The Sinai Peninsula is considered the most important strategic part of the Egyptian state. He is given great importance in history and culture on a global scale.
Location of the Sinai Peninsula (Et-Tih)
Sinai resembles a wedge-shaped form that surround: the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. On the main part (Et-Tih Plateau) of the Sinai Peninsula, the desert spread. The highest point of the desert is Mount St. Catherine (2637 m). To the east of the territory where the Sinai Peninsula desert is located, is the Negev desert.
Natural and climatic characteristics of the peninsula
Sinai translates as "rocky." This name is reflected in the nature of the area. The Sinai desert consists of endless sand, bizarre mountains, rocks, valleys, dips and canyons.
Precipitation in this endless desert does not exceed 100 mm. They mainly seep through the sand, which is reflected in the small distance of groundwater from the surface (several meters).
The Sinai desert is part of the Arabian floristic region, which determines the nature of the local flora. On the rocky plateau of Et-Tih, there is mainly no vegetation. Sometimes in the wadi channels you can find such plants as anabasis, arboreal arthropod, spiny prickly.
On the western and northern parts of the Sinai Peninsula there are sand ergs, where you can find shrubs Retam, aristides, oats. On the stone part of this territory, winged ephedra, thimelea hairy and wormwood are sometimes found. Acacia and tamarix grow on the bottoms of the wadi, which forms sweet juice. Among the endless sand massifs you can find lakes and swamps.
The fauna of the Sinai desert is represented by small rodents (they are called gerbils), which dig holes, unite in colonies. There are also jerboas, common gazelle, Nubian goat, Fenech and other animals. More recently, a large jackal was found here, which usually lives in northern Africa.
The birds here are represented mainly by the passerine family. In the channels of a wadi, for example, a heater, lark, desert sparrow. In mountainous areas, hens, crows, golden eagles and vultures are found.
Sinai desert: a description of the environmental problem
Due to the fact that there is a huge tourist influx on the Sinai Peninsula, the rapid development of industry and the construction of cities, the ecology of Sinai is in serious danger: sea corals die in huge numbers. This is due to the fact that the temperature begins to rise critically, corals are clogged with sand. And sadly, the environmental situation was influenced by the massive vandalism of tourists who are breaking off “pieces of Egypt” - corals. The government took tough measures to curb such actions on the part of travelers: a fine of $ 100 was imposed on coral damage.
Sinai desert: the first world fame
In history, Sinai gained world fame thanks to the grief of Moses, which is of great importance for Christians. God came down here to Moses and handed him the Ten Commandments. Until today, it is not known where this mountain of the same name is located. The Bible gives her various names. From the 4th century Mount Sinai is considered Mount Moses, near the base of which was built a monastery dedicated to St. Catherine.
Traditions: yesterday and today
In the Egyptian state, the Sinai Desert has long been especially revered, its history has deep roots. Numerous traditional ceremonies have survived to this day, in which even tourists can participate. But new ones appeared, for example, you can take part at night in the ascent to Mount Moses in order to meet the sunrise on its peak. This ceremony appeared relatively recently. It is associated with the peak of the influx of tourists into Egypt. They get to the top of the mountain at night along a long path, when the sun's rays are still not scorching, but descend in the morning along a short path. In the XVII century. The Wallachian boyar Mihai Katakuzino even built a monastery in Russia called “Sinai” after he visited the monastery of St. Catherine.
The Egyptians more than 5 thousand years ago mastered the territory of the Sinai Peninsula, on which many monuments of various eras of historical significance are preserved. A significant fact in the history of Sinai is that in 1979 a peace treaty was concluded between the Egyptian and Israeli states, according to which Sinai was returned to Egypt.
Interesting facts related to Sinai
The riddle of the Bedouins
For many, the Sinai desert is associated with a lifeless and dull terrain, where occasionally small oases are found. This is a common representation of this territory in most people. Here, all living things fight for their right to exist. But here an interesting paradox arises - if the average period of life in many countries is approximately sixty years, then the Bedouins living in the desert - eighty years. Thus, the Bedouin lifestyle has fully adapted to the desert habitat. Only here there are no people wishing to settle in the desert.
Origin of names
For example, the term “oasis” is derived from the Greek word Uasis, and it, in turn, is from the Egyptian word Uit, which designates the name of several Egyptian settlements in the middle reaches of the Nile. That is, the term "oasis" the Egyptians designated a site located in the middle of the desert, which has favorable conditions for life.
With the interpretation of the desert, everything is clearer than clear - it is empty and empty. This is where the question arises that this word is of Slavic origin, because it means an empty place. Then what did the local population call the desert? The Arabs gave the desert a name that means a place where there is no one but Allah. And one saying among the Arabs says that the desert is the garden of God, from where he removed all the people in order to be alone with himself.
A bit about the Bedouins of the Sinai Desert
At the moment, the Bedouins also live in tents that can be easily folded and loaded onto camels to continue to wander along the endless sands, since the Sinai desert allows this. According to recently updated data, its area is almost 61 thousand km 2 . From the north side to the south, its length reaches 370 km, and from east to west it stretches 210 km. Occasionally, permanent facilities are referred to as “tourist infrastructure”. And the Bedouins themselves are not averse to making money on travelers. Many of them can even see a mobile phone in their possession, but they are not yet ready for a radical change in their lifestyle. The main source of income for the Bedouins are, of course, camels, on which you can ride travelers.
Bedouins use desalinated sea water for drinking, which is not very high quality. This led to the fact that recently they were almost the only native inhabitants of this vast desert area. At present, indigenous people are very rare in Sharm el-Sheikh. Here, mainly live in Cairo, who came to work.
What attracts tourists to the Sinai desert?
Of course, people who are accustomed to forests, fields and rivers are attracted to the exotic terrain of the desert, its mysterious oases. The Sinai desert is full of many mysteries that have yet to be solved. She has such beautiful places, saturated with bright colors, from which sometimes ripples in the eyes. Tourists do not clean their cameras even for a second, because they see gorgeous landscapes in their eyes. Along the way, they meet the scattered Bedouin campsites, where they can ride camels. Of course, in some places the road is very dangerous, but this only adds more color to the trip to the Sinai desert.