Established to protect the region’s unique biodiversity and rich historical heritage, the Saint Katherine Protectorate is a major Egyptian national park situated in the south of Sinai. This expansive reserve encloses most of the dramatic, high-altitude mountainous area of central South Sinai, which is characterized by rugged granite peaks and winding desert valleys. Moreover, it includes the country’s highest peak, Mount Catherine, standing at an impressive 2,629 metres (8,625 ft) above sea level and offering breathtaking vistas across the surrounding desert landscape.
In 2002, a 640 km2 area demarcated by the ‘Ring Dyke’ within the Protectorate core was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The listed area includes the highest mountains in the Protectorate, Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine’s Monastery. In September 2001, a delegation from ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) conducted a site review. Their recommendations and the site are included in the listing memorandum. A site visit by IUCN, the administrative agency for Natural Sites, was conducted in December 2002. The site was proposed to be redesignated as ‘An Associative Cultural Landscape’. World Heritage status brings higher protection and international oversight. However, it entails a more intensive management effort and full cooperation from local and national authorities.
Location of Saint Katherine Protectorate
The Saint Katherine Protectorate, a spectacular natural reserve renowned for its high-altitude mountain ecosystem and rich cultural history, lies in Saint Catherine City within the picturesque South Sinai Governorate of Egypt.
Climate of Saint Katherine Protectorate
In Saint Katherine Protectorate, it is usual for temperatures to reach 30 °C in summer at midday. Meanwhile, there is a moderate climate at night. During winter, snow mountain peaks are commonly visible. Winter temperatures range between averages of 10–16 °C during midday. Typically, winter temperatures drop below zero at night. At the top of the mountains, temperatures reach –14 °C. Therefore, visitors are advised to wear appropriate warm clothing if they are climbing the touristic, historic Mount Sinai at night, particularly during winter.
Primary management goals
- The conservation of the contained mountain ecosystem of Southern Sinai. This includes all its elements and processes and the preservation of the site’s traditional cultural and religious values.
- To facilitate and strengthen the institutional capacity for Protectorate management and development in partnership with relevant institutions and local stakeholders.
- The Saint Katherine Protectorate management and development planning are integrated into the network of protected areas. These areas form the South Sinai Management Sector.
- Integrating the Protectorate into the local development and land use management system assists sustainable local rural development.
Ecological importance
This arid mountain ecosystem supports surprising biodiversity and many plant endemics in Saint Katherine Protectorate. Its high-altitude ecosystem supports an astonishing diversity of endangered wild flora and wildlife, some found nowhere else in the world. Around 472 plant species, of which 115 are of medicinal importance, and 19 are endemic to Egypt. To date, 27 mammal species have been recorded, 9 of which are bats. There are 46 reptile species, 15 found nowhere else in Egypt.
Natural resources
Medicinal plants, pastoral plants, wildlife, groundwater, granite, marble, and building materials introduced fruitful trees such as palm, fig, olive and almond.
Local communities
The Saint Katherine Protectorate is home to 7,000 Egyptian Bedouin citizens from six different tribes. These people play a vital role in managing the Protectorate with their invaluable traditional knowledge of the area and its natural characteristics. Around the monastery, you will find the Bedouins of the Gabalia tribe. They have played a significant role in the building and protection of the sanctuary since they were brought from Macedonia for that particular purpose in the sixth century. The newcomers became Bedouins with close relations with the monks throughout the years. This proved mutually beneficial for the two sides.
Saint Katherine Protectorate legislation
Law 102/1983
The main Protectorate legislative instrument, Law 102, sets out the principles for declaring natural protectorates. It also stipulates development restrictions and activities within and adjacent to the Protectorate. The Law obliges the EEAA as the concerned administrative body to:
- Forbid actions leading to the destruction or deterioration of the natural environment, biota or which would detract from the aesthetic standards of the Protectorate.
- Regulate scientific research
- Develop a management program for declared protected areas
- Increase public awareness
- Regulate recreational activities in protectorates to protect natural resources
Law 4/1994
- The law prohibits the hunting, possession, transport and sale of those species of wild fauna (live or dead) determined by Executive Statues of the same Law.