Interesting Sites of Sinai

 

Click here to see the Oasises.
Site	Description
Ayun Musa	Ayun Musa (Moses springs) is a small oasis, situated south of Suez. There are several springs that allow some large palms, tamarisks and other plants to flourish the land. They say in a Legend that this was the Hebrews' first camp after the exodus from Egypt.The picture to the right comes from www.egyptfocus.com
Blue Hole	This most famous and probably most beautiful diving spot in all Sinai, also known as "The Canyon", lies approx. 10 km north of Dahab, only accessible via a 15 miniute off-road drive along the beach. It takes it's name from the breath-taking cristal clear dark and blue water, that has a depht of ca. 80m. The Blue Hole is not so easy to reach, but definitely worth it.
Blue Desert	The Blue Desert, which lies western and very close (only a few kilometers) to the monastery of St. Catherine's, has an extension of ca. 15 km². In 1980-81, the Belgian artist Jean Verame has painted many boulders with a blue colour. It was - with the permission of the late president Anwar El Sadat - meant to symbol the end of the war between Israel and Egypt. It is a definitely extraordinary place which is worth visiting when close to St. Catherine. The photo to the right is taken from SaharaSafaris.
Coloured Canyon	The Colored Canyon has become a very popular safari destination. It lies close to the town of Nuweiba and can be combined with a trip to the St. Catherine's Monastery. The rare rock formations and canyon walls are dramatic and breathtaking. The silence in this canyon is adding a certain oddity. This place is definitely worth visiting.
Dahab	In Beduin language Dahab means gold, as they say it is dedicated to the sand of Bay of Ghazala, one of the two bays that forms Dahab. El-Qura is the second and much bigger bay of Dahab. Dahab is the spot especially for windsurfers. Along the beach of Ghazala, right in front of the lovely beduine village named Assalah, there are palm groves that are giving its beauty to the coast. Dahab is especially suitable for touristic activities, since it is situated closer to places like the Coloured Canyon, the Blue Hole, various oasises and ancient inscription or tombs places like the Nawamis.
El Tur	El Tur (also: El Tor) is the administrative capital of South Sinai. Also known as Tur Sinai, El Tur lies on the west side of South Sinai. The name "El Tur" is originating from the Greek and meant "mountain", given by the first monks who settled here at the beginning of the 4th century. The old harbour was meant to control the shipping trade in the Gulf of Suez. With relation to the famous monastery of St. Catherine, the Saint James Monastery is close to the port of El Tor. Ruins of the first monastery built in 6th century are still visible. If you happen to pass by on your way from Cairo to Sharm El Sheikh you may stop for an hour or two. For a long time, Muslim pilgrims of holy places (such as Makkah and Medina) were kept in quarantine there before returning to Egypt. Besides, it was as well a resting place for Christian pilgrims.
Geziret Fara'un (Pharaoh's Island)	Only a few miles after the Fjord there is the extremely beautiful island, called Pharaoh's Island (Gesiret el_Faraun). The fortress on this island was built in the Byzantine's period. Since 1986 it is open to public in its restored form. Also, there is the Phoenician port (Ezion-Gaber) to be seen.
Hammam Pharaon	Approx. 45 km south of Ras Sidr, there is the Pharaoh’s Bath called Hammam Pharaon. There are hot water springs as well as a cave that leads inside the bath. It is very hot here and it smells of Hydrogen Sulfate. Coming from and going to Cairo resp. Suez, busses can stop there (ask, since it is not an official bus stop). Also, the beach of Hammam Pharaon is at a walking distance from there.
Mount Sinai	Mount Sinai (also Jebel Musa, Gebel Mousa, Mount Moses or Mountain of Moses) is considered to be that biblical peak. It has religious significance to the Islam as the place where Mohammed's horse, Boraq, ascended to heaven. The 7.497 foot mountain has 3.750 steps hewn out of stone by monks of St. Catherine's Monastery. This place is a must for every Sinai visitor.
Nawamis	This ancient place can be reached on the way from Dahab to St. Catherins. You would leave the car close to the street and walk the rest towards the historic tombs, that are on the edge of a huge flat, almost white appearing valley. The nawamis, the name for these tombs is arabic and means as much as "flies", are more than 5.000 years old and for this even older than the great Egyptian Pyramids. Each tomb is constructed with dry-wall stone in a circular way and has its door facing west. They are - especially for their age - still very well preserved.
Nuweiba	About 85 km north of Dahab, just above Abu Galum, lies the beach resort of Nuweiba. Like other cities in Sinai, Nuweiba has developed to a touristical area, however, not as much as Sharm El Sheikh. From here there are trips possible to different sites like Abu Galum, the Coloured Canyon and many more. Hotels are available along the coast line. This spot is especially suiteable for windsurfers, since there is constant wind most of the time.
