“…Take off thy shoes from thy feet, for the
ground on which thou standest in holy ground,..”Egypt is a land of unusual geographic isolation, which has well-defined boundaries. To the east and west are vast deserts. To the north is the Mediterranean Sea. To the south there was, before the construction of the High Dam at Aswan, a formidable barrier of igneous rock, beyond which lay the barren land of Nubia. Within these recognisable boundaries, however, was a land divided – Upper Egypt extended from Aswan to a pint just south of modern Cairo, apart from a narrow strip of land flanking the river. The Delta or Lower Egypt, spread from the point where the Nile fanned into a fertile triangle some 200 km before reaching the Mediterranean Sea. Linking Upper and Lower Egypt is the vital artery, the river Nile.
Egypt produced one of the earliest and most magnificent civilisations the world has ever witnessed. Five thousands ago, when Mesopotamia was still the scene of petty squabbling between city states and while Europe, America, and most western Asia were inhabited by stones-age hunters, the ancient Egyptians had already learned how to make bread, brew beer and mix paint. They could smelt and cast copper, drill beads, mix mineral compounds for cosmetics, and glaze stone and pottery surfaces. They had invented the hoe, the most ancient of agricultural implements, and had carried out experiments in plant and animal breeding.
A visit to the world’s oldest museum, the Agricultural Museum in Cairo will give you the insights into its ancient agricultural history. We can even see mummified fishes and birds dated back in the 8 and 10 B.C.!
Attractions to Egypt, to most people are the pyramids and cruises on the Nile. My first visit to Egypt two years ago was like the usual introduction, pyramids and the Nile. My second visit recently has more meaning to me because I wanted to see Sinai. Because of the time factor, I had to give North Sinai a miss, and decided on tracing the Moses steps. So, I headed to South Sinai. I crossed the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel after more than an hour drive from Cairo to reach Taba after another four hours journey.
Sinai has entered the history of mankind. Despite the controversies among historians, scientists and archaeologists, Sinai has always been associated with the biblical exodus, with the wonderings of the children of Israel, with the Tables of the Law that God dictated to Moses, Sinai has not only been dramatic stage for a biblical event: it has been the setting for one of the most important human events – that in which a man who was born and grew up in polytheistic historical context, gave to the people of the laws of a single God. It mattered little whether the path of the children of Israel went more to the north or more to the south; it was of little importance whether the exact location of the mount which Moses ascended is still the subject of controversies between scientists. The fact remains that in this solitary, wild land was one of the events, which created history and believed to have taken place.
And ever since, whether treated as holy ground or as battleground, fought over by people of different religion, classical empires, and modern nation states, the Sinai Peninsula has been special.
The importance, not just religious, of these places is also marked by the fact that through them passed the armies of numerous powers, from those of the Egyptian Tutmosis III and Ramsete II to those of the Persian Cambises; from Alexander the Great to those of the Romans of Antioch, and then, the Arabs and the Crusades, Napoleon and Lawrence, up until the last, and most recent armies of Israel and Egypt.
On the way to Taba, you will see few small settlements (villages), the biggest being Nakhi where you can stop for petrol.
Taba is actually a small resort village, rich in natural beauty and unpolluted. Situated near the northern the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, it is Egypt’s busiest border crossing with neighbouring Israel. Little more than a bus and taxi depot and luxury hotels (with casino), Taba’s primary function is to serve travellers from Israel on their way to Egypt, and as a weekend getaway for Israelis to gamble and scuba-dive.
Taba rates a minor historical footnote as the last portion of Sinai to be returned to Egypt under the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.
As part of this subsequent agreement, Israelis travellers are permitted to visit Taba visa-free for up to 48 hours and Egyptians may also cross to Eilat (Elat) with a day border pass. I made an attempt to make a brief visit to Eilat but hey, no Malaysian allowed! But interesting enough, while being detained at the Israeli border, I could still see Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as they all shared the coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba. All I wanted to do was to walk on the Israeli soil and I did, even if it was just an escorted tour by a young Israeli immigration official. But he was kind enough not to stamp “Denied Entry”, otherwise it would have been another misunderstanding at Malaysian Immigration entry when I return to KL.
