(CNN) – Egypt says a recently constructed 36-kilometer concrete and wire fence that surrounds Sharm el-Sheikh will help protect tourism in the Red Sea resort on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula.
Authorities in south Sinai hope to revive tourism, which has been affected by the unrest following the 2011 uprising in Egypt, the crash of a Russian passenger plane in Sinai in 2015 and the coronavirus pandemic. In 2005, bombing raids in Sharm el-Sheikh killed dozens in one of Egypt’s deadliest militant attacks.
The security barrier is made of concrete slabs with pieces of wire fence that separate the resort from the desert surrounding it. Some plates are marked with black peace symbols.
Those entering the city by road must pass through one of four gates equipped with cameras and scanners.
A police guard at the entrance to Ruwaysat of the cement barrier built around the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea in Egypt on Feb. 6, 2021.
Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters
Sharm el-Sheikh is located about 360 km (224 mi) south of the northern Mediterranean coast of Sinai, where an uprising of Islamic militants is concentrated.
“The distance between them is huge, and there is great security with Egypt’s Second Army securing North Sinai and Third Army securing South Sinai,” South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda told me. journalists on a weekend tour of the area.
“They will be searched, security cameras will identify them, vehicles will be scanned so that they arrive in the city after a full search.”
A museum of ancient Egyptian artifacts opened in Sharm el-Sheikh last year amid efforts to diversify tourism activities at the beach resort. A university named after King Salman of Saudi Arabia has also recently opened in the city.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Sharm el-Sheikh often hosted international summits attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.