Few places in the world can boast of having the load of history and symbolism of Mount Sinaithe place where (according to the Judeo -Christian tradition) God delivered his ten commandments to Moses and where he stands The monastery that more time has managed to preserve its original function, an architectural jewel of the seventh century. Now both one and the other face radical changes while the Egypt government is committed to a new Tourist megaproject In the region.
The debate is served.
What happened? That tourism development and heritage conservation, two realities not always easy to combine, have unleashed a controversy in Egypt. And he has also done so in an especially sensitive area for its symbolic, cultural, historical, religious and even geopolitical value: Jabal museMount Sinai.
There, where according to the Judeo -Christian tradition God delivered the tables of the commandments to Moses, a tourist megaproject called ‘Great transfiguration project’ and that the Egyptian authorities They present as “a gift” from the country “to the entire world and all religions.” Not all They see it that way.
What do you want to do? The project is not new. He presented it In 2020 The President Abdelfatha el-Sisi And his name gives an idea of what is his purpose. The ‘great transfiguration’ aspirates, In words of the Egyptian executive, to “develop” the city of Santa Catalinaa small population located in the Peninsula of the Sinai, “placing it in the place that corresponds to it, taking full advantage of its tourist attractions, as well as its rich archaeological and religious heritage.”
The initiative includes 14 projects different in the area capable of arouseing the interest of Tourist operators and the development of the local airport. The Egyptian government It usually cite it in fact as one of his great tourist bets.
Is more known? The idea is to turn Santa Catalina into A Tourism Pole Religious and environmental, with places, commercial spaces, luxury hotels, villas and infrastructure. The BBC Point out which even includes a cable car. “The project will provide all tourist and recreational services to the visitor, will promote the development of the city and its surroundings, at the same time preserving the environmental, landscape and patrimonial character. It will also contribute accommodation to those who work in their development,” celebrated In 2024 Minister Sherif el-Sherbiny.
Is it just a project? No. It is already a reality underway. Over the last years the Egyptian authorities have visited the place to follow the advance of the works in situ and the transformation It is already visible In the plain of El-Raha. Moreover, at the beginning of the year the government came to affirm that the level of execution 90%. Shortly before, at the end of 2024, World Heritage Watch (WHW), very critical of development, he published A statement in which it included an image of how the environment was before and how it is now, with the buildings already advanced.
Why is it controversial? For several reasons. One of the main ones is how it will affect the area, both at the environmental level and in what affects the locals. “Natural landscapes have suffered serious damage and the rights of the natives have been violated. The Bedouinos Jebelya of Santa Catalina have lost important parts of their old tribal territory. Houses have demolished. Places of special cultural sensitivity have been destroyed, such as a cemetery,” Whw complaint. “An urban world is being built around a town of nomadic roots.”
The organization regrets that the Egyptian authorities “have ignored” recommendations from the United Nations and “act in a clear challenge to environmental laws” that protect the environment and the communities that populate it. Everything insists, while development captures the interest of private corporations as a popular hotel chain based in Germany. Meanwhile, whw and Other voices They warn of the negative impact for native populations, the government insists in which the megaproject will be “a gift to the world and religions.”
Why is it so media? The megaproject of Mount Sinai has been on the table for some time. If in recent days he has starred in media such as The country, The BBC either The Art Newspaper It is because there is not only the population of Santa Catalina. Very close an icon of Christianity stands: the Santa Catalina Monasteryfounded in the seventh century and that has the honor of being the oldest Christian monastery inhabited by monks uninterruptedly.
“Its walls and buildings are of great value for the study of Byzantine architecture and hosts a highlight collection of manuscripts and primitive icons,” Remember Unescothat in 2002 he declared him a World Heritage.
It is not just that the monastery of Santa Catalina is in the same environment of the tourist megaproject. It is that over the last years he has lived his own judicial soap opera with the Egyptian State, which has raised suspicion. After years of disputes and lawsuits for the ownership of the land that occupies, in May a court He ruled that the religious enclosure is located in state land. He is recognized the right to use his soils and archaeological enclaves with religious value of his surroundings, but still the decision that has generated a remarkable dust.
What does the sentence say? As you need The countrythe verdict granted to the monastery the rights of usufruct (not property) over 57 plots, but ordered to evict another 14 that were also in dispute. The problem is that part of the plots claimed by Egypt have a role in the day to day of the religious enclosure, linked to the Greek orthodox church and where monks live.
“Many of the expropriated monastic properties are very old and were built and have been maintained by the monastery,” Ben Hoffler warnsfamiliar with the area. The monks will be stripped of orchards and fountains.
What does one thing have to do with the other? Is it a coincidence that the sentence has arrived just when the new tourist pole in the near town of Santa Catalina takes shape? For Hoffler There are few doubts about it: “This project and the judicial case are directly related. The rapid expansion of the tourism project in the heart of Santa Catalina has generated a competition for space, territory and, in the end, the control of its old sacred landscapes.”
Whw responsible also insists that the ‘great transfiguration project’ is in the environment of the emblematic monastery. Egypt It doesn’t seem to love The closure of the monastery and everything indicates that the monks will continue to inhabit it as they have done in recent centuries, including valuable relics, but the situation of the enclosure and Mount Sinai has aroused interest beyond the country.
What do the authorities say? The archbishop Jerome II of Athensprimacy of the orthodox church in Greece, He has warned that the sentence places the monastery of Santa Catalina before “an existential threat”, and emphasizes: “The properties are being confiscated and expropriated.” He is not the only religious leader who He has seen your discomfort or concern for a decision that also He has shaken Greek politics. For the Egyptian authorities the situation is quite different and the sentence only clarifies the legal status of the monastery land. Besides They guarantee Your “full commitment” to the enclosure maintain its status.
Images | Georg Arthur Pflueger (UNSPLASH) and World Heritage Watch
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