So I returned to my chalet, which was situated between Taba and the port Nuweiba, on the Gulf of Aqaba. The Gulf is also known as the Gulf of Eilat in Hebrew, which is a large gulf of the Red Sea. It is located to the east of Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. The Gulf measures 24 km at its widest point and stretches some 160 km north from the Straits of Tiran to a point where the border of Israel meets the borders of Egypt and Jordan. At this northern end of the Gulf are three important cities: Taba in Egypt, Eilat in Israel, and Aqaba in Jordan. All three cities serve both as strategically important commercial ports and as popular resort destinations for tourists seeking the warm climate of the region.
Pharaoh’s Island, also called Coral Island or Geziret Faroun, lies 8 km south of Taba and only about 250 m off the coast. The Phoenicians were the first to make use of this island’s fine natural harbour to foster trade with Egypt. Much later the small rocky island came under Byzantine control.
Early in the 12th Century, the Crusaders built a fortress there to protect pilgrims travelling between Jerusalem and St Catherine Monastery. Sultan Salah El Din (Saladin) evicted the crusaders from the island shortly, and significantly strengthened the fortress later in the 12th Century. The Mamelukes and Ottomans probably further fortified it when they became dominant force of the region.
Now, we can follow the footsteps of the Lawrence of Arabia and explore the fully renovated fortress of medieval character with its towers, arched doorways, sleeping quarters, baths and kitchens.
Next town, more like a port to visit is Nuweiba, which means “bubbling springs” in Arabic, is a 7-km stretched along the Gulf. Developed from a barren isolated place with no infrastructure, into a promising and attractive tourist destination. There are options from low budget huts to luxury hotels along the coastline south and north of Nuweiba, connecting it with Taba in the north and Dahab in the south. Along the beach, we can find lively outdoor (and indoor) restaurants in Bedouin style, furnished with carpets and cushions that made you just want to relax and let time passes by. This little town is definitely one of my favourite places. Local foods were superb.
Mount Sinai (Gebel Musa), just south of the St Catherine Monastery, is of great religious importance to the Jews, Christians and Muslims. Throughout the centuries, Mount Sinai has drawn thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. You can ascend to the summit (2285 m) to experience the ultimate spiritual high, either by climbing some 4000 steps built by monks or by a slightly easier but longer path. Both lead to an open area known as Elijah’s Basin where you walk up the remaining 750 steps to the top. At the top is the Chapel of holy Trinity that was built in 1934 on the site of an earlier chapel built in 363 AD. The climb takes about 3 hours but the view from the top is truly breathtaking, especially at sunrise.
At the foot of the mountain where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments, lies The Saint Catherine Monastery. St Catherine is among the oldest Christian monasteries, and the smallest diocese in the world. The monks, twenty or so, are Greek Orthodox.
Upon entering the monastery, it is like entering a medieval village: the buildings are crowded together, each one of a different shape, style and size. Small courtyards, staircases, galleries and surrounding buildings, narrow corridors, vaulted arcades and rounded arches, pointed roofs and flat roofs, the bell tower and the minaret of the mosque – everything seems to have sprung up by chance, without any order or precise criterion. And yet the sense of harmony and spirituality that emanates from it is great.
Various wells provide water for the monastery. The most important one, located on the right after the entrance, is the famous Bir Musa or Moses’ well. Tradition has it that it was here that Moses met Jethro’s daughters, the eldest of whom, Zipporah, subsequently became his wife.
The Church of the Transfiguration is actually more than a church. It is, like a museum. Entrance to the basilica is through a massive 12th century door. The door opens directly onto the narthex, where a collection of icons is exhibited in the main body of the church, and the apse with the altar. Suspended from the 18th century wooden ceiling with gold stars on a green backgrounds are some fifty lamps and candelabra, most of which adorned with ostrich eggs, among them the famous iconostasis presenting the huge icons of Christ, St John the Baptist, the Holy Virgin Mary and St Catherine. The monastery’s treasure is the 6th century mosaic of the transfiguration of Christ. Only this basilica is open to the public.
