Talk:Dahab

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There are no big hotels in Dahab. The way it should be.

[edit] Meaning of the name in Arabic

My arabic is very rusty, but I know that the arabic word for "gold" is ذهب, not دهب (with the letter ذ rather than د). You may see it in the relevant articles in the Arabic Wikipedia. What gives? Sagie 12:00, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

The Egyptian dialect varies from "high" Arabic (the standardized Arabic that is used by all Arabic speakers for reading and writing) in, among many other ways, its pronounciation. Thus ذهب is in fact pronounced دهب in Egypt. The town's name is just a formalization of the colloquial pronounciation. The meaning is nonetheless still "gold." -Hardey 12:39, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

The bedouin guides told me story about the origin of this name. Once every five or six years, there is a huge torrential downpouring in the mountains just west of the town. The storm may only last for a few hours, but the bedouin will notice. During this time they will not travel on the roads in the mountains. The rain will collect, pool together, and travel east, the rivers joining together until they flood through the town. If you look on GoogleEarth, you can see the outline of the riverbed. The mounth of the river is typically where the car park, bridge and pool are. It will flow for five or six days, during which time the town is completely cut in two, with no way to travel between either half. The river will pull all the sand down from the mountains, and off the beach, turning the bay gold, hence the name.

I was told this in 2004, and the last rain had been in 2000. Several people ignored the warnings and parked in the car park, and the river swept the cars, along with part of a dive centre, into the bay. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.16.179.135 (talk) 22:57, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] current state of Dahab

Is Dahab in shape to receive tourists since the bombings in April?

Yes it is, We went there last August (approx 4 months after the bombing) and it was fine, you could see a small amount of damge by the bridge where one of the bombs was detonated but that was about it. We're gong back this Agust as well, it's a fantastic place and highly recommended to anyone who enjoys diving, windsurfing or snorkling 134.146.9.19 09:16, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

- I just arrived from Dahab exactly 3 days ago (6th of July, 2007), and it was as beautiful as ever. Dahab has a very peaceful and friendly atmosphere, and I very much enjoyed scuba-diving and snorkling since the water was warm and crystal clear. I personally believe that tourists as well as locals should have nothing to worry about, since security is very tight, yet not to the extent that it would bother anyone. I am even considering investing in Dahab since it is witnessing an economic and touristic boom, and the environment for investment is very safe and promising. Dahab is certainly the place to be! 196.219.177.51 10:39, 9 July 2007 (UTC)