Boat trip and excursion to the island of Tiran. Boat trip and excursion to the island of Tiran Strait of Tiran Red Sea on the map
Tiran Island (Egypt) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
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At the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba between Egypt and Saudi Arabia lies the uninhabited island of Tiran. Half a century ago, it personified an absolute mystery for researchers, but in a short period it turned into one of the most sought-after tourist attractions in Egypt.
The name of the island of Tiran has its roots in an ancient Bedouin legend. One day, the Arab princess Sanafir fell in love with a man named Tyrant. Her father found out about the forbidden love and was terribly angry. The lovers were separated and settled on different islands of the Red Sea. Then the brave Tyrant decided to swim to Sanafir and threw himself into the sea. But the feat was not destined to come true: the Tyrant died surrounded by predatory sharks. And Sanafir is still waiting for her lover. If you listen closely, you can hear her voice on the wind. And as before, two islands huddle in the Gulf of Aqaba - Sanafir and Tiran.
The coast of the island is part of the Ras Mohammed National Reserve - the most picturesque place Red Sea.
From afar, the island of Tiran reminds rocky mountain emerging from under heavy sea waters. It is practically devoid of vegetation and sources of drinking water, and is bordered around the perimeter by an impenetrable reef barrier. Off the coast of Tiran, the wreckage of sunken ships - "Lara" and "Luila" - spends a century, complementing its wild and impregnable image. Landing on the island is prohibited and extremely dangerous. There is evidence that parts of the island have remained mined since the Israeli-Egyptian conflict. However, the island is not so uninhabited: on its lands there is a base of UN peacekeepers with an observation mission.
Meanwhile, excursions to Tiran Island remain the most attractive tourist destination Sharm El Sheikh. The coast of the island is part of the Ras Mohammed National Reserve - the most picturesque place in the Red Sea. The island is home to thousands of turtles and migratory birds. But its main beauty lies in the depths of the sea: the coral reefs of Tiran Island are among the top ten places for scuba diving in the world.
In the Strait of Tiran there are four coral reef. All of them bear the names of the English explorers who first depicted them on the map: Jackson, Gordon, Woodhouse and Thomas. With the exception of Gordon Reef, they are underwater sheer cliffs, entirely overgrown with colorful corals. Crystal clear water, rich underwater world and bizarre polyps together form a truly fabulous picture.
In addition to colorful fish, shells, sponges and other marine life, larger representatives of the marine kingdom can be found in the reefs of Tiran Island. When the sea is calm, underwater life in all its diversity is visible through its transparent thickness. In some places of the reef you can observe huge fish, turtles and dolphins.
In the waters of Tirana
Excursions to Tiran Island start from the port of Naama Bay in Sharm el-Sheikh. The duration of a boat trip is on average five to six hours. Excursions are carried out on small boats, accompanied by experienced guides-instructors. During the tour, the boat makes several scheduled stops. Everyone is given masks, snorkels and fins for scuba diving. And to extend the dive time, you can use scuba gear. The basic cost of the excursion is 30 - 45 USD, with scuba diving - 50 - 55 USD. The price includes drinks and lunch on the boat.
Prices on the page are for November 2018.
11.01.2017
The article “Tiran (island) in Egypt (attraction review)” will tell about the island and its environs, which is considered one of the most beautiful in Egypt, and will also introduce the reader to a unique island of Orthodoxy on Egyptian soil.
general information
The island with the sonorous name Tiran is located in the Gulf of Akkab, between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Officially, Tiran, located near Sharm el-Sheikh, is considered the territory of Egypt, but Saudi Arabia has long been eyeing the island.
Tiran is just perfect for diving. Being completely uninhabited, the island is also part of national park Ras Mohammed, carefully protected by the state. The combination of these circumstances provides a crystal clean water on these coasts. The underwater world of Tirana is striking in its beauty, both for beginners and divers with extensive diving experience.