The Chapel of the Burning Bush is a sacred part of the monastery. Once it contained the Burning Bush, which is replaced outside of the chapel and fenced behind a stone wall. Every Saturday the monks hold their liturgy in the chapel. Anyone entering the chapel has to remove his / her shoes, just as Moses too did at God’s command: “ … put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy ground …” (Exodus 3:5)
The Bell Tower houses 9 bells of different sizes and an ancient wooden bell. The wooden bell is used daily, the metal balls are only heard on Sundays and on holidays.
In a curious architectural and symbolic contrast, next to the basilica is located a mosque, said to have been built in 1106 during the era of Caliph Hakim. The mosque is a very simple rectangular in shape, with a minaret about ten and a half metres high. Today it serves not only for pilgrims of the Islamic faith who visit St Catherine, but also
for the Muslim personnel working in the monastery.My only regret when leaving the gulf of Aqaba was not getting on the ferry to the nearby Aqaba in Jordan which is close to another attraction, Petra. Well, next time, Insha’ Allah.
Jaina
The Monastery of St Catherine
The monastic community of St Catherine is a self-governing church that selects its own Superior. The abbot of the monastery is elected by four deacons and confirmed by the patriarch of Jerusalem who is one the five ecumenical patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church together with Moscow, Alexandria, Constantinople and Antioch. As archbishop of Sinai, the abbot bears the mitre, crown, scepter and gold cross.
Today, only about twenty monks live in the monastery of St Catherine, but between the 10th and 14th centuries, their numbers were as many as 300 or 400. Most of the monks are Greek and Greek is the language used for all liturgical functions.
The monastic rule is very strict : the day begins at 4.00 a.m. with morning prayers and celebration of communion, ending at 7.00 a.m. Evening prayers are held between 3.00 and 7.00 p.m. and only one meal a day is eaten in the evening after prayers.
Opening hours are from 8.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon and it closes on Fridays and other religious holidays.
The monks are assisted in their daily life by Bedouin retainers, Muslims of the Jebeliyeh tribe, descended from a group of almost two hundred families from area around Alexandria, brought here when Justinian was building the monastery. Although they are Muslims, they frequently participated in the religious life of the monastery such as the celebration of Moses on the mountain, or the cult of St George and St Catherine.Saint Catherine: The Story of a Martyr
Catherine of Alexandria, born as Dorothea in 294, and was baptised as a Christian. Although tortured several times, she never renounced her faith and was beheaded for it on 25 November 305. Legend has it that when she underwent her martyrdom, milk, instead of blood came out of her wounds. Buried in Alexandria, 5 centuries passed before a monk from Sinai had a vision of the Saint’s body was being transported by the angels to the summit of a nearby mountain where it would remain intact. When some monks went up the mountain, they found the undecayed body of the virgin martyr, from which emanated a very sweet myrrh that was collected in ampoules because it was considered miraculous. There was also a story of a monk named Simon who, it was said, remained for seven years next to the Saint’s body, praying that she would give him part of her hand. Finally, three fingers detached themselves from the Saint’s left hand, and the monk took them to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Rouen. Between the 10th and 11th centuries, the monk decided to move the relics from the mountain into the monastery – the skull of the Saint bound by a crown of gold encrusted with precious stone, and the left hand with rings and gems, are enclosed in precious silver coffers and kept in a sarcophagus next to the alter of the Church of Transfiguration.
Every year on 25th November, the monks celebrate the anniversary of her martyrdom, andherrelics are carried in a great procession around the church.
Many years ago, there was an island between Sipadan and Mabul islands, known as Kapalai Island. Years of erosion had taken place and now, what is left is a sand bar that sits on top of the Ligitan Reefs, an extensive stretch bordering the deep and vast Celebes Sea.
About ten years ago, and in light of the vigorous development of the tourism industry in the country, Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort was opened on what was Kapalai Island before. The resort sits on its sturdy stilts of the reef, with no land in sight but thousands of fish just few inches beneath your feet.
