The Egyptian port of Marsa Matrouh lies on the coast road separating the Nile delta and Libya – some 300 kilometers west of Alexandria. Several buses go back and forth between the Nile and the city on a daily basis. About halfway, but a short distance from the road: El-Alamein. Marsa Matrouh itself has been marked by World War II from 1940 to 1942:

First came the Italians, then came the German African Corps. In a small cave in the rocks, Erwin Rommel planned his military operations in Hitler’s African campaign. Later came the British, who would sink the German submarine U-75 off the coast in 1941, along with many other warships. Today, Rommel’s cave is part of a military museum. Also part of it are three cemeteries – the Italian, the British, and the German.

However, Marsa Matrouh’s history extends far further back in time: In the times of Pharaoh Ramses II, i.e. around 1200 years before our time, fortresses where built on the border here to defend against the Libyans/ Carthaginians. Remnants of a Coptic chapel from the 4th/5th century were found. Even then, the region was famed as a health resort: One of the caves on today’s “Aguiba Beach” (“aguiba” is Arabian for “mysterious”) is called “Cleopatra Bath”. Queen Cleopatra – who ruled Egypt from 51 BC to 30 BC – and her lover Marc Antony are believed to have frolicked here. The region was called Paraitonion by the Ptolemies and Byzantines, Paraetonium by the Romans – or, sometimes, Amunia, the seat of god Amon/ Amun, as evident from temple ruins. The Ptolemies left countless traces here – such as remnants of an old port.

Marsa Matrouh and its environs are set to become a new top holiday destination, not on the Red Sea, as would be expected in Egypt, but on the Mediterranean. Cleopatra and Mark Antony used to “vacation” in this region in appreciation of the mild climate of the Mediterranean coast and the azure waves washing against the wonderful white sandy beaches. Caribbean dreams on the Egyptian Riviera…

A magnificent coastline whose impressive and pristine beaches are famed for their soft, white sands and the calm, clear water. The bay is protected from the high seas by a series of rocks forming a natural wave-breaker, with a small opening to allow light vessels in.