Experienced divers are particularly attracted to four coral reefs located in the strait between Tiran and Sinai Peninsula: Jackson, Gordon, Woodhouse and Thomas. the reefs got their names in honor of the officers who first described these places. Jackson, Thomas and Woodhouse are steep coral slopes, Gordon is different from them, being a sandy plateau with coral gardens.
Gordon became the last refuge for the Lullia merchant ship, which wrecked here in September 1981, another merchant ship, the Lara, owned by Cyprus, died in these parts just a few months later - in December of the same year, this time Jackson Reef became the culprit of the tragedy. The remains of Lara's frame still tower above the reef to this day.
History of the island
ABOUT ancient history Very little is known about Tirana. In the 5th-6th centuries AD, the island was the Jewish principality of Joktab, which had a fairly strong navy and lived mainly due to transit maritime trade.
After the arrival of the Byzantine army in Joktab, the local population was converted to Christianity. As the Byzantine Empire weakened, Joktab lost its importance, the last mention of it dates back to the seventh century, when the island survived the invasion of Arab troops. From that time on, nothing was known about Tiran until 1955, when Egypt announced a ban on the entry of Israeli ships into the Strait of Tiran and established artillery positions on the islands of Tiran and Sanafir.
Today there is not a single source of drinking water in Tirana, for this reason the island is practically uninhabited. The modern population of Tirana is made up of only turtles, birds and three military men - UN observers.
The UN military base, called post 3 - 11, is located in the northwestern part of the island, on a cliff 250 meters high. Its main task is to monitor how Egypt and Israel comply with the terms of the peace treaty concluded as a result of the conflict that arose in the aforementioned fifty-fifth year. At post 3 - 11 there is always a guard, consisting of an officer and two soldiers, usually Americans.
All the beaches around the base are mined, so tourists coming to Tiran should be more careful when walking around the island so as not to get into an unpleasant or even life-threatening situation.
Cultural Significance of Tirana
The colorful underwater world of the island has made it very popular among tourists. Tourist pilgrimage is also facilitated by the fact that Tiran is located near the famous Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh.
Boats daily bring here tourists from Sharm El Sheikh who want to enjoy the beauties of the underwater world of Tirana. Having made such an excursion with a dive, impressed tourists tell their friends about the beauty they have seen, who also become eager to visit the island, thus, the tourist interest in Tirana, the existence of which in the recent past was known only to a few, is gradually increasing.
Historians involved in the study of ancient texts suggest that in ancient times on Mount Tirana there was Baal Zephon - the place where the Jews expelled from Egypt made their last stop before crossing the Red Sea. In addition, Tiran has been part of Ras Mohammed, the National Park of Egypt, for three decades. Thus, this seemingly inconspicuous piece of land is of great cultural and historical significance.
Tyrant today
As mentioned above, modern Tiran is a place quite popular among diving enthusiasts. Undersea world The islands are rich not only in corals of extraordinary beauty, in these depths you can find schools of fish of various colors and sizes, turtles and even dolphins. In the waters of the Strait of Tiran, which separates the island and Sharm El Sheikh, there is a red sea anemone - an unusually beautiful and equally dangerous creature.
To get to Tiran...
You need to purchase an appropriate excursion in travel company, or from its representative on the territory of your hotel. As a rule, the cost of such excursions includes transit to the port of Naama Bay, from where all excursions to Tiran originate, the excursion itself and the return trip.
From Naama Bay, adventurous and vivid impressions tourists will go on a snow-white boat towards the island. A standard excursion to the shores of Tirana includes three dives. One of the three dives takes place near Jackson Reef, in the area where Laura crashed, the other - near the coast of the island, the place of the third is determined individually in each excursion. It should be noted that all routes of such excursions are planned by experienced dive instructors.
What to see nearby
The closest attraction to Tirana is famous resort Sharm El Sheikh, famous for its tourist infrastructure. Among the abundance of restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, large shops and small shops, souvenir shops and shopping centers everyone will definitely find something interesting for themselves. If you are not interested in shopping and noisy parties, you can go to one of the water parks or a dolphinarium. This event especially pleases young tourists, although their parents rarely remain indifferent.
