Red Sea Coral Reefsالشعاب المرجانية

Over 200 species of vivid hard and soft coral make the Red Sea's reefs among the most colourful — and surprisingly resilient — on Earth.أكثر من 200 نوعٍ من المرجان الصلب والليّن الزاهي تجعل شعاب البحر الأحمر من أكثرها ألوانًا — وصمودًا على نحوٍ مفاجئ — على الأرض.

The Red Sea is famous the world over for its coral reefs — dazzling underwater gardens of more than two hundred species of hard and soft coral. Fringing the Egyptian coast in shallow gardens, sheer walls, and isolated pinnacles, these reefs blaze with colour and teem with life. They are the foundation of everything that makes Red Sea diving and snorkelling so spectacular, and, remarkably, they are among the most heat-resilient reefs left on the planet.

يشتهر البحر الأحمر في العالم كلّه بشعابه المرجانية — حدائقُ تحت الماء خلّابة بأكثر من مئتي نوعٍ من المرجان الصلب والليّن. وتحفّ هذه الشعاب الساحل المصري في حدائقَ ضحلة وجدرانٍ شاهقة وقممٍ منعزلة، متوهّجةً بالألوان وعامرةً بالحياة. وهي أساس كل ما يجعل الغوص والغطس في البحر الأحمر بهذا البهاء، والمدهش أنها من أكثر الشعاب صمودًا للحرارة المتبقّية على الكوكب.

الشعاب المرجانية
200+ species

A Living Rainbow · قوس قزحٍ حيّ

Hard & Soft Coralمرجانٌ صلب وليّن

The building blocks of the reef.لبنات الشعاب.

The Red Sea hosts over 200 species of coral, in two broad families. Hard (stony) corals build the reef itself, secreting limestone skeletons that, over centuries, form the great structures divers explore — branching, table, brain, and boulder corals. Soft corals add astonishing colour, swaying in the current in brilliant reds, pinks, oranges, and purples, especially vivid on the famous walls. Together they create the rich, sculpted underwater landscape — gardens, walls, and pinnacles — that defines Red Sea diving.

Resilient Reefs · شعابٌ صامدة

A Global Hope Spotبقعة أملٍ عالمية

Corals that withstand the heat.مرجانٌ يصمد للحرارة.

As coral reefs decline around the world, the Red Sea's have drawn special attention from scientists. Adapted over millennia to the sea's warm, salty water, many of its corals are unusually tolerant of heat and have so far resisted the mass bleaching seen elsewhere. This makes the northern Red Sea a globally important "hope spot" — a refuge where reefs may survive a warming ocean. It is one more reason these waters are so precious, and so worth protecting.

A Foundation of Life · أساسُ الحياة

Home to Everything Elseبيتٌ لكل ما سواه

The reef as a living city.الشعاب كمدينةٍ حيّة.

Coral reefs are the foundation of the entire Red Sea ecosystem. Their nooks, ledges, and branches provide food and shelter for a staggering web of life — from clouds of reef fish and grazing turtles to patrolling sharks. Without the coral, none of the rest could exist. Every reef is effectively a bustling underwater city, built by tiny animals over thousands of years, and supporting some of the richest marine life on Earth.

Protecting the Reefs · حماية الشعاب

Dive Responsiblyاغطس بمسؤولية

A fragile treasure to respect.كنزٌ هشّ يستحقّ الاحترام.

For all their beauty, coral reefs are extremely fragile — a single careless touch or kick can destroy growth that took years. Responsible divers and snorkellers maintain good buoyancy, never touch or stand on coral, and take nothing but photographs. Marine protected areas such as Ras Mohammed help safeguard the best reefs. By treating them with care, visitors help ensure these underwater gardens stay vibrant for generations of divers to come.

Quick Facts · حقائق سريعة

Coral Reefs at a Glanceالشعاب المرجانية في سطور

What they are: the coral reefs of the Egyptian Red Sea.
Arabic name: الشعاب المرجانية (Coral Reefs).
Diversity: over 200 species of hard and soft coral.
Forms: shallow gardens, sheer walls, and isolated pinnacles.
Special trait: unusually heat-resilient — a global reef "hope spot."
Care: never touch coral; maintain good buoyancy; support marine parks.

Sources include marine-science and Red Sea diving references. Some figures are approximate.