The Faith of the Gordon Reef

mostafa236 — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:59:00 GMT

Located in the middle of the Straits of Tiran between Tiran Island and the Sinai Peninsula, the Gordon Reef is the largest of a chain of four coral reefs which lie just off the coast of the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. Since 1981, it has been marked by the wreck of a commercial freighter called Loullia which ran aground off the jagged edges of the Gordon Reef while sailing from Aqaba, Jordan to the port city of Suez. The wreck itself is in a state of decay and is slowly tilting into the sea, something that is much anticipated by diving enthusiasts. Tourism, in fact, is a major industry in the Red Sea as it is the northernmost tropical sea in the world, which also makes it the closest tropical destination to many tourists coming from OECD countries.

The increased popularity of coral reefs in the Red Sea, as well as their abundance of marine biodiversity, has led to the extremely rapid growth of many tourist resorts, most notably in and around the city of Sharm El-Sheikh. Currently, the area around the Gordon Reef is supposed to be protected from degradation as it forms a part of the Ras Muhammad National Park which was established in 1983 as a marine reserve for the protection of marine and terrestrial wildlife. However, since tourism in the Red Sea generates a lot of revenue for the struggling Egyptian economy, there currently isn’t much political will to try to protect the coral reefs from further degradation.

Even more perilous to the survival of the Gordon Reef is the proposed Saudi-Egypt Causeway, a 4 billion US dollars project that would link the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh with Saudi Arabia. While the exact route has yet to be announced, the 32-kilometer bridge and causeway would pass through three protected islands, including Tiran Island, and over the Straights of Tiran, directly putting the Gordon Reef at risk. The increased traffic would also cause a massive spike in the levels of pollution and waste. In a recent January 2013 visit by the Saudi Foreign Minister to Egypt, both countries reiterated their interest in going forward with the construction of the Saudi-Egypt causeway to bolster economic ties between the two. With both the increase in tourism and the proposal of a causeway across the Straights, the degradation of the Gordon Reef seems sure to be the likely result.

Photos: My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited -The Faith of the Gordon Reef

mostafa236 — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:33:00 GMT

Being born in Abu Dhabi to Egyptian parents, photography was always omnipresent. It was a way for my dad to capture our family’s journey in the new frontier that was Abu Dhabi at the time and to share it with our family back home in Egypt. Later, when I was about four years old, my parents decided to immigrate to Canada. As we embarked on a new journey, it was my dad’s pictures that reminded me and my brothers who we were and where we came from. That’s when I developed my own passion for photography which, to me, it’s about evoking to the viewer the same emotions first felt by the photographer.That is why I constantly find myself looking for that perfect shot: to be able to capture the perfect set of conditions to tell the story I wish to tell. The reason why I would like to be chosen for this mentoring opportunity. I would like to be able to explore new frontiers and push the boundaries of what I can display through my lens. What I hope to learn from this experience is mainly to enhance my ability to analyze the composition in the frame and be able to capture all the elements I need for the story I wish to tell. I hope to be chosen to learn more. Thank You for the opportunity.