Egypt’s Red Sea Village of El Qula’an Becomes Fully Sustainable

All across Egypt, ripples of changes are being felt, each emanating from the extensive preparations being made to host the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in the resort town of Sharm El Sheikh. From sustainable policies to solar power plants, the governorate is essentially getting set up as a proof of concept for a greener future in Egypt and other nations like it, and El Qula’an - a humble community on the western coast of the Red Sea - has just been transformed into a model of a fully sustainable village.

Located at Marsa Alam, a Red Sea town famed for its surf-friendly shores and gorgeous mangrove forests, El Qula’an is an experiment in implementing progressive sustainable changes without affecting its natural surroundings. Since it’s tucked away in Marsa Alam’s Wadi El Gamal Nature Reserve, these concerns are especially pertinent - the reserve’s mangrove forests serve a crucial role in the region’s ecological balance, and act as a temporary home for migrating birds.

Through a cooperation between the Red Sea Reserves and the Red Sea Governorate, the village is almost entirely powered by a solar power plant. This same power plant also allows the new water desalination plant to operate and produce 10 square kilometres of water per day. 14 wooden houses have also been set up within the village, each fashioned after the homes of the local Ababda tribe, who live as nomads between Egypt and Sudan. Finally, the village hosts an outlet for leather products and handicrafts at the Abu Ghosoun workshop, in hopes of further attracting ecotourism into the area.