Sinai has always had a special place in the hearts and minds of Egyptians mainly because the peninsula has witnessed many military triumphs. In 2014, the political leadership drew up a detailed development strategy for Sinai, starting with the elimination of terrorism and progressing to community development initiatives, infrastructure projects and the establishment of national corporations to attract investment.
Sinai Peninsula has considerable investment potential in agriculture, industry, tourism, energy, mining and trade.
This current phase is characterised by the ongoing implementation of the national strategy for the integrated development of the Sinai Peninsula, which necessitates co-operation of all state agencies and the participation of the private sector.
The government has set the Sinai Peninsula on the path to real development. It has launched national projects covering various sectors, linking the Eastern Egypt Portal to the Delta by making the Canal cities a natural extension of the Nile Valley and overcoming all obstacles in order to attract investment.
Great Transfiguration
One such project is the Great Transfiguration in St. Catherine, designed to attract roughly 5 million tourists per year.
The project is funded by the New Urban Communities Authority in accordance with directives from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to develop the area of St Catherine. The town and the Land of Peace nature reserve were the meeting point of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
President Sisi told senior government officials to pay attention to every detail of Great Transfiguration and render it a world-class tourist destination for visitors from all over the world.
The aim of the project, announced in 2020, is to turn the sacred mountain area of St. Catherine suitable for spiritual, therapeutic and environmental tourism.
During a recent visit by Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, he said: “This site has special significance for the followers of monotheistic religions and therefore it is important to develop this unique area, the only place on Earth where Allah Almighty descended.
Prime Minister Madbouli expressed Egypt’s intention to present this project as a “gift to the entire world and all religions,” paying homage to its significance, which encompasses Islamic, Christian, and Jewish references.
Madbouli stressed the profound importance of this site, as it hosts the sacred valley of Tuwa, Jabal Moussa (Mount Sinai), El-Tor Mountain, and the renowned spot of transfiguration.
It includes the development of St. Catherine International Airport, transforming it into a global airport with a spacious passenger terminal befitting the city’s stature.
Additionally, eco-lodges, mountain hotels, and a new residential neighborhood in Zaitouna are part of the project.
Madbouli highlighted that the project will provide over 1,000 tourism and hotel rooms, positioning the city as a significant tourist destination.
Egypt aspires to welcome up to 30 million tourists by 2028, building upon the record-breaking 14.9 million tourists in 2023.
Tourism serves as a vital source of foreign currency for Egypt, and the Great Transfiguration Project is poised to contribute significantly to this goal.
The Great Transfiguration project is being carried out by the Central Agency for Urbanisation, an affiliate of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, in co-operation with the ministries of tourism and environment. The project reuses underground water and is building a road network linking tourist destinations such as Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh. It focuses on the city’s redesign and aims to preserve it as a natural reserve. Implementation of the project adheres to sustainable development standards.
“All ministries and authorities concerned are collaborating to finish the project on time,” Minister of Housing Assem el-Gazzar said, adding that the scheme will be promoted internationally through audiovisual material highlighting the area’s holistic, historical, environmental and natural wealth.
The buildings and facilities being constructed as part of the project are fully in line with international environmental standards, with the protection of the natural environment of St Catherine’s being one of its major goals.
“Great Transfiguration project will completely change the Sinai Peninsula to be a unique venue for religious tourism,” South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda said recently.
“A shrine is to be built on the mountains around the Holy Valley,” Fouda added. “The area will be a destination for spiritual, healing and environmental tourism worldwide, while recreational facilities for visitors will dovetail with the requirements of nature conservation,” he said.
The Great Transfiguration will bring 14 projects to the mountains surrounding Wadi Towa in South Sinai Governorate to turn the area into a major hub for religious tourism.
The Great Transfiguration project includes upgrading the existing ecolodge and constructing a new one, establishing a Peace Park, building a hotel on the mountain, opening a new visitors’ centre and administrative complex, and developing the touristic area and the heritage centre in the city, el-Gazzar said.
It also includes the upgrade of the residential area of the local Bedouin and building a new residential compound, developing the Valley of the Monastery, and constructing a new road and utilities network with safety measures against floods.
There will also be a spiritual sanctuary in the mountains surrounding the Holy Valley. This area will become a premium destination for holistic and therapeutic tourism, in addition to being a must-visit for mountain climbers. The project will make available various touristic and entertainment services for visitors, such as golf cars to transport tourists from the parking area to the St Catherine Monastery, one of the world’s most ancient Christian monasteries.
There will also be bazaars selling Sinai products and medical herbs, the minister of housing said during his visit last week to the site of the project. Besides developing the St Catherine’s airport and operating daily flights between Cairo and St Catherine’s, the project will see thermal cameras installed on top of the mountains to be linked to checkpoints to detect movements remotely, he added.
Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said the project was also focused on upgrading the local sewage network and that all factories in the Sinai Peninsula were committed to standards pertaining to the treatment of industrial waste to maintain the quality of the waste network.
She lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Housing to implement the project in the Land of Peace, one of Egypt’s nature reserves, giving directives to facilitate the work of scholars on environmental studies and assessing the environmental effects of the project on the natural surroundings. She added that the project was progressing with the environmental, social, and cultural dimensions of the St Catherine’s area in mind.
The buildings and facilities being constructed as part of the project are fully in line with international environmental standards, she said, with the protection of the natural environment of St Catherine’s being one of its major goals.
Maintaining the environmental and visual character of the natural environment was crucial to making a place a magnet for spiritual tourism, Fouad said.
South Sinai Governor Fouda said: “The Great Transfiguration project includes unique things and will completely change the city, and is being implemented within the framework of the political leaders’ interest in developing the tourism sector.” The project aims to establish a spiritual shrine above the mountains surrounding the Holy Valley, making it a destination for spiritual, healing and environmental tourism worldwide. It also aims to provide recreational services for visitors while preserving local nature.
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