Which Egyptian desert lies between the Nile River and the Red Sea?

The Egyptian desert between the Nile River and the Red Sea is the Eastern Desert.

It forms the eastern part of Egypt’s Sahara, bordered by the Nile to the west and the Red Sea and Gulf of Suez to the east. The region is not simply a flat expanse of sand: the Red Sea Hills run through it, with rocky plateaus, wadis, and narrow coastal plains.

The Eastern Desert has been important since antiquity. Ancient Egyptians mined its gold, copper, and decorative stones, while routes across the mountains connected the Nile Valley with Red Sea ports. This makes it easy to confuse with the Nubian Desert, which lies mainly in northeastern Sudan, although the two landscapes are geographically connected.

The name also contrasts with Egypt’s Western Desert, which lies on the opposite side of the Nile. Both are parts of the wider Sahara, but the Nile is the key dividing landmark in this question.