Dahab

Dahab
coastal town
Overview of Dahab, its beaches and coral reef
Dahab Location in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula
Coordinates: 28°29′35″N 34°30′17″E / 28.49306°N 34.50472°E / 28.49306; 34.50472
Country	Egypt
Governorate	South Sinai
Area [1]
• Total	418 sq mi (1,083 km2)
Elevation [1]	69 ft (21 m)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	3,106
• Density	7.4/sq mi (2.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EST)

Dahab (Egyptian Arabic: دهب, IPA: [ˈdæhæb], "gold") is a small Egyptian town on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, approximately 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Dahab can be divided into three major parts. Masbat, which includes the Bedouin village of Asalah, is in the north. South of Masbat is Mashraba, which is more touristic and has considerably more hotels. In the southwest is Medina which includes the Laguna area, famous for its excellent shallow-water kite- and windsurfing.^[2]

The region of Asalah is quite developed and has many campsites and hostels. Most people who have visited Dahab in the past are backpackers interested in diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea. The town of Dahab counts around 15,000 inhabitants.^[2]

Dahab is mentioned in Deuteronomy as דִ֥י זָהָֽב (dî zāhāḇ), and in the Septuagint translation as Καταχρύσεα. Gesenius exegetes as, “I have no doubt but that it is the same place as that now called Dehab on the western shore of the Ælanitic gulf, where there are many palms.”^[3]

Following the Six-Day War of 1967, Sinai was occupied by Israel and Dahab became known as Di-Zahav. The Sinai Peninsula was restored to Egyptian rule under the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in 1982.