Hurghada: ‘Russian’ capital of Egypt

The front desk officer, who was on phone, was speaking not in Arabic but Russian. Even when he turned to instruct his colleague at the front desk he spoke in Russian not in Arabic; they are actually Russians not Egyptians.That was Hurghada, where everything from ads, signage and menus were written in Cyrillic (Eastern Europe […]

The front desk officer, who was on phone, was speaking not in Arabic but Russian. Even when he turned to instruct his colleague at the front desk he spoke in Russian not in Arabic; they are actually Russians not Egyptians.
That was Hurghada, where everything from ads, signage and menus were written in Cyrillic (Eastern Europe language) and very rarely in English or Arabic.
It was known as a small fishing village on the Red Sea coastline but that changed about 20 years ago after the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics (USSR).
Two decades after the USSR collapse and the subsequent lifting of travel ban by Soviet Union on its citizens on foreign travel, Egypt suddenly became a popular and affordable destination for tourists from Russia and other post-Soviet states.
Ahmed Hamdan, an Egyptian taxi driver in the city said “Hurghada is not Egypt. It is Russian. Welcome to Russia my brother.”    
Hurghada has transformed into an international center for aquatic sports like windsurfing, sailing, deep-sea fishing, swimming, and above all snorkeling and diving.
Its unique underwater gardens offshore which are some of the finest in the world, attracts divers from across the world.
The Hurghada International Airport that has direct flight connections with several cities in Europe is a destination hub for tourists who troop in their chartered aircrafts.
Spanning over 40 km of pristine coastline, Hurghada city has a year-round sunshine, incredibly beautiful coral reefs and dozens of exciting attractions and relaxed atmosphere.
Hurghada is swamped with ads, signage and menus written in Cyrillic, while its waiters, touts and taxi drivers haggle and argue in Arabic and Russian. But only in the last decade has an ostensible community of Russian expatriates in Hurghada emerged.
The city is an industry built on cheap charter flights and all-inclusive resorts combined with lenient visa restrictions and inexpensive overstay fines has allowed for more frequent travels between Russia and Egypt and temporary to long-term residence.
Mohamed Mahmud said “Hurghada is for the Russians just like Sharm Al-sheikh is for the Israelis.” “This is not Egypt anymore. It is a Russian city with Russian culture, women, music and food. Everything here is Russian,” Mahmud said.  
This reporter observed in the hotel where he stayed that of the 23 satellite channels in the rooms, only five were in Arabic. The 18 remaining channels were Russian, Dutch, and French; with only two in English.
From hotels, taxi drivers, restaurants, bars, coffee shops to night clubs and boutiques, Euro is the main medium of transaction.
Most of the night clubs in the city play Russian music and dancers.
In Grand Seas Resort, for instance, menus in restaurants and bars are written in Russian and English.      
The entire staffing of the resort with the exception of cleaners, are Russian. Their dishes are also Russian.
The beach music also played only Russian and German songs, while the resort’s discotheque and the evening children’s shows and drama are done in Russian.
The scuba diving club located in the hotel is operated by Russians. That also explains why over 90 percent of the guests present when Daily Trust was there were also Russian or Europeans.
According to a bimonthly newsletter based in Hurghada, MK in Egypt, which is an offshoot of the 93-year-old Moscow Daily Standard, Hurghada hosts the largest number of Russians residents in the country.
“Officially, there are 3,000 documented Russians living in Hurghada, but unofficially there are more than 20,000,” the publisher of the newsletter, Yulia Shevel said.
Shevel and her family moved from Moscow to Hurghada in 2003, where today, their children attend a co-curricular program at a local Russian school where they learn about their Russian heritage, traditions and language.
She said: “For many Russians, coming to Egypt is easy – easy to fly, easy visa, and good for real estate. A lot of families who have properties in Moscow and rent out their flats get somewhere around US$1,000 per month and by this a family can live perfectly in Hurghada, where there’s fresh air and sea and sun all year.”
The city also has many joints that serve Russian cuisine, and where every Tuesday, Russians and their friends convene for a cultural night complete with a Leninist flag, Russian karaoke, comedy, games and door prizes.
Apart from savoring the serenity of the Red Sea coastline city, most Russian women also marry Egyptian men.  The marriage is called “Urfi marriage,” even though it does not constitute an official marriage contract, according to Egypt Independent.
It is rather a commitment before witnesses, conducted with a Muslim cleric or storefront lawyer for a nominal fee. The validity of urfis remains unclear, as some businesses and hotels refuse to recognize them.
Nina Abdullina, 78, is one of those Russians married to an Egyptian. She told Egypt Independent that she moved to Egypt in 2007, after leaving her teaching position at Moscow University and her colleague and husband of 40 years.
Since then, the great-grandmother has been through two marriages with Egyptian men, both less than half her age.
“I was married because it’s difficult to live alone here in a Muslim country. The first marriage was a mistake of course, so I divorced very quickly. But the second one was happy. My husband was a lawyer, 32 years old, very kind, very honest,” she said.
“He was so good that Allah took him. He died in a car accident two years ago. I can’t believe up to this day that he’s dead. But Egyptians they take it easy. He’s there in the sky and he’s happy. This religion helps to carry these tragedies.”
Now, Abdullina said she is content living alone and enjoys her job tutoring Russian women in Egyptian Arabic and teaching English and German to children of mixed Russian-Egyptian families.
She explained that “I was really ill with high blood pressure in Russia and I wanted to leave. My husband was against it, so I had no choice. I divorced him and left. So after one year of swimming slowly everyday in the Red Sea, 700 meters there and 700 meters back, I felt so healthy. I’m really so sorry I came late to Egypt.”
“Egyptian men have a special trait,” she said. “They take responsibility for themselves. It’s not like in Russia or Europe where everything is half-half. No, he tells me you work as you want and make money and spend it as you want but don’t worry about anything else. If there’s a problem it’s not yours. I feel like a woman here.”
Hamdan argued that what Pattaya is to Russian men, Hurghada is to Russian women. Pattaya, a sea town in Thailand, is notorious for its sex tourism.
“I don’t like it here. Russian women drink too much Vodka. They like too much sex,” he said. He added that “I can’t marry a Russian woman. I can’t cope with their drinking habit and excessive carnal desires.”
But a Russian named Vedyenev in his 50s, who spoke to Daily  Trust said “Hurghada is perfect for me. I enjoy everything here.”
He said he came to the city seven years ago. “I enjoyed the city and everything. There is no stress here” he said as he held the hand of a woman moving towards the beach.
For Mahmud, Hurghada is an example of “bad” side of Egypt. “Leave your hotel room and go round the city in the night and see what I am telling you. It is a Las Vegas of sorts. There are sex workers roaming the streets looking for clients, this is not to talk of the night clubs, the strippers dancing in night clubs. What of the drinking binge in karaoke and the likes? It is bad,” he said.
Despite all these, Hurghada is one of the money – spinning tourist destinations for Egypt – where it all begins.