Hurghada.

The founding of the town dates back to 1931 and the dynamic growth of Hurghada started in the wake of tourism taking off in the 1980s. By today Hurghada's population has risen to 90,000 inhabitants, plus 140,000 commuters that work either directly or indirectly in the tourism sector. Hurghada, the capital of the Red Sea region, consists of the three town districts El Dahhar, Al-Sakkala and Al-Ahiaa and is visited by 1 million tourists every year.