The Arab Republic of Egypt (Miṣr in Arabic) links northeastern Africa and southwestern Asia with the land bridge of Sinai connecting the two continents. This position has made it an important crossroads of the world for the many millennia of its history. In modern times it became a particularly crucial crossroads in 1869 with the completion of the Suez Canal by a French company, linking Egypt's Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts. At that time Egypt was nominally a province of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire but in fact it was ruled as a monarchy. British troops invaded and occupied the country in 1882, declaring its independence from the Ottoman Empire and establishing a de facto British protectorate. Egyot was declared an independent kingdom in 1922 but British troops remained until the republic was established in 1953. Egypt is famous as the home of the prototype of all lighthouses, the Pharos of Alexandria, built in the early third century BC. At nearly 120 m (390 ft), it was as tall as a modern skyscraper and much taller than any modern lighthouse. It remained in operation until after the Arab conquest of Egypt in 642 CE and stood for centuries more, finally collapsing after several earthquakes. Egypt is divided into 27 governorates and the governorates are subdivided into regions. This page includes lighthouses of the Red Sea Governorate, which includes the entire Red Sea coast south of the immediate Suez area; there are separate pages for the Mediterranean Sea coast and for South Sinai and Suez. Aids to navigation in Egypt are operated by the Egyptian Authority for Maritime Safely (EAMS). A private company, the Beacon Company of Egypt, maintains many of the lights under contract. Harbor lights at Hurghada and Safaga are maintained by the General Authority for Red Sea Ports. The Arabic word for a lighthouse is mnarh or manara (منارة). Ra's is a cape, jaza'ir or jazirat is an island, mina' is a harbor, and shi'b is a reef. Transliteration of Arabic to Latin characters can be done in many ways, so alternate spellings are common. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Lights on this page were formerly included in volume E of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals, but in 2013 they were moved to volume D with new numbers. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.
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![]() Ra's az Za'farānah Light, Gulf of Suez, July 2009 ex-Panoramio photo copyright Nagi M. Hosni; used by permission |
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![]() Juzur Ashrāfī Light, Gulf of Suez, August 2008 ex-Panoramio photo copyright Assem Nayal; used by permission |
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![]() Shākir (Shadwan) Island Light, Gulf of Suez, September 2020 photo copyright Jim Smith; used by permission |
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![]() Bur Safaga Range Front Light, Safaga, August 2010 photo copyright Douglas Cameron; used by permission |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Mediterranean Egypt | East: South Sinai and Suez | South: Sudan
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted July 25, 2006. Checked and revised December 14, 2024. Lighthouses: 41. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.