Latest news with #SinaiPeninsula
Telegraph
4 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Egypt could close world's oldest Christian monastery
Egypt could close the oldest continuously functioning monastery in the world, prompting fury from Christians. St Catherine's, at the foot of Mount Sinai, was built by the order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I between 548 and 565 and has operated as a religious community ever since. However, a court ruling in Cairo has sparked fears that the Orthodox institution will be forcibly turned into a museum and its approximately 20 monks evicted. According to the Egyptian press, the court ordered that ownership of the monastery's land be transferred to the Egyptian state. It has been reported that the decision was taken so the building could be converted into a museum. Less than a month ago, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt 's president, publicly reassured the Greek government that the monastery would continue. Late on Thursday, his office issued a statement pledging 'full commitment to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's Monastery and preventing its violation'. However, there is widespread concern in the Christian world that the court ruling will result in the forcible closure of the monastery and the eviction of the monks. Mount Sinai holds theological significance because it is reputed to be where God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, tasking him with leading the chosen people out of Egypt. It is also the reported location where the 10 Commandments were handed down to Moses. St Catherine's Basilica, with its intricate mosaics, is considered a treasure trove of Byzantine-era religious art. News of the court ruling prompted an impassioned protest from Ierenemos II, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. 'Following yesterday's scandalous ruling, a violent infringement of human rights and, more specifically, of religious freedoms by Egypt's judicial authorities, the world's oldest Orthodox Christian monument, the Monastery of Mount Sinai, is entering a period of great trial – one that evokes memories of darker times in history,' a statement read. 'I unequivocally condemn any attempt to alter the longstanding status that has prevailed in this region for fifteen centuries. I call upon the responsible Greek government – and personally upon prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis [of Greece] – to take immediate and appropriate action to restore lawful order and ensure that the Holy Monastery is not effectively abolished.' Meanwhile, Greek government sources said they would attempt to work with the Egyptian authorities to hold the country to the commitments given by President Sisi during his visit to Greece on May 7. A spokesman for Mr Sisi's office said: 'The Presidency affirms that the recent court ruling consolidates this status, aligning with the points President El-Sisi emphasised during his recent visit to Athens on May 7. 'The Presidency also affirms the importance of preserving the close and fraternal relations that bind the two countries and peoples and ensuring that they are not jeopardised.'
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery
An Egyptian court ruled that St Catherine's monastery sat on state-owned land. (AFP file pic) CAIRO : 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 authorities 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'. He confirmed both countries' commitment to 'maintaining the Greek Orthodox religious character of the monastery'.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Incredible continent-spanning ‘Moses bridge' linking Africa and Asia across Red Sea is ‘ready to be built'
A MINDBLOWING multibillion-dollar bridge connecting two continents across the Red Sea dubbed the "Moses bridge" is set to be built. The extraordinary bridge will link Saudi Arabia and Egypt across the sea that Moses is said to have parted over 3,200 years ago. 4 4 4 Ambitious plans for the incredible bridge were announced nearly a decade ago in 2016 by Saudi Arabia's King Salman. The mind-boggling megaproject is expected to cost an eye-watering $4billion - financed by the Arab Kingdom. Egyptian transport minister Kamel al-Wazir has now confirmed that the planning stage has now been completed. He said: "We have now completed the planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and are ready to implement it at any time, whether a bridge or a tunnel." The minister added that the current solution for connecting the two countries was the Arab Bridge Maritime Co., which currently holds 13 vessels and transports cargo between the nations. The new build will make trading cargo much more efficient - and will compliment Saudi Arabia's megalomaniac NEOM project. The jaw-dropping bridge will connect Egypt's Sinai Peninsula with the Arab Kingdom, crossing the Straits of Tiran. Ras Hamid in Saudi Arabia will be linked to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik in Egypt. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi previously suggested naming the structure "King Salman bin Abdulaziz Bridge" in 2016. But it has been dubbed the "Moses Bridge" for its iconic location. It is hoped that the project will create thousands of jobs on each side of the sea. The bridge will also provide an alternative pilgrimage route, and is expected to hold over a million travellers per year. The idea for a Red Sea bridge linking the two countries has been proposed several times before but has always failed to become a reality. Floated ideas for the revolutionary structure date back to 1988. A slew of delays for the Saudi-Egypt bridge has also plagued its long-running history. The completed plans come as a separate bridge is also being planned over the Red Sea, spanning 20 miles and being headed by Osama Bin Laden's brother. The structure, dubbed the 'Bridge of the Horns', is expected to be a combination of causeway and suspension bridge with four piers. It also comes as Saudi Arabia continues to struggle with its groundbreaking $500billoin megacity project. The Middle Eastern nation's NEOM project - which would see a high-tech utopia built from scratch near the country's border with Jordan - has long been cursed. One former employee shared their story of working at the gigaproject with The Sun, shedding light on the atrocities taking place behind NEOM's doors.
