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SINAI IN EGYPT


        Sinai Peninsula indeed
             is a magical area

The stretch of coastline boasts splendid sandy beaches, with colorful mountains as a backdrop and the most fabulous offshore flora and underwater life imaginable. Not only is Sinai a leisure and diving destination, but also has historical significance and some of the most attractive desert scenery possible as well.

After 8,000 years at the heart of history, experience the continuing contrasts. Sinai is where rock meets coral reef and the desert stops at the sea. Where the grandeur of granite meets the golden beaches of the "Red Sea Riviera". Tropical fish and rare birds, spectacular sunsets and clear starry nights.

The strategic location of the Sinai Peninsular at the crossroads of Africa and Asia has made it the gateway to the east for centuries. In the north, the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba are lined with golden sands, swaying palm trees and bays of clear blue water.

In the south, the towering red mountains are surrounded by deep valleys leading to the Holy Mountain where Moses (pbuh) received "The Ten Commandments".

It was in Sinai that the Pharaohs came in search of gold, copper and turquoise, where Isis sought Osiris, where Moses (pbuh) witnessed the Burning Bush, and where Bedouins camped alongside Crusader forts.

Today the dramatic mountain scenery frames the palm-lined beaches. Here you can relax on immaculate beaches, snorkel in waters rich with rare marine life and exquisite corals while enjoying the exotic experience that Egypt offers

Location
Northeastern Egypt at the crossroads of Africa and Asia, bordering southern coast of the Mediterranean sea, bounded on the east by the Holyland, Jordan, and the Gulf of Aqaba, on the south by the Red sea.

The Sinai Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in Egypt which is about 60,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi). It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa. In addition to its formal name, Egyptians also refer to it affectionately as the "Land of Fayrouz", based on the Ancient Egyptian "Dumafkat", which has the same meaning. The peninsula is divided into two Egyptian governorates, and has a population of approximately 1.3 million people.

The region has historically been the center of conflict between various political factions, based largely on its strategic geopolitical location. In addition to periods of direct rule by Egyptian governments (including the Ayyubids, the Mamluks, the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, and the modern Egyptian republic), it was like the rest of Egypt also occupied and controlled by the Ottoman Empire, and the United Kingdom which occupied Egypt from 1882 onwards. Israel invaded and occupied Sinai twice during the 20th Century, first during the Suez War of 1956, and secondly during and after the Six Day War of 1967. In the October War of 1973, it was the site of fierce fighting between Egyptian and occupying Israeli forces.

Climate
Primarily a desert type with hot dry summers (May to September) and mild winter (November to March). Rainfall occurs mainly, in the north of the peninsula and to a lesser extent in the southern mountain region.

Activities
For thousands of years the Sinai peninsula has been a major region for religious pilgrimages. To that extent one could say that tourism is nothing new to the area. In the last few decades, however, the shape of tourism has considerably changed as millions have come for the spectacular dive sites that dot the region. Around the diving culture, a whole new industry has flourished to meet the growing demands of tourists, divers and non-divers alike.

Now when you visit the Sinai you have a choice from a variety of activities. In addition to watersports like swimming, diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, sailing, water-skiing, paddleboating, jetskiing, and fishing, numerous on-land activities have become available. You can arrange to take a safari around the marvelous geographical and ecological features of the region. Birders will be particularly pleased by the variety and uniqueness of the endemic species. As well, many of the local hotels and sports centers host games and sports, such as aerobics, bowling, tennis, golf, and bicycling. And finally, a not-to-be-missed opportunity in the Sinai are the tours on horseback and camelback.

Sinai governorates

North Sinai

North Sinai Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is in the east of the country, covering the northern half of the Sinai Peninsula. Its capital is Arish.

The governorate of North Sinai is located in the northern Sinai peninsula. It is famous of its breath-taking tourist sites, beaches and protected areas.
The governorate is rich with its mineral wealth such as marble, coal, silicon and the natural gas. The local economy is based on agriculture (date palms, castor beans), fishing, and quail trapping.

Other Cities :
Nekhel

Nekhel is the capital of Nekhel Municipality of North Sinai Governorate, Sinai, Egypt. It is located in the heart of Sinai Peninsula along the southern border of North Sinai Governorate with South Sinai Governorate.

It is Nekhel city is divided into 10 Merkazs:
Ras Naqb, Contilla, Sedr Elhitan, Tamd, Bir Grid, Khafga, Boruk, Netila, Ein Twibah and Assalam. In addition to 49 villages.

Sinai's strategic importance (especially in North Sinai), where a fort's eastern Egypt, the crossing has been expressed by most of the attacks that targeted Egypt whether in ancient or modern history
South Sinai



The governorate of South Sinai is located in the southern Sinai peninsula. It is located between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba.

The total area of South Sinai is about 28,438 km, making up about 3% of Egypt's total area.

The governorate consists of (5) provinces, (8) cities, (10) localities, and (74) local areas.
 
South Sinai is distinguished with many wonderful tourist sites and beaches, serving as a main destination for tourists, looking forward to visiting its breath-taking coral reefs in Sharm El-Sheikh and the ancient Saint Catherine monastery and other fascinating scenes in the governorate.

The South Sinai is one of the most spectacularly beautiful landscapes on the planet, some of which has in recent years been set aside as national parkland. The most famous of these parks is found at the far southern tip of the Sinai, where the desert peninsula of Ras Mohammed edges out into the Red Sea, its craggy plateau disintegrating into broad sand beaches or dropping off into brilliantly rich coral reefs.

