The Jebeliya and their cultural landscape

Sinai is the geographical and cultural bridge between Africa and Eurasia. It was probably the route taken by the early hominids when their first groups left Africa more than one million years ago. The evidence of human occupation in and around Sinai dates from the Old Stone Age, more than half a million years ago.

Saw-toothed mountains of ancient crystalline rock rise over 2,000 meters and dominate the landscape of St Katherine, home of the Jebeliya. The Jebeliya are a conservative people with a rich culture and an enviable reputation for hospitality, who have a profound knowledge of their land.

Their high-altitude ecosystem contains a surprising diversity of wild species-some of which are found nowhere else in the world. St Katherine and its vicinity possess a unique cultural and natural landscape. The St Katherine World Heritage Site covers 641km2, and includes the monastery, Mount Sinai and other high mountains.

The book documents the threatened culture of the Jebeliya within their breathtaking landscape. Below are samples of the pages in this book.

* This guide was published with the support of the European Union.