El Gouna I was born into a virgin desert, set upon the most exquisite crystalline lagoons. In fact, that is where my name came from, El Gouna. Twenty years ago, Samih Sawiris was inspired by my natural untouched beauty and transformed his vision into a tangible reality. And from there came my beginnings from an empty land on the coast of the Red Sea to one of the most sought after luxury sea side resorts in the region. Although I started small, my developers believed in me and my potential. So they started with their vision with a few homes on the beautiful Red Sea Coast; then as time progressed, their vision grew to encompass a bigger idea, a completely integrated town with all the necessities and luxuries of an ideal community. Life in me came to introduce a new concept of living, where life is simple, luxury is abundant, and feeling right at home is an understatement. I am the place where stories happen; where lives begin; where new pages are started. When you come, you are in my territory, and you are doing the one true thing that matters in life… living. Today, I have over 18,000 permanent residents from all ends of the world. I am a melting pot of different traditions that have intertwined to make a culture of my own. And as more and more people became part of me, I have grown to include every element of a complete town. I have hospitals, schools, university centers and facilities; I even have my own aquarium. And that’s not all, from my very beginnings they created the charming town center, “El Kafr”, and then went on to include top luxury five star beach front hotels all around me. And then, right in my center they filled me with some of the most stunning neighborhoods completed with the most artistically inspired architectural wonders of Nubia, Tuscany and Andalusia. And finally, I cannot forget my crown jewel, the Marina, a masterwork with a story of its own. This is me, El Gouna, after 20 years