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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 Oct. - 1 Nov. 2000 Issue No. 505 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 Oct. - 1 Nov. 2000 Issue No. 505
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Palestine International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Beyond Al-Tor
By Ahmed Sami
So your first foray into windsurfing wasn't such a success and you've swallowed enough seawater you think you're going to develop gills. It's time to head out of Al-Tor for a little sightseeing -- feed your mind for a change. So when my tan was getting dangerously deep, I set out to take in some of the area's intriguing sites.
The town of Wadi Firan, on the road to Saint Catherine, is worth a stopover to visit the famous convent
Al-Tor is a fine vantage point from which to make some rewarding sidetrips. Nearby, in the area of Ras Raya, a Japanese mission is excavating Fatimid monuments that could soon bring around some more curious religious tourists. But if South Sinai tourism moguls have their way, Al-Tor may well become a logical stop on the Nile to a Red Sea tour, with Saint Catherine's monastery crowning visitors' tours with a chance to gape at the direct descendant of the so-called burning bush. For now, you can still take in the area's nearby sites.
WADI FIRAN: The remote mountains of southern Sinai were chosen as a refuge for many early Christians fleeing Roman persecution and the famous convent in Wadi Firan, about an hour and a half drive from Al-Tor. It was a short road trip across the level plateau that heads out to the mountain range, but suddenly I found myself in a radically different environment. Rocky mountains rose on both sides of the road in shades of ochre, red and rose. I felt as though I were in an elaborate temple carved by nature alone.
The convent, known in the area as the Seven Girls' Monastery, belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and falls under the authority of Saint Catherine's Monastery. Surrounded by palms, vines and trees, Wadi Firan was the first Christian centre in Sinai. Built in the fourth century, the convent was once the seat of the archbishop of Sinai and the ruins of the archbishopric can still be seen nearby.
MOSES' BATH: Myths about Moses in Sinai abound, and two kilometres north of Al-Tor is a fertile area surrounding a spring known in the area as Moses' bath. The site is not to be confused with the more famous springs, also called Ayoun Moussa, located further north on the Gulf of Suez.
Legend says that when Moses passed through the area, he asked an old lady for a drink of water from their spring, but she refused to give him any. He called on God to bless the water and give it healing powers, but also asked that it not be potable, so that the woman who refused him would not be able to drink from it. The spring is high in saline content, and rich in minerals like magnesium, sodium, calcium and sulphur -- ingredients that help cure numerous skin diseases.
The area is being developed into a tourist centre, with a health spa built around the spring and numerous hotels planned. The first phase is to develop the area around Moses' bath, which will include a swimming pool that gets its water from the spring. "Now that the government is allowing the private sector to play a part in tourist development, we will do our best to develop the area," said Mohamed Wagih, general supervisor of the project for developing Moses' spring.
Also planned for the area, somewhat incongruously perhaps, is a farm for raising ostriches. Wagih explained that all the requirements for raising ostriches are to be found here: a dry climate, perfect weather throughout the year and a desert landscape.
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