Do not ignore and excursions to local attractions. For example, a very exciting excursion can be made to the monastery of St. Catherine, located in a valley between three mountains. According to legend, the monastery was built on the roots of the Burning Bush - a burning and not burning thorn bush, in the flame of which God appeared to Moses and ordered him to take his people and leave Egypt for the Promised Land.
Having survived the Islamization of Egypt, the monastery not only was not destroyed, but was also under the auspices of the rulers of the country. The Prophet Mohammed himself prevented the looting and destruction of the monastery. In the monastery you can see the relics of the Holy Martyr Catherine, in addition, more than two thousand icons are kept here, among which there are works by Russian masters.
Nine bells decorating the belfry are a gift presented to the monastery by the Russian Emperor Alexander II. Even today they regularly call, telling people about the beginning of the liturgy, or a great church holiday.
The monastery library, which is the second most important after the famous Vatican library, deserves special attention. Collected here are Greek, Arabic, Coptic, Russian and Syriac books, many of which are unique.
Definitely worth a visit, located near Tirana, the first national reserve Egypt - Ras Mohammed. Over a thousand species of fish live here, adjacent to numerous reptiles, and graceful gazelles get along quite peacefully with foxes. But the main attraction of the park is corals, in fact, for the sake of their preservation, Ras Mohammed was created. There are more than one hundred and fifty species of corals in the reserve.
And in Ras Mohammed there is a magical place - a lake, which is called “Magic”, the concentration of salt in its water is close to that contained in the waters of the Israeli Dead Sea. The Egyptians believe that if you plunge into magic lake with your head, while making a wish, then the wish will surely come true.
Conclusion
For tourists coming to Tiran, the Egyptian authorities have established certain rules and norms of behavior that contribute to the preservation of local nature in its original form. These rules should not be broken even when no one sees it, because, most likely, once visiting this island, you will definitely want to come back here again in order to make sure that nothing can be more beautiful than a canvas created by an artist named nature.
Tiran (island) in Egypt
5 (100%)A magnificent view of the island of Tirana opened directly from the beach of our hotel. It nicely diversified the view of the sea. A walk to the island is one of the actively offered excursions. They lure her with the offer of several beauties: swimming with a mask in open water, on the reef and giant tortoises living near the island. There are two modes of transport for this trip: a low-speed two- or three-deck boat and a speed boat.
In the first case, the walk lasts almost the whole day: the boat goes at least 3-4 hours in one direction, then stops for an hour to water procedures and spends the same amount of time on the way back. In conditions of almost full load of the ship and a long road, this journey is not the most pleasant. In addition, chatter on such a boat - be healthy! This trip costs $40 per person. Lunch - at sea, dry rations.
The second option involves renting a speedboat for $200. Maximum capacity boats - 8 people. The whole trip fits in 2 hours: the boat goes 30 minutes to the island and somewhere within an hour - a program that includes swimming on the reef and a short disembarkation.
In literature, the island is called Tiran. I saw with my own eyes the spelling of the name of the island as "Island of Tirana" (Tirana, not a proper name). I will not follow the first version, a more poetic name is closer to me - Tirana.
The island, according to the locals, is a forbidden territory - the Egyptian naval base is still located on it. But I met on the Internet and information that the island is nobody's and the military base on it belongs to the UN (!?) - see, for example,. The idea of a UN military base seems somewhat fantastic to me (I've never heard anything like it before).
