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Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai
Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai

eNCA

time04-06-2025

  • General
  • eNCA

Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai

Nestled in the Sinai mountains, the ancient St Catherine's Monastery has been the centre of recent tensions after an Egyptian court ruled last week that it sat on state-owned land. Dating back to the sixth century BC, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is the world's oldest continuously inhabited monastery, attracting hundreds of pilgrims and tourists every year. Following warnings from the authorities and Orthodox Church in Greece that the ruling threatens the monastery's status, a government delegation is travelling from Athens to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the situation. - World's oldest monastery - The monastery was founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses was believed to have received the 10 commandments, according to the world's three major monotheistic religions. It was named for Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose remains are housed in the church, along with rare iconography and manuscripts. It is headed by the Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu, under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. According to UNESCO, "the entire area is of immense spiritual significance" to Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The organisation says the monastery is "the property of the Greek Orthodox Church and belongs to the Archdiocese of Sinai". - Ownership dispute - Last Wednesday, an Egyptian appeals court ruled that the monastery "is entitled to use" the land and the archaeological religious sites dotting the area, all of which "the state owns as public property". The ruling, only a brief of which has been published by Egyptian media, has drawn criticism from the Orthodox patriarchates in Athens, Jerusalem and Istanbul. Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Greek Orthodox church in Athens, warned the monastery's property could now be "seized and confiscated". Egypt has defended the court ruling, saying it "consolidates" the site's sacred status. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was "fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery", in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis meanwhile emphasised the importance of "preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery". The delegation from Athens is expected to lay out its position on Wednesday. According to Greece's state news agency, that position "is supported by a UNESCO document, which proves that Egypt had acknowledged in writing since 2002 that the ownership of the land and buildings belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and the Archdiocese of Sinai". - Megaproject - Construction began in March 2021 in the Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, for a government megaproject known as the 'Great Transfiguration' of Saint Catherine. The project aims to bring upwards of a million tourists a year to the serene mountain village. Its many construction projects include an events hall, hundreds of hotel rooms and a new residential area housing hundreds of units. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. According to a report by World Heritage Watch, the project has "destroyed the integrity of this historical and biblical landscape". UNESCO in 2023 requested that Egypt "halt the implementation of any further development projects", conduct an impact evaluation and develop a conservation plan. The government, which is campaigning for former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled al-Enany to head UNESCO from October, said in January that 90 percent of the project was complete. - Visitors - The peaks and valleys around Saint Catherine attract large groups of hikers, peaking at 2,000 visitors to Mount Sinai in a single day last December, local authorities reported. The area, 1.5 kilometres above sea level, is particularly popular with both Egyptians and foreign tourists seeking a reprieve from overcrowded Red Sea resorts elsewhere in Sinai. - Bedouin tribe - The area is home to the Jabaliya tribe, whose name derives from the Arabic word for "mountain". Said to be the descendants of the Roman soldiers who came to guard the monastery in its early days, they maintain a close connection to Saint Catherine, with many working as tour guides today. For decades, they have been calling for better infrastructure, including reliable water supply, emergency services and telecommunications coverage to improve their work and daily life. According to World Heritage Watch, they are currently outnumbered by the thousands of labourers building the megaproject.

Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai
Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai

