About the Region

Sinai is the cultural and geographic bridge between Africa and Eurasia. On this peninsula are located some of the oldest known human settlements, some of which date back to the stone age half a million years ago. The area of St. Catherine was quite heavily populated in the Iron Age (1200B.C.) up until the Byzantine period (600 A.D.). Since then it has experienced a steep population decline. After the Arab conquest in 600 AD the Sinai was dominated by nomadic populations, the ancestors of today’s Sinai Bedouin tribes.

Sinai’s mountains contain some of the world’s most ancient rocks, dating back millions of years. Most of these are granites from various periods forming a unique landscape of varying shapes and colors. The area consists of high mountan ranges, narrow and lush mountain valleys with natural watersources and green gardnes, canyons, water pools, wide open desert valleys running towards the coast and distant peaks, occasional settlements and oasises with date palms and people still living a traditional way of life. This complex mountain wadi system is found mostly at an elevation of around 1500 mteres, giving it a pleasant climate all year round.