Hurghada was established in 1905. In the past, the city included only a group of primitive houses inhabited by Bedouins, who were mainly stationed in the Saqala area to work with fishing and pearling, which gave the city a continuous Bedouin character with it until now. During the reign of King Farouk, a recreational break was built, which was transformed after the nationalization during the era of President Gamal Abdel Nasser into the building of the Armed Forces Water Sports Club, which is a tourist attraction until now. Petroleum was discovered in that area in 1913 .
Actual production and export of it began in 1921, and the “English-Egyptian Oil Wells Company Limited” was one of the first companies that began producing oil in this region. In 1972, the Israeli forces attempted to occupy Shadwan Island, but the Egyptian armed forces confronted them, and were able to defeat and expel them from the island within hours in what is known as the Shadwan Battle, the date on which the Red Sea Governorate celebrates its National Day.
