Harat al-Hamra

Harat al-Hamra (Arabic: حارة الحمراء ḥārat al-ḥamrāʾ, lit. "red [light] district" or "red strip"; commonly contracted to الحمراء al-ḥamrāʾ) is a subdistrict of Khastakhanat al-Ayatallah, a district of the Arab Union capital Nasser City. Home to an estimated 225,400 people in 2023, it is the most populous subdistrict of Khastakhanat al-Ayatallah. Known for its extreme and often controversial nightlife, its brothels and strip clubs, and both legal (ie. hashish lounges) and illegal (ie. cocaine, opioids, amphetamines) drug scene, Harat al-Hamra is popularly considered one of the more dangerous areas of the capital in terms of violent crime, although the previous two decades of official crime statistics suggest this largely to be an exaggeration. The subdistrict is located just south of Hejaz Railway Station, the older of the two main termini stations serving the Capital metropolitan community.