Qalaat Al-Guindi	Qalaat Al-Guindi is a fortress located approx. 80 km south-east of the tunnel Ahmed Hamdi. It was built in the 12th century AD by Salah El Din and was used to protect African and Mediterranean Muslims on their holy pilgrimage to Mecca, where they had to pass by Sinai to get to Mecca. At Ras Sidr, turn left. Make sure you have a guide, since you are leaving the track.
Ras Abu Galum	Abu Galum is one of the four Managed Resource Protected Area of Sinai. Declared as Managed Resource Protected Area it is characterized by its spectacular granite mountains ending abruptly on a narrow coastal plain fronted by rich coral reefs. It is situated on the east coast of South Sinai, right between Dahab and Nuweiba. Its beauty and uniqueness make this place a must for any vititor that likes flora and fauna. There are approx. 170 species of desert plants, some not even found in any of the other protected areas of Sinai. Abu Galum has the largest number of Nubian Ibexes, Hyraxes, Red Foxes, and Striped Hyena. Also, there are vipers that visitors should look out for while in the sand. Beduine guides are available and a visitor center will soon inform about the ecosystems. <see more>
Ras Mohamed	The Ras Mohamed National Park is a nature protected area approx. 30 km south of Sharm El Sheikh. This first and only Egyptian National Park was declared in 1983 with an area of 97m². Since then it has been extended to 480km² and includes marine and terrestrial areas (also on island of Tiran). Since this park is a must for any visitor in south Sinai, we are dedicating a separate page for it.
Ras Nabq	Nabq is the largest coastl Managed Resource Protected Area (declared in 1992) with approx. 600km². It has a variety of ecosystems that provide unique views for the visitors. It hosts rich coral reefs, more than 140 plant species (6 unique for Nabq), mangroves, the larges population of Arak bushes in the Middle East and various animals like the Gazelle, Nubian Ibex, Hyrax and some small mammal populations.
Ras Sidr	On the way from Cairo to Sinai, passing the Ahmed Hamdy Tunnel, Ras Sidr is located approx. 60 km south from it, right on the west coast of Sinai. This place is a holiday place for Egyptians, mostly coming from Cairo to spend the weekend there. Apart from windsurfing there is not much to do or to see. Places close to Ras Sidr are Qalaat Al-Guinndi, Hammam Pharaon or Ayun Musa.
Serabit el-Khadem	One of the most significant archaeological sites in Sinai is a place called Serabit el-Khadem. Showing the mines of the pharoahs, it is situated in the western part of Sinai, approx. 40 kilometers east of Abu Zenima.
St. Catherine's Monastery	Located at the foot of Mount Moses, St. Catherine's Monastery was constructed by order of the Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565. It built around what is thought to be Moses' Burning Bush, which has a chapel built on top of it. It is a spectacular natural setting countless works of art such as Arab mosaics, oil & wax paintings, sacerdotal ornaments, marbles, reliquarie and the second largest collection of illuminated manuscripts.
St. Catherine's Protectorate	The St. Katherine Protectorate is an area of great biological interest and includes the highest mountains in Egypt, such like the Mount Sinai and the Mount St. Catherine. This high altitude ecosystem supports a surprising diversity of wild species; some of which are found nowhere else in the world.
Taba	Taba is situated directly at the border between Egypt and Israel. Given back to Egypt in 1989, this town is now a destination for many tourists and well known for its extraordinary beautiful bays and coves. Lots of tourism industry is planned, especially 4-5 star hotels, overviewing the Red Sea. Target guests are especially tourists from Israel. Apart from the big hotel chains, Bedouin camps offer simple accommodations with unforgetable views of the sea.
Tiran Island	Tiran lies in the Gulf of Aqaba, right between Ras Mohamed and Saudi Arabia. Mostly, divers are attracted to this place, that offers plenty of opportunities for brilliant views and underwater safaris. However, a boat trip to this national park area is an amazing experience, providing breath-taking views. Most probably one will be passing the Gordon Reef and Jackson Reef, which are perfect as well for snorkeling. Even for those visitors, that are neither snorkeling nor diving, this trip offers incredible views.
Tomb of Nabi Saleh	The tomb is situated where Wadi Mur hits onto Wadi al-Shiekh. The picture to the right comes from www.touregypt.net.
Wadi Feiran	the picture to the right comes from www.sis.gov.eg.
Wadi Mur and Wadi al-Shiekh
Sharm El Sheikh	Sharm El Sheikh lies in the very south of Sinai. In 1970 this place was hardly worth mentioning. However, with the arrival of tourism, this place soon getting bigger and bigger. Today there are more than a million visitors each year and the coast is decorated full of hotels. Luckily, the Egyptian government was making sure that mistakes like in Spain were not to me made here: the hotels are not very hight, mostly 2-3 flors. Sharm El Sheikh today is the touristical place for Sinai.