Egypt’s tourism & antiquities min. meets Archbishop of Monastery of Saint Catherine

CAIRO – 29 October 2020: Egypt’s Minister of Tourism & Antiquities Khaled el- Enany received, in his office at the ministry’s headquarters in Zamalek, Archbishop Dimitri Damianos for the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine, and his accompanying delegation.

They discussed aspects of joint cooperation between the ministry and the monastery’s administration to finish the work of the development project of the monastery and improve the efficiency of touristic services.

The meeting was attended by head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities sector in the ministry  Osama Talaat.

During the meeting, the two parties reviewed existing and future projects aimed at developing the Valley of the Monastery.

Talaat mentioned that the ministry pays special attention to this project because of its sanctity and the special religious, environmental and archaeological position it holds.

In addition to that, it is one of the monuments registered as a world heritage site of the UNESCO.

He pointed out that the two parties stressed the importance of completing all the work that the ministry started years ago , as part of an integrated plan to develop the monastery and the surrounding area, and place them on the touristic map of Egypt.

The project to develop the Monastery of Saint Catherine is part of a plan by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to develop Jabal Musa, Jabal Safsafa, and the Holy Valley in South Sinai. 

This includes the restoration of the monastery's churches, the development of the area's entrances, the identification of routes for the visitors, and the provision of services for visitors.

The ministry has completed the first phase of the project. This included paving the roads leading to Saint Catherine's Monastery and Jabal Musa; establishing a bus stop for tourists and cars; raising the efficiency of all services in the area from bazaars, baths and the clinics, and setting up an electronic security system equipped with (x-ray) devices connected to a digital control room with cameras in the area.