Dahab (Egyptian Arabic: دهب‎, IPA: [ˈdæhæb], "gold") is a new-constructed Egyptian town on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, approximately 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh. Formerly a Bedouin fishing spot, Dahab is now considered to be one of Egypt's most treasured diving destinations. Following the Six-Day War, Sinai was occupied by Israel and Dahab became known as Di-Zahav (Hebrew: די זהב‎), after a place mentioned in the Bible as one of the stations for the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt. The Sinai Peninsula was restored to Egyptian rule under the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in 1982. Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak helped the arrival of many local and international tourism companies, hotel chains, and the establishment of many other ancillary facilities has since made the town resorts a popular destination with tourists. Dahab is served by Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport. Masbat (within Dahab) is a popular diving destination, and there are many (50+) dive centers located within Dahab. Most of Dahab's diving spots are shore dives.
Dahab can be divided into three major parts. Masbat, which includes the Bedouin village Asalah, is in the north. South of Masbat is Mashraba, which is more touristic and has considerably more hotels. In the southwest is Medina which includes the Laguna area, famous for its excellent shallow-water windsurfing.
The region of Asalah is quite developed and has many campsites and hostels. Most people who have visited Dahab in the past were backpackers interested in diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea. The town of Dahab counts around 15,000 inhabitants.