The history of the island is very interesting. The Israeli version seemed plausible to me; I did not find the Egyptian version. I quote from an article about the history of Sharm el-Sheikh from the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia:
Tiran Island (area - 59 sq. km) is located 7 km from the coast of Sinai (Cape Ras Nusrani) at the entrance to the Gulf of Eilat; the island is not inhabited, has no sources of fresh water. To the east of Tirana is the island of Sanafir (area - 24 sq. km), also not inhabited. The shores of the islands and bays are bordered by coral reefs, in connection with which the width of the so-called Strait of Tiran, connecting the Gulf of Eilat with the Red Sea (formally - 4 km), narrows sharply, leaving a passage for ships no more than 300 m. n. e. there was an independent Jewish principality, possibly proselytized (see Proselytes), referred to in the historical chronicles as Jotav or Jotvat. The population was engaged in transit maritime trade, was associated with Jewish centers in Arabia, Ethiopia, possibly Egypt. The principality had a strong navy. Under pressure from Byzantium, the inhabitants of Tiran converted to Christianity and in 525 AD. e. contributed to the destruction of the Jewish state of Himyar in Yemen (South Arabia), transporting Byzantine troops on their ships. In 535 Tiran was captured by Emperor Justinian; as the Byzantine Empire weakened, the island lost its significance and from the 7th century, after the Arab invasion, it ceased to be mentioned in historical sources. Up to the 20th c. the area of Sharm ash-Sheikh is the site of Bedouin camps.The cited encyclopedia calls the bay, at the entrance to which Tirana is located, Eilat. Eilat - the highest point of the Gulf, the Israeli port, Israel's only outlet to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Arab sources call the Gulf of Aqaba - after the city of Aqaba (Jordan), also extreme northern point bay. No comments.
... The motor boat that took us to Tirana was 7-8 meters long. She was equipped with two engines. Behind the captain's bridge - a control panel with an ordinary car steering wheel - at a decent distance was a leather sofa that occupied the entire width of the boat - from side to side. The sofa comfortably accommodated four people. At the stern, on the lid of the engine compartment, there were two "lying" places - two leather mattresses. At the stern of the boat there was a small ledge from which a diving ladder leaned into the water.
The bow of the boat was impressive - it was at least half, or even 2/3 of its length. There was a cabin in the bow. There was no time, and no need to go to see her, so I can’t say anything about her.
The crew of the boat consisted of three people: a helmsman, a sailor and a swimmer instructor. The latter had a very colorful appearance: a moderately round Arab uncle, tall, with a neat short beard - completely different from the skinny Egyptian Arabs (these look like boys). When he climbed into the boat on the pier in a wetsuit and lay down in a businesslike way in the stern, I thought that he was one of the divers who was hooked up with us as a companion, just diving from the boat. But it turned out that he was a member of the team. About his role in the walk - a little later ...
The boat was very powerful: it started abruptly, instantly turning into gliding. When moving along the wave (the sea was a little worried), it seemed that the force of the engines made him simply jump from wave to wave.
... The second day was a bit stormy. A strong, sometimes squally wind blew from the mountains. Palm trees along the roads open places, leaned strongly in the wind, trying to hold on to the air flow with tentacles-leaves. On the beach, which was hidden from the mountains by a cliff, the wind was not particularly felt, but there was a small wave on the sea - up to 0.5 m. At a speed along the waves. The boat was moving at speed, jumping from wave to wave. At these moments, she, as it were, fell down, and broke the next wave with her sharp nose. I did not sit on the leather sofa behind the captain, but settled down with the instructor on the trestle beds at the stern. A fresh wind blew in my face, the sea bubbled picturesquely overboard. At some point, the boat changed course, turning slightly sides to the waves. And then it began! The waves began to splash the stern of the boat, dousing me at regular intervals with salty rain. I had to turn around 180 degrees and lie down with my head on the course - only my legs were so flooded.
By the way, on the way back, when I was already sitting on the bow of the boat, the stern was so overflowing that the instructor even put on a mask with a snorkel, which made everyone incredibly amused. It looked very amusing: a bearded man in a wetsuit is sitting in the air in a mask with a snorkel. He himself had fun with all his heart.
The first stop on the program was at the remains of a Soviet (I was not mistaken - Soviet) ship that landed on a reef. By the time of this stop, we had already slightly rounded the island on the left side - this part of the coast was not visible from our beach. I did not take sea binoculars with me, but I assure you that the remains of the ship are not visible from the shore.
