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In the name of development: Egypt will hit the biblical site of Mount Sinai and Santa Catarina - Walla! Tourism

2022-06-12T05:08:11.742Z


The area of ​​Mount Sinai and Santa Catarina in the Sinai Desert are sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Now, huge tourist development programs are threatening the area. Details at Walla! Tourism


In the name of development: Egypt will hit the biblical site of Mount Sinai and Santa Catarina

It is considered one of the only ones in the world that is sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Now, tremendous tourism development plans are threatening the Mount Sinai area and Santa Catarina Reserve in the Sinai Desert.

"This is a point that is unparalleled on Earth," opponents say

Walla!

Tourism

12/06/2022

Sunday, 12 June 2022, 07:43 Updated: 07:54

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Jabal al-Lawz is Mount Sinai?

(Joel Richardson - The Mountain of Moses Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia by Ryan Mauro)

Most Israelis have heard or visited Santa Catarina Monastery on the Sinai Peninsula, but the famous monastery is only a tiny part of a vast nature reserve, spanning more than 4,200 square kilometers, and is a safe haven for hundreds of species of animals - including endangered tigers Now, there are fears that the undisturbed area of ​​the Santa Catarina Nature Reserve will be irreversibly damaged due to a huge government development project, which includes the construction of hundreds of new buildings



. The Tablets of the Covenant, which is called "Mount Sinai", also called by Muslims also Jabal Musa (Mount Moses). "and.



It is one of the few areas in the world revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews, as well as the place where Pope John Paul II visited in 2000, hoping to pray alongside Jewish and Islamic leaders as he enters the new millennium.

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Location of Santa Catarina Monastery (Photo: Photo Processing, Map)

Feeling irreversible damage due to a government development project.

Santa Catarina Monastery on Mount Sinai (Photo: ShutterStock)

The rare butterfly and tiger that also disappeared from Israel

As mentioned, this is also home to rare wildlife, including Sinai Baton Blue, one of the tiniest butterflies in the world, living only in this area.

Other rare animals include species such as the desert tiger (a species that was previously also found in the Judean Desert and the Negev, but is extinct in Israeli landscapes) as well as chamois and caracals.



The Egyptian government's new project threatens these species and many others, with planning including the construction of five hotels, a concert hall, a conference center, an outdoor events plaza, a museum and a youth activity center.

All these - a few kilometers from the known mountain.



The British news site inews reports that ministers interviewed for the purpose, said that the new venture is intended to add tourist facilities to the area and thus also link the area to Sharm el-Sheikh, which is a popular tourist site only 80 km from Santa Catarina. Sharm is expected to host COP27 World Climate Conference to be held this coming November.

Egyptian journalist: "The project completely goes against the logic of Santa Catarina" (Photo: ShutterStock)

One of the few areas in the world revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Jabal Musa ("Mount Moses") (Photo: Official Website, Guy Poren)

The Weak Side: The Monks and the Bedouin

The first phase of the development is expected to be completed this month, at a cost of four billion Egyptian pounds (713 million shekels).

However, monks living in Santa Catarina Monastery claim that they did not receive any preliminary information or warning before the construction workers of the project arrived on the scene.

A monastery spokesman said "the damage caused will be irreversible".



It was also reported that the Egyptian government's approach to the local Bedouin community also became another source of controversy.

The local Jabalya tribe, also known as the "Guardians of St. Catherine", have inhabited the area since the Roman emperor Justinian built the monastery 1,400 years ago.

They now say the bulldozers have boarded their homes and their local cemetery, without any prior notice.



A local social activist, who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of a not-so-bad accident, said "their home landscape is changing irreversibly. The survival of Bedouin culture in the face of social exclusion has been a concern for decades. The current development threatens to be the last nail in her coffin."

Sources in the tribe added that they are not interested in opposing the continuation of the expected development works, for fear of revenge on them.

The sign at the entrance to the town of Santa Catarina (Photo: Guy Poren)

Government Spokesman: The project will maximize the region's values

An Egyptian government spokesman said the project would maximize the archeological, environmental and religious value of the region.

"Services must be provided to all visitors to this unique place, while preserving the environmental and scenic character."



However, experts on the region's heritage, as well as local communities, are calling for international intervention to halt the project before further damage is done.

Conservative John Granger, who helped establish the nature reserve in 1992, says that "I am shocked by what is happening to the area."

Joseph Hobbes, an American professor of geography who authored books on the region, believes that government actions could provoke conflict with the Bedouin.

"What do they think will be the result? That they will be happy? They will be pushed out and they are going to become more and more desperate and poor than ever, as they have been dispossessed (of their land)," he said.

"Santa Catarina Monastery, Mount Sinai, the village where the Bedouin live - all this area is part of the site. One of the roles of governments with world heritage sites is that they maintain the values ​​associated with those sites. Now they just throw it away."



Egyptian journalist and researcher Mohand Sabri notes the personal interest shown by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the project, but claims that it was a mistake.

"Santa Katrina's attraction is due to the fact that it is a completely pristine space. You do not have luxury hotels, and all the services - you get you get from the locals. Most visitors to the area are religious tourists who want to escape from the usual tourist spots for something quieter. The project completely contradicts logic. "Of Santa Catarina, which makes it a definite tourist spot in Egypt. This is an unparalleled point on Earth."

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Source: walla

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