Author: Esraa Mohareb

As soon as you take your first steps down the street leading to the Italian Hospital in El Qusair, you are captivated by a scene that is completely different from the usual features of this city, which is steeped in Islamic style. An exceptional building stands out in a warm yellow color, shining under the Red Sea sun like a golden flash that catches the eye before the heart.

When you stand in front of Al-Farran Mosque, you imagine that its ancient stones and wooden pieces have come to life, bowing down like living beings pulsating with wisdom and sanctity. It tells the land and the sea the story of an eternal life on Al-Qusair Beach, standing tall by the sea. It is like a soldier guarding life and the memory of the place.

Like border towns and desert cities, where humans are constantly battling nature to create an environment suitable for survival, Safaga has been and continues to be the scene of this eternal struggle. Among its mountains, life sprouts from cracks, clings to hillsides, and blooms even in the depths of the valley, searching for any means of survival despite the harsh scarcity of water and, at times, its complete absence. Nevertheless, the people who have inhabited this land for hundreds of years did not give up. Instead, they undertook arduous journeys in search of sources of drinkable water, until their attempts…

At first glance, when you enter Safaga, you might think it is a modern city that cannot be compared to the ancient Egyptian cities with roots deep in history. But once you delve deeper into the neighborhoods of “Safaga al-Balad,” this charming city reveals its secrets and endless stories, overlooking you with its ancient landmarks that bear witness to the dreams, ambitions, and hopes of successive generations.