Trade Arabia
6 days ago
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Egypt aims to integrate railways into Asia-Europe network
Egyptian authorities are working to integrate the country into a railway network connecting Asia and Europe, but a long-planned bridge that would link Saudi Arabia to its Sinai Peninsula has yet to be finalised, said the country's transport minister. Egypt has been expanding its railways along seven separate axes, stated Kamel Al Wazir. These include three high-speed lines that would connect Sokhna Port on the Red Sea with the Mediterranean and Alexandria in the north and with Aswan in the far south, he noted. Israel and Iraq have likewise been spending billions of dollars on rail lines with an eye towards tapping the east-west trade. All the plans involve loading cargo onto ships for part of the journey. 'We have now completed the planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and are ready to implement it at any time, whether a bridge or a tunnel,' Wazir told Reuters on the sideline of an economic conference organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. 'But the (current) solution for connecting Egypt with Saudi Arabia and Jordan is through the Arab Bridge Maritime Company, which currently has 13 vessels that can take cargo between Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.' Saudi Arabia's King Salman had announced during a visit to Egypt in 2016 the idea for a bridge, which would complement the mega-city and business zone of NEOM which the Saudis are building across the Straits of Tiran. Rail cargo would be sent to a series of ports on the Mediterranean that Egypt has been upgrading over the last decade. The high-speed train line connecting to Egypt's south would skirt the edge of the pyramids area in the desert, while simultaneously serving the site, he added.
Arabian Business
26-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
Plans to connect Saudi and Egypt through rail complete, says minister
Egypt said it has completed the planning of a bridge that would link Saudi Arabia to its Sinai Peninsula and eventually connect Asia and Europe by rail. Egyptian transport minister Kamel al-Wazir told Reuters during an economic conference organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt: 'We have now completed the planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and are ready to implement it at any time – whether a bridge or a tunnel. 'But the (current) solution for connecting Egypt with Saudi Arabia and Jordan is through the Arab Bridge Maritime Company, which currently has 13 vessels that can take cargo between Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.' Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz first floated the idea for the 32-kilometer-long bridge during a state visit to Egypt in 2016. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi suggested that the bridge across the Strait of Tiran be called the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Bridge. At that time, it was estimated that the total cost of the project would be US$4 billion and it would be funded by Saudi Arabia. The long-planned bridge to link Saudi Arabia's Ras Hamid to an area near Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh area is yet to be finalised, but Egypt has been expanding its railways along seven separate axes, al-Wazir told Reuters. These include three high-speed lines that would connect Sokhna Port on the Red Sea with the Mediterranean and Alexandria in the north and with Aswan in the far south. Rail cargo would be sent to a series of ports on the Mediterranean that Egypt has been upgrading over the last decade. The high-speed train line connecting to Egypt's south would skirt the edge of the pyramids area in the desert, while simultaneously serving the site, he added. In September 2023, local media reported that Egypt was investing nearly US$7.8 billion in the first phase of its 2,000-km high-speed electric train network. The project was awarded to Germany's Siemens Mobility and its Egyptian partners Orascom Construction and the Arab Contractors Company, and is scheduled to be completed in three phases. A proposed route through the site of Abydos, where Egypt's first pharaohs were buried 5,000 years ago, has been diverted to pass over the plateau above and away from the antiquities site.