On the ship's chimney, the pranksters hand-painted the proud inscription "Navy". Maybe, maybe... Why not?
The second ship that soon appeared before our eyes was an American one. I don’t know why, but we all laughed as one - he was practically nothing left of the American. Hmmm, I think that laughter was caused by genetic pride: our remains are larger and stay... Hmm-hmm.
The photo of the American ship (on the right) shows very clearly that it is standing almost in the center of the coral reef. The water above the reef has a different color - it is lighter and greener.
[I plan to study the issue of the history of these ships and finish this note soon.]
A little further, when the reef with the American ship was behind us, a whole flotilla of boats serving divers opened up to us. They very picturesquely stood side by side, with their noses in one direction - towards the reef. Our captain found a sufficient gap between the boats, entered it and dropped the engine speed. It became clear that this is exactly where we have to do snorkeling (snorkling). The palpably large distance to the edge of the reef, open water and rough seas did not create an atmosphere of joy and happiness...
Up to this point I have been snorkeling on the beach and in Ras Mohammed Park. And here and there it was coastal swimming: on the beach, they generally went out to sea from a pontoon, in Ras it was more difficult - they had to go out to sea from a reef, but the reef was near the coast. It was then that I realized some of the difference between inshore swimming and open water swimming. A long time ago, A.O., returning from some islands to Atlantic Ocean, told me about the strongest energy of the ocean, the power of which is really, physically felt on the ocean shore. Now I believed her story 100%!
The last time I swam in fins was a long time ago, a very long time ago - when I was just a child. I had a complete kit: full rubber fins, mask and snorkel. All this was bought by my grandparents before my first trip to the sea. I looked with horror at the fins that I was offered to wear ...
Having equipped - a mask of flippers - I carefully descended into the water. Rocked. The reef was very far away. I made several vigorous movements with my legs and arms, lowered my head into the water and realized that everything was not as scary as it was drawn from the side of the boat. The excitement somehow calmed down - I just did not notice it, I could swim quickly and freely, the reef, which seemed unattainable, turned out to be very close - in some tens of meters.
Everything was beautiful below: a high wall of the reef, overgrown with bizarre and colorful corals, a lot of fish scurrying in different directions. What you see on the beach cannot be compared with the beauty and diversity of this reef in the open sea! The fish, which were represented by single specimens on the beach, swam here in whole flocks. The variety of corals was fantastic! Their size was amazing. If the sea depth was 6 meters near the beach, then here the bottom was hidden behind the darkness of the water column ... It is useless to describe all this magnificence, it must be seen!
I jumped into the sea first, D.B. a little late. Uncle-instructor sailed with him. It was his duty to insure us: he swam parallel to our course and, it must be confessed, did not particularly care about our safety net. Crossing his arms over his chest, he worked his feet in fins and admired the underwater life of the reef. His manner of swimming with fins told me the correct way to swim, I stopped paddling with my hands and swam in his manner. It turned out that the legs in fins more than compensated for the speed imparted to the body by the hands.
Despite the fact that the water temperature was +21-22 degrees, it could not be called fresh milk. At some point, probably after 15-20 minutes of such swimming, an avalanche-like cooling of the body set in, it became uncomfortable and I wanted to immediately get out of the water. Which is what we did.
We landed on the shore. Tirana. It was a wonderful place! A very original "beach" stretched in all directions: a plateau covered with compacted sand in half with clay, on which small, but sharp and unpleasant to the touch (feet!) pebbles lay on top. I got out of the boat to the shore without slippers and regretted it very much! Walking along the coast was still back and forth, but returning to the boat, moored to a stone, one side lying on land, and the other side dropped into the sea, was a living hell! The stone was not smooth, but chipped, and if it were not for the help of Dasha, on whose shoulder I leaned, I don’t know how I would have managed to return to the boat by land (along the stone).
