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Geology and Geography of Sinai

The ancient Mesopotamian moon-god Sin probably gave his name to the land bridge between Africa and Asia, the peninsula that is washed by the Mediterranean Sea in the north and by the Red Sea in the south. Sin, who was equated with the moon god Thoth by the ancient Egyptians, is said still to be honored in Sinai. This is easy to believe when one sees a full moon over the desert.

The derivation of the name of the Red Sea is more problematic. In the bright midday sun, the water displays a spectrum of blues only the sea can produce. It is the bluest sea we know. Almost a dozen explanations for the name have been given, but all remain speculations. We have found our own explanation: on some winter evenings, immediately after sunset, the Red Sea is ablaze in an orgy of reds. If only for a few minutes, the sky glows in a display of orange-red fireworks, and colors ranging from red to deep violet are reflected on the water.

Geologically, Sinai is a very young formation of the earth's crust. In the late Eocene era, about forty million years ago, enormous fault movements formed the great African Rift Valley and the Red Sea with its two gulfs, and the peninsula became separated from the Arabo-Nubian massif. A nearly isosceles triangle of land was formed 200 kilometers west to east and 380 kilometers north to south, with a total area of 61,000 square kilometers.

Geologically and geographically, Sinai does not end at its present political border but includes the Negev Desert of Israel. The Dead Sea is also a formation of the rift system.
A drive across Sinai is a journey through the geological history of the peninsula. One of the characteristics of this unique landscape is that it reveals in a relatively small area its geological history from one billion years ago to the present. In the course of this journey, one experiences not only a variety of forms and colors but also the changing structure of the landscape, which demonstrates the earth's creative strength and contributes to Sinai?s attraction. The peninsula is a tilted plate in the earth's crust that slopes downward in the north and is uplifted in the south. Because of this, one can see the geological present in the area of the Mediterranean coast, where even today sediments are deposited on the sloping shore, while erosion in the south has uncovered ancient and originally low-lying formations of rocks. The geographical situation of Sinai in the Afro-Asian desert zone, where arid-climate plants grow very sparsely, leads to a threadbare soil that is easily subjected to such widespread erosion.

For thousands of years, north and northwest winds have driven sand from the Sahara that has been brought down to the sea in enormous quantities by the Nile. Thus was formed the lovely dune belt that extends along the coast, twenty to fifty kilometers wide. Only parts of the dunes are moving, and the plentiful winter rains bring enough water to allow agriculture on these soft, sandy slopes. The scenes of Bedouin men digging furrows with a primitive plow followed by veiled women sowing melon seeds are almost biblical. Not surprisingly, the northern coastal region of Sinai is the pan of the peninsula that has water, and the majority of Sinai inhabitants, mainly settled Bedouin, live there. The Bedouin community has also been augmented by many immigrants from Egypt who moved to Sinai after it was liberated from Israeli occupation in 1982.
Palm oases are scattered among these northern dunes. Also situated here is the north's main city, al-Arish, which is surrounded by magnificent palm groves. Located on the Via Maris between Egypt and Palestine, al-Arish has a long history as a trading and caravan center, although today the historical remains are few. Al-Arish now serves as a tourist center and the administrative capital of North Sinai.

The beautiful palm beaches on the Mediterranean coast are not always clean, and some have been disfigured by building projects. Moreover, there is a great military presence in the area, and visitors are not allowed on the beaches after sunset. Winter rains coming from the Mediterranean feed numerous springs and wells, even deep in the interior. The Ain al-Gedeirat spring, at the village of Quseima near the Israeli border, is one of the most abundant in Sinai and well worth seeing. A trip to this spring requires permission from the authorities in al-Arish. This can be a frustrating introduction to the local bureaucracy and demands patience and persuasiveness.

Plant growth and water do not necessarily keep dunes stable. The relentless shift of dunes is caused by strong winds, and sands driven by the northwest winds bury streets, oases, villages, and springs. Human countermeasures can slow this natural process but can never hope to stop it. Only the water flows of Wadi al-Arish repeatedly break through the dune belt.
Strong marine currents have also built up sandbanks that have cut off Lake Bardawil (Sabkhat al'-Bardawil). Due to rapid evaporation, the lake has a high salinity and so is used not only used for fishing but also for salt production. Bible researchers continue to discuss whether the 'Reed Sea,' across which the Israelites escaped under the leadership of Moses and where the Pharaoh's troops were drowned, is located here. The lake is named after the Crusader king Baldwin (Arabic: Bardawil), who was killed here at the beginning of the twelfth century in one of the wars between Crusaders and Egyptian Muslims.
The area northeast of the Suez Canal is a geologically distinct region. Geographically, it belongs to Sinai, but it is actually part of the Nile Delta with its silt deposits. Aerial pictures show the course of a buried arm of the Nile that flowed into the sea near the ancient city of Pelusium. Nile mud has even been found during excavations of the city itself. Standing in the midst of these ruins, it is hard to imagine that this city was once a flourishing Mediterranean harbor. The deposits of this old arm of the Nile were so overwhelming that today remnants of the city wall and stumps of pillars jut out of the Nile mud many kilometers from the shore. Pelusium is historically important as the scene of the murder of Pompey, whom the Roman Senate had appointed guardian of the children of Ptolemy XII. Caesar used the murder of Pompey as an opportunity to seize final power over Egypt.
To the south of the dune belt lies the extensive Tih Plateau, interrupted only by the ridges of Gabal Maghara, Gabal Halal, and Gabal Yi'allaq.
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