by Gordon | May 30, 2011 | Fauna
It’s the world’s smallest butterfly, no larger than a thumbnail, and it’s only found on Mt Sinai and a few surrounding peaks. With such a tiny distribution, its survival is at risk from any disturbance to its habitat. Being endemic to Egypt and endangered, it has...
by Gordon | May 28, 2011 | Books, Mount Sinai and Monastery
A personal recommendation of good reads and scholarly studies on the history and background to Mt Sinai, the monastery of St Catherine, Byzantium, the Crusades, Biblical scholarship, Church politics, the desert hermits, personal spiritual struggles and intrepid...
by Gordon | May 26, 2011 | St Katherine Protectorate
Virtually the entire High Mountain area of South Sinai, 4350 km2 was designated a Protectorate in 1988 in recognition of the “area’s conservation importance in terms of the geological formations, unique biological features and its internationally renowned religious,...
by Gordon | May 26, 2011 | St Katherine Protectorate
The Sinai peninsula is the land-bridge through which early man probably left Africa between 1.7 and 1.6 million years ago. There are over 300 major archaeological sites in the Protectorate: o Upper Palaeolithic rock shelters from 30 000 years ago o Neolithic sickles...
by Gordon | May 26, 2011 | St Katherine Protectorate
An example of effective co-operation between the local community (‘ahl al-makan) and the management team of the Protectorate, is in the appointment of community guards (haris al-biyah) and the use of customary law (‘urf). The community guards were selected by their...
