Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh: From Fishing Village to Global Peace Hub

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, has transformed over the decades from a quiet Red Sea fishing village into one of the Middle East’s most prominent diplomatic and international hubs, earning its nickname “City of Peace.”

The city hosted a high-profile summit where more than 20 world leaders, including Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump, met to discuss ending the two-year-long Gaza conflict and establishing long-term stability in the region.

Sharm el-Sheikh’s strategic location overlooking the Straits of Tiran has historically made it a focal point for geopolitical events.

Its thriving tourism and hospitality sector has enabled it to host major international conferences, including the 1999 Israel-Palestine peace talks, emergency summits during the Second Intifada, the 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh Summit, multiple World Economic Forum Middle East meetings, the first EU-Arab League Summit in 2019, and COP27 in 2022.

The city’s history of hosting critical peace negotiations, economic forums, and climate conferences highlights its unique role as a neutral and highly visible platform for diplomacy, development, and international cooperation in the Middle East.