We report palaeoclimate and sediment provenance records for the last 220 kyr from a sediment core from the northern Red Sea. They comprise high-resolution grain size, clay mineral, and geochemical data, together with Nd and Sr isotope data. The data sets document a strong temporal variability in dust influx on glacial–interglacial timescales and several shorter-term strong fluvial episodes. A key finding is that the Nile delta became a major dust source during glacioeustatic sea-level lowstands.