The area around the historic Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai is to turn to a tourist city, according to completed plans of the Egyptian government. According to Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, the development project is called the Great Transfiguration and includes an airport, hotels, services, restaurants, shops, a residential neighborhood in the surrounding area of the monastery.
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تطوير موقع “التجلي الأعظم” فوق أرض السلام مشروع قومي عملاق يبرز المقومات السياحية والأثرية والبيئية والروحانية المتفردة لسيناء💥🔥🔥🇪🇬
Opening next October.
Developing the “Great Transfiguration” site on the Land of Peace is a giant national project… pic.twitter.com/8BjjkyiEuT
— مجلة نساء الجنة (@nessaelgana_mag) July 5, 2024
The 15-centuries-old Christian monastery on Mount Sinai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and hosts a vast collection of significant old manuscripts, equivalent to that of the Vatican.
On Wednesday, an Egyptian court characterized the area around the monastery as land that belongs to the Egyptian state since there are no ownership documents in regards to the general area.
The court decision had the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek government react as the monastery status had been protected since it was built between 548 and 565 CE and is the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery.
The reaction was caused because the Greek government and Church authorities assumed that Wednesday’s court decision meant that the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai will pass to the Egyptian State and the monks will be evicted. A Greek delegation is to fly to Egypt on Monday to discuss the issue.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the threat to the monastery is a rumor. A spokesperson stated that, “The Monastery of Saint Catherine and its historic sites remain completely unaffected. Its religious and archaeological significance, along with its cemetery, remain fully intact.”
“The Great Transfiguration”
On March 10, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli wrote on the issue of the Mount Sinai project in the country’s State Information Service. He emphasized that the development of “The Great Transfiguration project site on the land of peace will be Egypt’s gift to the entire world and all religions. It will become a magnificent destination for all visitors, whether for religious, recreational, or environmental purposes.”
He wrote that the Egyptian state, represented by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and the government, “was keen on developing this area and implementing a project that is, by all standards, a global project” that would make the area a tourist destination. He called the site “Above the Land of Peace”
The Great Transfiguration Project in St. Catherine pic.twitter.com/orzvi7CmaF
— Sinuhe the Egyptian (@tonyfuo) September 18, 2024
Describing the site around the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai , the Egyptian prime minister described the area around the Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinaias “one of the holiest places on earth, which has religious and historical significance for all humanity, with all its spectra and divine religions, namely the area of The Holy Valley, Mount Sinai, and the area of The Greatest Manifestation. This holy and blessed point is the only place on Earth where Allah Almighty manifested His noble face to Moses.”
At the same time, he wrote, the area is designated as a “natural reserve” by Egypt and complies with the UNESCO standards. This means that all infrastructure and constructions are made to comply with the natural environment as if they were part of the landscape, all of them inspired by the original place. The trees used in the furniture are olive trees, which are mentioned in more than one place in the divine books, especially in the Holy Quran. In regards to the Greek Orthodox monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai he said that inside is the famous Alliq tree mentioned in the divine books.