2023-10-17 07:26:57
Die Region Sinai
Bible scholars associate this barren piece of land with the Exodus: Moses, it says, led the Israelites through the Sinai desert to the promised land. Huge numbers of holidaymakers are now flocking to the Egyptian peninsula – tour operators are touting its southern coast as part of Egypt’s Riviera. Tourist towns such as Sharm al-Sheikh on the Red Sea attract mainly bathers with their sandy beaches, warm, clear water all year round, restaurants and resorts.
At the same time, the region between Africa and Asia, which is the only part of Egypt that geographically belongs to Asia, is also characterized by conflicts. It was occupied by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967 and only returned to Egypt in 1982 after long negotiations. You should avoid northern Sinai and the border areas with Israel and Gaza, The Foreign Office warns against traveling there. The tourist-attractive south, on the other hand, is considered safe, both on the beaches and for outdoor adventures in the hinterland. However, unaccompanied, individual excursions and overland trips are not recommended here either.
Decades ago, the Bedouins, who were known for their hospitality and traditionally traveled through the Sinai as nomads with their herds of cattle, began hosting and showing travelers around. The majority of them have now specialized in this. SRK offers study trips with overnight stays in the so-called Bedouin Garden: guests sleep in a walled area under the stars.
Source: Infographic WELT
The local operator Desert Divers offers desert trekking tours led by Bedouins. Hiking is also possible on a study trip organized by the organizer Diamir – with visits to temples, pharaonic turquoise mines and landscape wonders such as the columned forest. Despite all the joy of swimming, there is a lot more to see in the region than colorful fish.
Diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea
Swarms of barracuda. Giant Napoleon wrasses. Colorful coral reefs. Shipwrecks. Turtles, rays, lionfish, groupers, sharks. With its location on the Red Sea and its bays, the Sinai Peninsula offers some of the world’s best diving spots.
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Snorkelers also have a lot to offer. There are over 200 different coral species and around 1000 fish species in the underwater worlds of the Ras Mohammed National Park. It is only about 20 kilometers away from the holiday resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, from where diving trips to the sunken freighter “Thistlegorm” also depart.
A colorful underwater world awaits divers off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula
Quelle: Andreas Metz/Getty Images
The “Blue Hole” near Dahab is also world-famous. This “blue hole” in a reef drops vertically to depths of over 110 meters. Because of many fatal accidents, mostly due to human error, it is considered the most dangerous diving spot on earth.
Nevertheless, it is one of the most visited, with diving and especially snorkeling tours more often taking place on the surrounding reef. Not only is it safer, there is also more to see there thanks to ideal visibility. Whether here or elsewhere off Sinai: Local guides will show every underwater fan the perfect spot.
Cat mummies in Egypt
Today’s cat fans are harmless in comparison: for the ancient Egyptians, the purring animals were sacred creatures. Killing her was a serious crime. Unless priests did it for ritual purposes.
Cat mummies were a common offering to pay homage to Bastet, the popular goddess in cat form. To meet the demand, cats were placed in places of worship bred specifically for embalming. But beloved pets were also buried in precious sarcophagi after their natural demise.
A scientist examines a cat mummy
Quelle: picture alliance/PAP/JACEK TURCZYK
In the Sharm al-Sheikh Museum, which opened in 2020, visitors can marvel at cat mummies and Bastet statues. There are also mummies of other animals such as eagles or crocodiles, but also sarcophagi of powerful people, papyrus writings and a variety of other Egyptian artifacts.
A separate size specification for the Suez Canal
A ship that wants to sail through the Suez Canal – the artificial waterway that separates Sinai from the rest of Egypt – is allowed to have a maximum draft of 20.1 meters. A specific size specification was defined especially for him, the so-called Suezmax. It is 68 meters high, 77.49 meters wide and 20.1 meters draft, no more is allowed.
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After all, the 193 kilometer long Suez Canal is one of the most important trade sea routes in the world – and what happens when a ship gets stuck was shown in 2021 when the huge freighter “Ever Given” blocked the waterway. The passage was impassable for hundreds of ships for days, resulting in long traffic jams and interrupted supply chains.
The freighter had turned sideways in a place where there is only one shipping channel. It wasn’t much use anymore that it corresponded to the Suezmax. By the way, the length of the ships doesn’t matter because there are no locks in the Suez Canal.
One of the northernmost mangrove forests in the world
The Nabq Protectorate, the largest protected area on the Gulf of Aqaba, is exciting for nature lovers. One of the main attractions is its mangrove forest – one of the northernmost in the world, and according to some sources the northernmost of all. Mangrove forests use their root systems to filter salt from seawater and thus form a unique ecosystem for marine and freshwater animals, many of which set up their nursery here.
Nabq Protectorate is the largest nature reserve on the Gulf of Aqaba
Quelle: Shutterstock / Andrzej Kubik
Further inland, one of the largest deposits of the toothbrush tree (English: a.) is found in the dunes of Wadi Kidrak bush) throughout the Middle East. The German name says it all: Bedouins traditionally use the branches to clean their teeth.
Visitors will find numerous hiking trails, snorkeling spots and a few Bedouin villages in the park, and if they are lucky they will see gazelles, the Nubian ibex and rock hyrax. These cute animals resemble large guinea pigs, but are not rodents, but belong to the Afrotheria group, just like elephants and manatees. Tours start from the tourist centers of Sharm al-Sheikh and Dahab to the Nabq Protectorate, which is significantly less visited than the better-known Ras Mohammed National Park.
The quote
“For on the third day the Lord will descend before all the people on Mount Sinai.”
This is what the Bible says in Exodus chapter 19 – the passage in which Moses meets God and receives the Ten Commandments. Sinai on the peninsula of the same name is therefore also called Moses Mountain (Gebel Musa); Although the exact location of the biblical site is not certain, many believers equate it with the Egyptian mountain.
Mount Sinai is sacred for Christians, Jews and Muslims; there is a chapel and a mosque on its summit. The St. Catherine’s Monastery at its feet is also a famous visitor attraction. Founded around 550, it is one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in Christianity. Believers say that an offshoot of the burning bush from the Bible grows in his yard.
Bizarre, record-breaking, typical: You can find further parts of our regional studies series here.
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In order to display embedded content, your revocable consent to the transmission and processing of personal data is necessary, as the providers of the embedded content require this consent as third party providers [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to “on”, you agree to this (revocable at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can revoke your consent at any time using the switch and privacy at the bottom of the page.
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