Gabal Elba, also known as Elba Mountain, is a mountain and an area with many mountains in the Halaib Triangle of Northeast Africa. The name Gabal Elba means "Box Mountain" in Arabic. In Arabic, it is written as جَبَل علْبَة and pronounced [ˈɡæbæl ˈʕelbæ] in Egyptian Arabic. Both Egypt and Sudan claim it as their own, but Egypt has control over it.
Geography
The highest mountains in the area are Gabal Elba (1,435 meters or 4,708 feet), Gabal Shellal (1,409 meters or 4,623 feet), Gabal Shendib (1,910 meters or 6,270 feet), and Gabal Shendodai (1,526 meters or 5,007 feet).
On average, the region receives less than 50 millimeters (2.0 inches) of rain each year. However, the area near Gabal Elba gets up to 400 millimeters (16 inches) of rain annually because of the mountain’s location. This happens because the Red Sea coast is about 15 to 30 kilometers (9.3 to 18.6 miles) east of the mountains. At this location, the coastline curves slightly to the east, creating a wide, flat area that helps capture moisture from northeast winds coming off the sea. This effect is strongest in the northeast part of the region, where Gabal Elba is located, which is why it receives more rain than other nearby mountains. As the area moves toward the southwest, the climate becomes drier.
Ecology
Gabal Elba's highest point is a "mist oasis" where much of the rain comes in the form of dew, mist, and clouds. This creates a special ecosystem that is not found anywhere else in Egypt. Gabal Elba is a "biodiversity hotspot," meaning it has more types of plants and animals than any other place in Egypt. The area has about 458 kinds of plants, which is almost 25% of all plant species found in the country. Many plant species from Africa have their northernmost limit at Gabal Elba, and the thick growth of acacia trees and other shrubs is the only natural forest in Egypt.
At higher elevations, acacia trees, Moringa trees, and Gabal Elba dragon trees (Dracaena ombet) form the top layer of the forest. Ferns, mosses, and plants that store water grow below them. The mountain blocks winds that carry moisture from the northeast, making the northern and northeastern slopes wetter than the western and southern slopes. Acacia and Delonix trees grow in open grassy areas near the base of the mountain and along streams. Gabal Elba is home to the largest group of Dracaena ombet trees in Egypt and Sudan.
Forty-one types of birds live in or near Gabal Elba. These include the bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus), Namaqua dove (Oena capensis), Nubian nightjar (Caprimulgus nubicus), shining sunbird (Cinnyris habessinicus), Arabian warbler (Curruca leucomelaena), rosy-patched bushshrike (Rhodophoneus cruentus), African silverbill (Euodice cantans), and Sudan golden sparrow (Passer luteus). These birds reach the northern edge of their natural range at Gabal Elba. Other birds found there include the black-crowned sparrow-lark (Eremopterix nigriceps), fulvous babbler (Argya fulva), common ostrich (Struthio camelus), and raptors like the Nubian vulture (Torgos tracheliotos), bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Verreaux's eagle (Aquila verreauxii), and Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata).
Gabal Elba National Park (22°54′N 35°20′E) was created in 1986 by Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. It covers about 3,560,000 hectares (8,800,000 acres), including most of the disputed Halaib Triangle (except its westernmost part) and a similar area to the north. The park may be the last place where the Nubian wild ass lives, though scientists are unsure if these animals are pure.
On December 16, 2014, an adult male leopard was killed by shepherds in Wadi Shalal, near Halaib in southeastern Egypt. This was the first time a leopard had been seen in Egypt since the 1950s.
In the winter of 2024, a spotted hyena was killed by local people in Gabal Elba Protected Area. This was the first recorded sighting of a hyena in modern Egypt since the species went extinct more than 5,000 years ago. Scientists studied whether more rain and grazing activities might have helped hyenas move from Sudan into Egypt. The hyena was found 500 kilometers north of the species' previously known range.