Castle Zaman
If you go to Egypt and think you see a medieval castle, your eyes won’t be deceiving you. On the Gulf of Aqaba, and only 40 km away from Taba is Castle Zaman, built by Hani Roshdi, a young architect. Hani had a vision; to construct a castle, far away from busy Cairo. He and his partner Naguib Sawiris put the final touches to the castle in 2003.

This is a building with a difference, though, and gives a new slant to the expression ‘green’. The castle was built using only materials available locally, including stone actually quarried on the Sinai Peninsula. Only traditional building methods were used, and incredibly, no concrete or metal were deployed at all. Great efforts were made so that the castle would be eco friendly, with reclaimed wood used for both building work and furniture. Not only that, but all glass in the building is made from recycled glass bottles, and local crafts decorate the castle.

Castle Zaman is open for visitors, and has an amazing pool overlooking the Red Sea. It’s a relaxing, laid back place to be, with bean bags to sit on, and music playing that is eclectic, but not intrusive.

Zaman has a beautiful, unspoilt private beach, and it is possible to swim out from the beach to see the coral under the clear water.

Castle Zaman’s speciality is serving the opposite of fast food. If meat is ordered it takes three hours to cook on a low heat, so order very early if you are hungry! This method of cooking gives it an incredible flavour. There is a great choice of dishes on the menu, including seafood and lamb, and, ever true to attention to detail, this was compiled by Hani himself.

This castle even has a dungeon; there are no prisoners however, because this space is devoted to local crafts, which can be purchased as authentic souvenirs of the region.

There is a small charge to visit Castle Zaman (the name means ‘Castle from the Past’ in Arabic), and only a few rules; they don’t allow drinks by the pool, for example. It’s also adults only.

Many other places are accessible from the Castle too; and it’s possible to go on excursions to Jordan and Israel, and other parts of Egypt.