The entire coast was lined with stone autographs: apparently, everyone sailing to the island of Tirana considered it his duty to perpetuate his visit, besides, a flat plateau beach and countless pebbles of a more or less suitable size (that's how they cut the feet!) gave the thirsty all the means and opportunities.
As far as the eye could see, everything was dotted with inscriptions. Depending on the free time, someone laid out a stone "autograph" in letters two meters high, and someone made smaller letters, no more than half a meter high. Basically, as I could see, people left their names for posterity (hee hee!) I read a few Italian names.
The Russians who visited the island of Tirana before us were noted for their imagination, perseverance and respect for themselves and other people: a huge autograph inscription, lined with not the smallest stones and not having the most modest height of the letters, contained the quintessence of a clever man who left the word "x..y" on the island. Where are you Soviet-era vandals who left the chaste "Vasya was here" in inappropriate places? No... "There are no others, and those are far away."
... The release of adrenaline into the blood was clearly not enough, I felt it. Some penchant for adventure, reasonable risk and controlled extreme took their toll - I asked for the bow of the boat. The captain asked me twice: am I sure? And at least three more times he warned me that I would be responsible for my own safety. I didn't mind...
The captain dropped the course and gave me the opportunity to move to the bow of the boat. I sat on the deck and slipped my feet under the low perimeter railing. (Forgive me, yachtsmen - I don’t know how it’s all called correctly and in a sea way!) There was nothing more to hold on to. The boat began to pick up speed.
Feelings are unique! At sea - a wave, it goes exactly perpendicular to the course of the boat. The boat, having climbed the wave, turns out to be over the "failure" that opens behind a complete "failure" and falls into it with force. It seems to me, sitting on the very bow of the boat, that there is a gap of at least five meters under the bow of the boat. At some point he blew strong wind, water gained strength. I realized that I simply couldn’t hold on with my legs: the pitching was so strong that attempts to stay on the boat only with the efforts of my legs could end in failure. It's time to move a little to the bow of the boat and grab the handrails with your hands. And on time! The captain abruptly changed course several times, exposing the side of the boat to the waves. These maneuvers were sharp and unexpected, and required me to tilt my body in the direction opposite to the turn. Hands clinging to the handrails could barely withstand the centrifugal force of the turn....
My position on the bow of the boat was also interesting by the fact that my Dasha was holding the helm ...
Links
Sovereignty over the island is the subject of a long-running dispute between Egypt, which has been in de facto control since the 1950s, and Saudi Arabia. In April 2016, the governments reached an agreement to transfer the island to Riyadh, subject to ratification by the Egyptian parliament.
Tirana has a small military base (Observation Post 3-11) of international observers MFO (Multinational Force and Observers), which monitors compliance by Egypt and Israel with the peace treaty. Landing outsiders on the island is prohibited. The base of observers in Tirana is located in the western part of the island on the top of a cliff 250 meters high above the beach mined from the previous conflicts. It is supplied twice a week by helicopters from Sharm el-Sheikh.
The island itself, except for the UN military base, is uninhabited. The passage of ships into the Gulf of Aqaba through the Strait of Tiran from the side Saudi Arabia banned due to poor relations between her and Israel (most ships go to Israeli Eilat).
Since 1983, Tiran Island has been part of the Ras Mohammed National Park. There are nesting grounds for seven species of rather rare waterfowl on it, and on the northern shore of its southern part there is an extensive mangrove grove. Ornithologists are concerned about possible oil pollution of the sea off the coast of the island from ships passing through the strait, as well as increased tourist activity in the vicinity of the island, which could harm nesting sites.
Story
In the V-VI centuries. n. e. on the island there was an independent Jewish principality, referred to in the historical chronicles as Jotab (Jotav) or Yotvat. Some researchers of ancient texts, trying to reconstruct the route of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, believe that the mountain on the island of Tiran was a cult for worshiping the northern god of the seas and storms, Baal Tzafon (English)Russian. The Principality of Iotwat had a strong navy and engaged in maritime trade with Arabia, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Then the principality became part of the Byzantine Empire. Since the 7th century, after the Arab invasion, the island has ceased to be mentioned in historical chronicles.
