El Dahar is the original town — the part of Hurghada that existed before the resort developers arrived in the 1980s. It sits at the northern end of the long coastal strip and still feels recognisably Egyptian: a working bazaar on Sheikh Sabek Street, ordinary supermarkets and bakeries, mosques and a Coptic cathedral within walking distance of each other, shisha cafes where local men play backgammon late into the evening. Prices here are a fraction of what you pay in the resort zone for a meal or a souvenir, and the energy is real rather than performed.
Most package tourists never make it up here — getting in requires a taxi or a long microbus ride from the resorts — which is part of what has preserved its character. Half a day in El Dahar is the easiest way to see the side of Hurghada that has nothing to do with the beach.