Sunken City (Sahl Hasheesh)

The Sunken City of Sahl Hasheesh is not an archaeological site: it is a modern installation that mimics an ancient Egyptian city, with statues, columns and hieroglyphs intentionally submerged. There are replicas of temples resembling structures like the Temple of Horus, as well as columns and carved facades inspired by pharaonic architecture. The project was designed by the developers as part of the luxury tourism plan for Sahl Hasheesh.

The artificial reef was created deliberately to take part of the diving pressure off the natural reefs, and it was placed on a stretch of Sahl Hasheesh with almost no natural reef formations.

Today corals cover the stone pillars and attract schools of fish, octopus and the resident crocodile fish. Around the structures you find moray eels and schools of anthias, along with butterflyfish, angelfish, parrotfish and clownfish. Occasionally barracuda and tuna show up, as well as sea turtles and rays near the structure.