Heading northeast up the Aqaba coast, you pass through Sharm el Sheikh and Naama Bay, dive meccas that have in recent years become centers for a host of adventure and eco-tourism activities. The coastline here is steep and dramatic, as the rocky table of the Sinai plateau crumbles into the sea.
Beyond the wide, full basin of Naama Bay the road turns inland, entering the broad sandflow of the Wadi Kid, an extinct riverbed that wends its way down from the central mountains to the shoreline at the Nabq Managed Resource Protected Area. Further north still lies Dahab and then Abu Galum, the northernmost of the park system's protected areas. There the sharp granite peaks of the interior extend right to the edge of the Gulf of Aqaba.

These parks are comparatively young--Ras Mohammed having been established only in 1983--and they have been joined even more recently by the region surrounding St. Catherine Monastery. Encompassing Mount Sinai as well as a number of other attractions of the area, the park at St. Catherine's is perhaps the best example of the purpose and the need for the Sinai's protected areas. As tourism has grown in the region, so too has tourist waste and damage, and a few years ago such sublime sites as the top of Mount Sinai itself appeared to be sinking under the burden of careless visitors.

Major sites
Mount Moses

Mount Sinai is both the name of a collection of peaks, sometimes referred to as the Holy Mountains (El-Tur), and the biblical name of the peek on which Moses (pbuh) received The Ten Commandments. Mount Moses or the Mountain of Moses is considered to be that biblical peak.

This peak has religious significance to Islam as the place where Mohammad's (pbuh) horse, called Al-Boraq, ascended to heaven. The 7,497 foot mountain has 3,750 steps hewn out of stone by monks of St. Catherine's Monastery, which is located just to the North.

The peak is accessible by the steps, or by a gentler path east of the monastery. Both lead to an amphitheater known as the "Seven Elders of Israel". From there, one must ascend the remaining 750 steps to reach the summit where the Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built in 1934 (on the location of the original chapel built in 363 and rebuilt by Justinian in 530) and affords a truly breathtaking view.

St. Catherines Monastery
Located at the foot of Mount Moses (pbuh), St. Catherine's Monastery, was constructed by order of the Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565 AD. It is built around Moses' Burning Bush, which has a chapel built atop it.

The Monastery of St. Catherine is one of the best known monasteries in the world - a Greek Orthodox holy place connected with the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

Sharm El-Sheikh
The simplicity of sun, sea and sand. The luxury of five-star hotels, water sports, shopping and entertainment. This is Sharm El-Sheikh, one of the most accessible and developed tourist resort communities on the Sinai peninsula. All around are Bedouins, colorful tents, mountains and sea.

Dahab
Dahab is one of the most beautiful beaches in Sinai that presents divers and snorkelers a wide variety of tropical fish in every color of the rainbow as well as easy access to some of the most gorgeous coral reefs in the world, located in the Aqaba gulf on the eastern coast of Sinai 85 km north of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Nuweiba
The Red Sea is a haven for divers because it has the ideal conditions in which corals grow. As well as having a high water temperature, the waters are so clear that sunlight is able to penetrate to great depths. All along the Sinai cost you will find excellent scuba diving, and Nuweiba is no exception.

This town lies either side of the Watir Valley delta about 91 km north of Sharm El-Sheikh, and consists of the Muzeina Bedouin fishing village to the south and the Tarabin Bedouin and tourist villages to the north, both separated by an 18th century Turkish citadel.

Taba
At the northernmost edge of the Gulf of Aqaba lies the small international border town of Taba, a picturesque beach town that in ancient times was once a stopover on the caravan route to the Fort of Aqaba. In modern times, it is best known as the last piece of land that was returned to Egypt following Israel's occupation of Sinai.

Taba is situated right on the edge of the Israeli border, which can be crossed on foot. The town is a perfect excursion point for visits to the surrounding wonders, such as Pharaoh's Island.

Wadi Feiran
Few places are as steeped in Biblical mystery as the great Wadi Feiran - the Sinai's largest wadi (valley) and one of it's most archeologically important stretches of terrain. It was here, according to locals, scholars, and legend, that Moses (pbuh) struck a rock with his staff, bringing forth a spring so his people could drink.

Feiran is also the Site of Rafadim, the fabled oasis where the Hebrews camped and battled the Amelecites. For the pilgrims and believers who have been coming to this wadi for centuries, a journey through Feiran is to pass through an entire chapter of the Old Testament itself, Exodus 17.

Given such prominence in the Old Testament, it is no surprise that Feiran is littered with the ruins of dozens of ancient churches; some dating back to the 4th century AD, when Feiran began to develop into a major religious center for monks and pilgrims, many on their way to Mount Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery further east.

The Wadi's chief religious sites are the rock from which Moses (pbuh) drew water, which convention places at the western entrance to the oasis, and Mount Tahoun, which Moses (pbuh) supposedly used as an observation point to view the battle with the Amelecites. Atop the mountain is an ancient cross, and the ruins of a small church dating back to the 4th century.

As captivating as the Wadi's biblical lore, are its natural spectacles. Chief among these is the Oasis of Feiran, the largest oasis in all of Sinai. The heart of the oasis is a spectacular and luxuriant sprawl of palms that stretches over 4 km in length, the reason why Feiran is called the "Pearl of Sinai". Along the edges of the oasis and the Wadi are the dramatic, often sheer cliffs of the Wadi wall, which contribute to the valley's secretive and paradisiacal atmosphere.

  

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