BBC Report Sparks Controversy: Mount Sinai’s Transformation Into Luxury Resort Raises Global Alarm – Greece Steps In

Concerns are mounting over Egypt’s plan to turn Mount Sinai – one of the most sacred sites in the world – into a luxury tourist resort, according to a BBC report. The project has drawn international criticism, highlighting fears of cultural and religious heritage loss, strong opposition from the local Bedouin community, and direct involvement from Greece due to the presence of the historic Monastery of Saint Catherine.

A Sacred Mountain Under Threat

Mount Sinai, revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, is traditionally believed to be the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments and where God spoke through the burning bush. Locally known as Jabal Musa, the mountain is now at the heart of a heated debate over Egypt’s multi-billion-dollar tourism plans.

The region is also home to the 6th-century Monastery of Saint Catherine, under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church. While Egyptian authorities have pledged the monastery will remain open and the monks undisturbed, luxury hotels, villas, shopping complexes, and even a cable car are already reshaping the landscape of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bedouins Displaced

The Jebeliya Bedouins, known as the “Guardians of Saint Catherine,” have suffered demolitions of homes and eco-lodges, often with little or no compensation. Some were even forced to move graves to make way for new parking areas.

“This is not development the Jebeliya asked for – it’s being imposed by powerful interests,” British travel writer Ben Hofler told the BBC. “A new urban world is being built around a nomadic tribe that never agreed to it, permanently altering their homeland.”

Greece Pushes Back

Tensions deepened in May when an Egyptian court ruled that the Monastery of Saint Catherine – the world’s oldest continuously operating Christian monastery – sits on state-owned land, granting it only “usage rights.”

Archbishop Ieronymos II, head of the Church of Greece, condemned the ruling as a “seizure” of the monastery’s property, warning it threatened a vital center of Orthodoxy and Hellenism. Archbishop Damianos of Saint Catherine’s called the decision a “disgrace,” before resigning amid disputes among the monks.

Following diplomatic pressure, Greece and Egypt issued a joint statement reaffirming protection of the monastery’s Greek Orthodox identity and heritage.

UNESCO and International Appeals

UNESCO has urged Egypt to halt construction, warning that the “rugged mountain landscape” is integral to the site’s spiritual value. World Heritage Watch has recommended the site be placed on the “World Heritage in Danger” list.

King Charles, as patron of the Saint Catherine Foundation, also intervened, calling the monastery “a great spiritual treasure that must be preserved for future generations.”

A “Gift to the World” or Cultural Erosion?

Launched in 2021, Egypt’s state-funded Sinai Megaproject promises luxury resorts, eco-lodges, expanded airports, and major infrastructure to attract 30 million visitors by 2028. Officials call it “Egypt’s gift to the world and all religions.”

But for the Bedouins and preservationists, the project risks destroying the very soul of Mount Sinai – a desert sanctuary where faith, history, and heritage have intertwined for centuries.