"...tucked at the foot of the steep mountains of the interior and lying on the shore of an expansive bay..."

Eighty-five kilometers north of Dahab, and just above Abu Galum, lies the port and beach resort of Nuweiba. Like Sharm el-Sheikh, Nuweiba actually consists of several different locations, each with its own distinctive character. To the south, tucked at the foot of the steep mountains of the interior and lying on the shore of an expansive bay, are the port and luxurious oasis of Nuweiba Muzeina. This coastal resting spot has drawn travellers for centuries, having long been an important port for Muslim pilgrims en route to Mecca. Today, Nuweiba Muzeina's magnificent beaches and coral reefs are the most common draw, and the bay is home to a number of resorts and tourist villages. The port continues to offer ferry service to Aqaba on the Jordan coast on a daily basis.

Further north, on the far side of the prominence that thrusts out into the Gulf of Aqaba to form Nuweiba Bay, is Nuweiba el-Tarabin. Although possessed of an equally lovely beach, Tarabin is more modestly developed, for the area is home also to the Tarabin tribe of the Bedouin.

Also at Nuweiba el-Tarabin are the ruins of the great fortress of Tarabin, constructed at the outset of the 16th century by the Mameluke sultan Ashraf Qansouh el-Ghouri (1501-1506). The sultan was concerned to protect the Sinai from Turkish invasion, as well as to ensure the safety of travellers around this port city. Although the construction proved of little help against the Turks (who invaded shortly afterward), its well has for centuries served as a convenient source of fresh water for the Bedouins.