In September 1955, Egypt announced a blockade of the Strait of Tiran for Israeli shipping, thereby cutting off the port of Eilat from outside world, closed air space this area for Israeli aircraft. Artillery positions were established on the islands of Tiran and neighboring Sanafir, as well as on the opposite side of the Sinai strait in the area of Ras Nasrani. A naval base was established at Sharm el-Sheikh.
Since 1988, a project has been developed to build a bridge across Tiran Island from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. This bridge, 15 km long, will connect African states and Asia, bypassing the territory of Israel.
In 2016, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement on the transfer of the disputed islands of Tiran and Sanafir in the Red Sea under the jurisdiction of Riyadh. The agreement on the delimitation of maritime boundaries must be approved by the Egyptian Parliament. Meanwhile, the legislative body of the kingdom - the Advisory Council - has already approved it. The Egyptian Administrative Court did not recognize the deal to transfer both islands under the jurisdiction of Saudi Arabia as valid. Lawsuits against the transfer of the islands were filed by two local lawyers.
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Notes
An excerpt characterizing Tiran (island)
There was only one spoon, there was most of the sugar, but they did not have time to stir it, and therefore it was decided that she would stir the sugar in turn for everyone. Rostov, having received his glass and poured rum into it, asked Marya Genrikhovna to stir it.- Are you without sugar? she said, smiling all the time, as if everything she said, and everything others said, was very funny and had another meaning.
- Yes, I don’t need sugar, I just want you to stir with your pen.
Marya Genrikhovna agreed and began to look for the spoon, which someone had already seized.
- You're a finger, Marya Genrikhovna, - said Rostov, - it will be even more pleasant.
- Hot! said Marya Genrikhovna, blushing with pleasure.
Ilyin took a bucket of water and, dropping rum into it, came to Marya Genrikhovna, asking her to stir it with her finger.
“This is my cup,” he said. - Just put your finger in, I'll drink it all.
When the samovar was all drunk, Rostov took the cards and offered to play kings with Marya Genrikhovna. A lot was cast as to who should form the party of Marya Genrikhovna. The rules of the game, at the suggestion of Rostov, were that the one who would be the king had the right to kiss the hand of Marya Genrikhovna, and that the one who remained a scoundrel would go to put a new samovar for the doctor when he wakes up.
“Well, what if Marya Genrikhovna becomes king?” Ilyin asked.
- She's a queen! And her orders are the law.
The game had just begun, when the doctor's confused head suddenly rose from behind Marya Genrikhovna. He had not slept for a long time and listened to what was said, and apparently did not find anything cheerful, funny or amusing in everything that was said and done. His face was sad and dejected. He did not greet the officers, scratched himself and asked for permission to leave, as he was blocked from the road. As soon as he left, all the officers burst into loud laughter, and Marya Genrikhovna blushed to tears, and thus became even more attractive to the eyes of all the officers. Returning from the courtyard, the doctor told his wife (who had already ceased to smile so happily and, fearfully awaiting the verdict, looked at him) that the rain had passed and that we had to go to spend the night in a wagon, otherwise they would all be dragged away.
- Yes, I'll send a messenger ... two! Rostov said. - Come on, doctor.
"I'll be on my own!" Ilyin said.
“No, gentlemen, you slept well, but I haven’t slept for two nights,” said the doctor, and sat down gloomily beside his wife, waiting for the game to be over.
Looking at the gloomy face of the doctor, looking askance at his wife, the officers became even more cheerful, and many could not help laughing, for which they hastily tried to find plausible pretexts. When the doctor left, taking his wife away, and got into the wagon with her, the officers lay down in the tavern, covering themselves with wet overcoats; but they didn’t sleep for a long time, now talking, remembering the doctor’s fright and the doctor’s merriment, now running out onto the porch and reporting what was happening in the wagon. Several times Rostov, wrapping himself up, wanted to fall asleep; but again someone's remark amused him, again the conversation began, and again there was heard the causeless, cheerful, childish laughter.