Arab News

time04-06-2025

  • General
  • Arab News

Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai

CAIRO: Nestled in the Sinai mountains, the ancient St Catherine's Monastery has been the centre of recent tensions after an Egyptian court ruled last week that it sat on state-owned land. Dating back to the sixth century BC, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is the world's oldest continuously inhabited monastery, attracting hundreds of pilgrims and tourists every year. Following warnings from the authorities and Orthodox Church in Greece that the ruling threatens the monastery's status, a government delegation is travelling from Athens to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the situation. The monastery was founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses was believed to have received the 10 commandments, according to the world's three major monotheistic religions. It was named for Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose remains are housed in the church, along with rare iconography and manuscripts. It is headed by the Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu, under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. According to UNESCO, "the entire area is of immense spiritual significance" to Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The organisation says the monastery is "the property of the Greek Orthodox Church and belongs to the Archdiocese of Sinai". Last Wednesday, an Egyptian appeals court ruled that the monastery "is entitled to use" the land and the archaeological religious sites dotting the area, all of which "the state owns as public property". The ruling, only a brief of which has been published by Egyptian media, has drawn criticism from the Orthodox patriarchates in Athens, Jerusalem and Istanbul. Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Greek Orthodox church in Athens, warned the monastery's property could now be "seized and confiscated". Egypt has defended the court ruling, saying it "consolidates" the site's sacred status. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was "fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery", in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis meanwhile emphasised the importance of "preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery". The delegation from Athens is expected to lay out its position on Wednesday. According to Greece's state news agency, that position "is supported by a UNESCO document, which proves that Egypt had acknowledged in writing since 2002 that the ownership of the land and buildings belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and the Archdiocese of Sinai". Construction began in March 2021 in the Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, for a government megaproject known as the 'Great Transfiguration' of Saint Catherine. The project aims to bring upwards of a million tourists a year to the serene mountain village. Its many construction projects include an events hall, hundreds of hotel rooms and a new residential area housing hundreds of units. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. According to a report by World Heritage Watch, the project has "destroyed the integrity of this historical and biblical landscape". UNESCO in 2023 requested that Egypt "halt the implementation of any further development projects", conduct an impact evaluation and develop a conservation plan. The government, which is campaigning for former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled al-Enany to head UNESCO from October, said in January that 90 percent of the project was complete. The peaks and valleys around Saint Catherine attract large groups of hikers, peaking at 2,000 visitors to Mount Sinai in a single day last December, local authorities reported. The area, 1.5 kilometres (one mile) above sea level, is particularly popular with both Egyptians and foreign tourists seeking a reprieve from overcrowded Red Sea resorts elsewhere in Sinai. The area is home to the Jabaliya tribe, whose name derives from the Arabic word for "mountain". Said to be the descendants of the Roman soldiers who came to guard the monastery in its early days, they maintain a close connection to Saint Catherine, with many working as tour guides today. For decades, they have been calling for better infrastructure, including reliable water supply, emergency services and telecommunications coverage to improve their work and daily life. According to World Heritage Watch, they are currently outnumbered by the thousands of labourers building the megaproject.

Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai
Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai

France 24

time04-06-2025

  • General
  • France 24

Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai

Dating back to the sixth century BC, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is the world's oldest continuously inhabited monastery, attracting hundreds of pilgrims and tourists every year. Following warnings from the authorities and Orthodox Church in Greece that the ruling threatens the monastery's status, a government delegation is travelling from Athens to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the situation. World's oldest monastery The monastery was founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses was believed to have received the 10 commandments, according to the world's three major monotheistic religions. It was named for Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose remains are housed in the church, along with rare iconography and manuscripts. It is headed by the Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu, under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. According to UNESCO, "the entire area is of immense spiritual significance" to Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The organisation says the monastery is "the property of the Greek Orthodox Church and belongs to the Archdiocese of Sinai". Ownership dispute On Friday, an Egyptian appeals court ruled that the monastery "is entitled to use" the land and the archaeological religious sites dotting the area, all of which "the state owns as public property". The ruling, only a brief of which has been published by Egyptian media, has drawn criticism from the Orthodox patriarchates in Athens, Jerusalem and Istanbul. Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Greek Orthodox church in Athens, warned the monastery's property could now be "seized and confiscated". Egypt has defended the court ruling, saying it "consolidates" the site's sacred status. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was "fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery", in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis meanwhile emphasised the importance of "preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery". The delegation from Athens is expected to lay out its position on Wednesday. According to Greece's state news agency, that position "is supported by a UNESCO document, which proves that Egypt had acknowledged in writing since 2002 that the ownership of the land and buildings belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and the Archdiocese of Sinai". Megaproject Construction began in March 2021 in the Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, for a government megaproject known as the 'Great Transfiguration' of Saint Catherine. The project aims to bring upwards of a million tourists a year to the serene mountain village. Its many construction projects include an events hall, hundreds of hotel rooms and a new residential area housing hundreds of units. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. According to a report by World Heritage Watch, the project has "destroyed the integrity of this historical and biblical landscape". UNESCO in 2023 requested that Egypt "halt the implementation of any further development projects", conduct an impact evaluation and develop a conservation plan. The government, which is campaigning for former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled al-Enany to head UNESCO from October, said in January that 90 percent of the project was complete. Visitors The peaks and valleys around Saint Catherine attract large groups of hikers, peaking at 2,000 visitors to Mount Sinai in a single day last December, local authorities reported. The area, 1.5 kilometres (one mile) above sea level, is particularly popular with both Egyptians and foreign tourists seeking a reprieve from overcrowded Red Sea resorts elsewhere in Sinai. - Bedouin tribe - The area is home to the Jabaliya tribe, whose name derives from the Arabic word for "mountain". Said to be the descendants of the Roman soldiers who came to guard the monastery in its early days, they maintain a close connection to Saint Catherine, with many working as tour guides today. For decades, they have been calling for better infrastructure, including reliable water supply, emergency services and telecommunications coverage to improve their work and daily life. According to World Heritage Watch, they are currently outnumbered by the thousands of labourers building the megaproject.

Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai
Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai

Yahoo

time04-06-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Five things to know about the St Catherine monastery in Egypt's Sinai

Nestled in the Sinai mountains, the ancient St Catherine's Monastery has been the centre of recent tensions after an Egyptian court ruled last week that it sat on state-owned land. Dating back to the sixth century BC, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is the world's oldest continuously inhabited monastery, attracting hundreds of pilgrims and tourists every year. Following warnings from the authorities and Orthodox Church in Greece that the ruling threatens the monastery's status, a government delegation is travelling from Athens to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the situation. - World's oldest monastery - The monastery was founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses was believed to have received the 10 commandments, according to the world's three major monotheistic religions. It was named for Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose remains are housed in the church, along with rare iconography and manuscripts. It is headed by the Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu, under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. According to UNESCO, "the entire area is of immense spiritual significance" to Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The organisation says the monastery is "the property of the Greek Orthodox Church and belongs to the Archdiocese of Sinai". - Ownership dispute - On Friday, an Egyptian appeals court ruled that the monastery "is entitled to use" the land and the archaeological religious sites dotting the area, all of which "the state owns as public property". The ruling, only a brief of which has been published by Egyptian media, has drawn criticism from the Orthodox patriarchates in Athens, Jerusalem and Istanbul. Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Greek Orthodox church in Athens, warned the monastery's property could now be "seized and confiscated". Egypt has defended the court ruling, saying it "consolidates" the site's sacred status. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was "fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery", in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis meanwhile emphasised the importance of "preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery". The delegation from Athens is expected to lay out its position on Wednesday. According to Greece's state news agency, that position "is supported by a UNESCO document, which proves that Egypt had acknowledged in writing since 2002 that the ownership of the land and buildings belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and the Archdiocese of Sinai". - Megaproject - Construction began in March 2021 in the Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, for a government megaproject known as the 'Great Transfiguration' of Saint Catherine. The project aims to bring upwards of a million tourists a year to the serene mountain village. Its many construction projects include an events hall, hundreds of hotel rooms and a new residential area housing hundreds of units. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. According to a report by World Heritage Watch, the project has "destroyed the integrity of this historical and biblical landscape". UNESCO in 2023 requested that Egypt "halt the implementation of any further development projects", conduct an impact evaluation and develop a conservation plan. The government, which is campaigning for former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled al-Enany to head UNESCO from October, said in January that 90 percent of the project was complete. - Visitors - The peaks and valleys around Saint Catherine attract large groups of hikers, peaking at 2,000 visitors to Mount Sinai in a single day last December, local authorities reported. The area, 1.5 kilometres (one mile) above sea level, is particularly popular with both Egyptians and foreign tourists seeking a reprieve from overcrowded Red Sea resorts elsewhere in Sinai. - Bedouin tribe - The area is home to the Jabaliya tribe, whose name derives from the Arabic word for "mountain". Said to be the descendants of the Roman soldiers who came to guard the monastery in its early days, they maintain a close connection to Saint Catherine, with many working as tour guides today. For decades, they have been calling for better infrastructure, including reliable water supply, emergency services and telecommunications coverage to improve their work and daily life. According to World Heritage Watch, they are currently outnumbered by the thousands of labourers building the megaproject. bha/sof/jsa/cms

Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery
Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery

eNCA

time30-05-2025

  • Politics
  • eNCA

Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery

Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St Catherine's monastery in the Sinai peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO world heritage landmark, after Greek and church authorities warned of the sacred site's status. St Catherine's monastery was established in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush in the southern mountains of the Sinai peninsula, and is the world's oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery. A court in Sinai ruled on Wednesday in a land dispute between the monastery and the South Sinai governorate that the monastery "is entitled to use" the land, which "the state owns as public property". But on Friday, in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo was "fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery, and ensuring it is not violated". The Greek premier's office said Mitsotakis emphasised the importance of "preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery and resolving the issue in an institutional manner", based on an agreement between the two countries. A Greek delegation is due to visit Egypt next week, the government in Athens said. Sisi's office has defended the court ruling, saying that it "consolidates" the site's sacred status, after the head of the Greek Orthodox church in Greece denounced it. - Tourism development - Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens called the court ruling "scandalous" and an infringement by Egyptian judicial authoriities of religious freedoms. He said the decision means "the oldest Orthodox Christian monument in the world, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai, now enters a period of severe trial -- one that evokes much darker times in history". The Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, is undergoing mass development under a controversial government megaproject aimed at bringing in mass tourism. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. Archbishop Ieronymos warned that the monastery's property would now be "seized and confiscated", despite "recent pledges to the contrary by the Egyptian President to the Greek Prime Minister". Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis contacted his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Thursday, saying "there was no room for deviation from the agreements between the two parties", the ministry's spokesperson said. In a statement to Egypt's state news agency, the foreign ministry in Cairo later said rumours of confiscation were "unfounded", and that the ruling "does not infringe at all" on the monastery's sites or its religious and spiritual significance. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said "Greece will express its official position ... when the official and complete content of the court decision is known and evaluated".

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