Leaders at Saint Catherine’s Monastery, the world’s oldest continuously occupied Christian monastery, located in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, are cautiously hopeful about a January 23rd court decision. This decision culminates a near-decade-long legal battle over ownership of the monastery’s buildings and declared lands. Their optimism is fueled by the engagement of high-ranking Egyptian officials and increased diplomatic activity by Greece.
The dispute began in the 2000s during a period of rapid tourism growth and investment in the Sinai, prompting a push to formally register property ownership. Saint Catherine’s meticulously documented 71 assets. However, these claims were contested by the South Sinai governor in November 2015. The monastery, situated at the base of Mount Sinai, was constructed between 548 and 565 AD under Emperor Justinian I.
Operated by the autonomous Church of Sinai, part of the Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Catherine’s was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 due to its extraordinary importance to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.