At three o'clock, no one had yet fallen asleep, when the sergeant-major appeared with the order to march to the town of Ostrovna.
All with the same accent and laughter, the officers hurriedly began to gather; again put the samovar on the dirty water. But Rostov, without waiting for tea, went to the squadron. It was already light; The rain stopped, the clouds dispersed. It was damp and cold, especially in a damp dress. Leaving the tavern, Rostov and Ilyin both at dusk looked into the doctor's leather kibitka, glossy from the rain, from under the apron of which the doctor's legs stuck out and in the middle of which the doctor's bonnet was visible on the pillow and sleepy breathing was heard.
"Really, she's very nice!" Rostov said to Ilyin, who was leaving with him.
- What a lovely woman! Ilyin replied with sixteen-year-old seriousness.
Half an hour later, the lined up squadron stood on the road. The command was heard: “Sit down! The soldiers crossed themselves and began to sit down. Rostov, riding forward, commanded: “March! - and, stretching out in four people, the hussars, sounding with the slapping of hooves on the wet road, the strumming of sabers and in a low voice, set off along the large road lined with birches, following the infantry and the battery walking ahead.
Broken blue-lilac clouds, reddening at sunrise, were quickly driven by the wind. It got brighter and brighter. One could clearly see that curly grass that always sits along country roads, still wet from yesterday's rain; the hanging branches of the birch trees, also wet, swayed in the wind and dropped light drops to the side. The faces of the soldiers became clearer and clearer. Rostov rode with Ilyin, who did not lag behind him, along the side of the road, between a double row of birches.
Rostov in the campaign allowed himself the freedom to ride not on a front-line horse, but on a Cossack. Both a connoisseur and a hunter, he recently got himself a dashing Don, large and kind playful horse, on which no one jumped him. Riding this horse was a pleasure for Rostov. He thought of the horse, of the morning, of the doctor's wife, and never once thought of the impending danger.
Before, Rostov, going into business, was afraid; now he did not feel the least sense of fear. Not because he was not afraid that he was accustomed to fire (one cannot get used to danger), but because he had learned to control his soul in the face of danger. He was accustomed, going into business, to think about everything, except for what seemed to be more interesting than anything else - about the impending danger. No matter how hard he tried, or reproached himself for cowardice during the first time of his service, he could not achieve this; but over the years it has now become self-evident. He was now riding beside Ilyin between the birches, occasionally tearing leaves from the branches that came to hand, sometimes touching the horse's groin with his foot, sometimes giving, without turning, the smoked pipe to the hussar riding behind, with such a calm and carefree look, as if he was going for a ride. It was a pity for him to look at the agitated face of Ilyin, who spoke a lot and uneasily; he knew from experience that agonizing state of expectation of fear and death in which the cornet was, and he knew that nothing but time would help him.
Tiran Island is considered uninhabited. It is located almost at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba opposite Sharm El Sheikh resort. It is part of the marine reserve of the Ras Mohammed National Park, so strict rules of conduct apply here so that the normal functioning of the ecosystem is not disturbed. The island itself belongs to Saudi Arabia, but is on a long-term lease from Egypt. Accordingly, the island is a border zone and a place where migratory birds nest and turtle eggs are laid.
The absence of civilized forms of life on the island (although the observation base of the UN military mission is located here) contributes to the purity of the sea, the abundance of fearless living creatures and the transparency of the water. This, in turn, is favorable for diving enthusiasts. Four magnificent coral reefs and blue lagoons- To see this magnificence, regular excursions are conducted from Sharm el-Sheikh to the island. Everyone who has visited this "wild" place usually experiences unbridled delight.
In addition to nature itself, on the reefs near Tiran Island there are several sunken ships already covered with shells and corals. You can often see flocks of dolphins here. Hiking on the island are not provided.