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Government
Egypt
built a large-scale project on Mount Sinai, near where three Abrahamic religions believe that God once spoke to the Prophet Moses there.
AFP reported the sound of drilling buzzing loudly in remote and rugged areas of once-quiet southern Sinai.
This construction activity has been ongoing since 2021 and is aimed at attracting tourists to the mountain town of Saint Catherine.
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Cultural heritage experts and local residents have protested the government’s move to build a megaproject in the area.The reason is that development activities are considered to be damaging the nature reserve and UNESCO world heritage site which is home to the oldest Christian monastery in the world.
“The Santa Catherine we know is gone. Future generations will only know these buildings,” said a veteran guide from the Jabaliya tribe.
This government project is entitled “The Great Transfiguration” or “The Revelation of Saint Catherine”.Egyptian officials describe the project as an effort to develop the city to maximize its tourism potential, by combining elements of archaeology, religious traditions and the environment.
This megaproject is worth almost US$300 million (around Rp. 5 trillion).
Last July, World Heritage Watch urged UNESCO to list this area as a threatened World Heritage site.
However, last month, UNESCO chose former Egyptian tourism and antiquities minister Khaled El-Enany as its chairman.
During his tenure, Egypt launched the Saint Catherine project and destroyed most of the historic cemetery of the City of the Dead, which is also a UNESCO site and an active public cemetery.
“They just came without saying anything and destroyed our cemetery,” said a guide.The grave is now a car park.
Egyptian officials touted that the project would bring economic benefits to the country.They claim that this project has gone through consultation with the community.
However, people actually say the opposite.To AFP, they admitted they were worried they would be told to leave the area.
“No one knows what will happen tomorrow. Maybe they will ask us to leave, because there is no more room for us,” said the guide.
In Egypt, many residents have had their homes destroyed in recent years to build tourism or infrastructure projects.Meanwhile, the compensation provided is not enough to meet the living needs of the affected residents.
In 2023, after the Saint Catherine project was protested by conservationists, UNESCO finally asked that the project be stopped to evaluate its impact.The government was also asked to develop a conservation plan.
However, in fact, the project continues.In January, the government stated that this megaproject was 90 percent complete.
(blq/dna/bac)
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