Nature · South Sinai
Saint Katherine Protectorate
A natural and cultural reserve in the mountains of South Sinai, home to Egypt's highest peak, Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine's Monastery, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage area.
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The story
Saint Katherine Protectorate is a natural and cultural reserve on a high plateau in South Sinai, ringed by towering mountains and covering about 4,250 square kilometres. It was declared a protectorate in 1988 and became operational in 1996. It contains Egypt's highest mountain, Mount Catherine, at 2,629 metres above sea level. In 2002 UNESCO inscribed the Saint Catherine Area on the World Heritage List, including Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine's Monastery. The area is notable for its biodiversity, including endemic plants found nowhere else in the world.
Good to know
- The reserve contains Egypt's highest mountain, Mount Catherine, at 2,629 metres.
- In 2002 UNESCO inscribed the Saint Catherine Area, including Mount Sinai and the monastery, as a World Heritage Site.
- The protectorate holds endemic plant species that grow nowhere else in the world.