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Sinai Impression

Sinai- the word exudes fascination and conjures associations: land of Exodus and Revelation, pharaohs? land of turquoise and copper, pilgrimage route of devout Muslims, sanctuary of Christian monks, military road and trade route of ancient Egypt and Rome, holy land of three religions, and theatre of modern tank battles. For a desert, Sinai is a land surprisingly rich in history. Located between the continents of Africa and Asia, the peninsula is an enormous triangular wedge, forming both a dividing desert and a connecting land bridge. In ancient times the Sinai desert acted as a buffer between the Nile Valley and the Near Eastern empires, allowing ancient Egypt to flourish as a great power almost undisturbed. But the desert is not insuperable and there has been interplay between Palestine and Egypt throughout history. Travelers have come to Sinai since early times, when a journey here was arduous. The first known Sinai tourist was the Spanish nun Aetheria, who visited the Burning Bush and prayed on Mount Sinai at the end of the fourth century. Modern journeys of discovery began in 1762 with the Danish ?Arabia Felix? expedition.

Regardless of the direction of approach, the traveler to Sinai is immediately struck by a jagged, inhospitable, but also impressive landscape with dramatic contrasts. Little by little one perceives that it is exactly these apparently incompatible contrasts that constitute the fascination of Sinai. Some find desert landscape and the Red Sea unfriendly, even dangerous and frightening. The dusty, dry, shimmering air, the leaden, yellow- gray sky, the livid and glaring sun blazing its unbearably harsh light on the stark landscape, the gusting wind that makes the heat more palpable-all these elements are overwhelming and make the apparently endless desert seem more oppressive. And it all turns to torture when a sandstorm rages. The body is covered with sweat and dust. Sand gets into mouth and nose, a dull, gnawing headache dazes, and persistent flies attack.

Another phenomenon also threatens in the desert. The dry valleys, the wadis, may be so desiccated that for years and sometimes decades hardly a plant survives. Everything is shriveled or dead. Then suddenly, and with elemental force, water cascades through the wadis, which turn from one moment to the next into torrential mountain streams. One might not even notice the storm that has opened its floodgates a few kilometers away, and is flushing away cars and even recently-built roads. After seeing the traces of such natural disasters with our own eyes, we understand the meaning of the old saying that more people drown than die of thirst in the desert.

But - and herein lies the peculiarity of Sinai-conditions change rapidly and unexpectedly. The dusty, blazing heat of midday is followed by the cool, wonderfully clear night. On the highest mountains it can even snow in winter. Where powerful floods have recently brought death and devastation, a green carpet with red, yellow, blue, violet, and white flowers spreads itself over pure sand, and in astonishment we stand before the wonder of the blooming desert. The landscape also changes drastically: wasted gravel fields suddenly turn into a charming dune landscape. And around a bend, a small wadi ends in a wild and deeply-fissured gorge. In the steep rock cliffs are hidden colored deposits that seem more human art than natural formations. In the middle of the broadest loneliness of the mountains, the greatest monument of human culture - St. Catherine's Monastery is located. (The external facade of the monastery resembles a stark fortress, but the interior is lavishly decorated with Byzantine art.) At the Gulf of Aqaba, fissured, reddish granite mountains descend from a height of 2000 meters into the deep blue water of the Red Sea. At a glance, the Red Sea seems to be a desert of water, as lifeless as the landscape around it. Nothing could be further from the truth. A look beneath the water's surface reveals the fantastic world of the coral reef: an underwater landscape replete with colors and forms that overflow with life.

The astonishing contrasts of Sinai continually amaze us. Once, we hiked from the foot of Gabal Katrin to Gabal Umm Shomar, the second-highest mountain of the central massif of southern Sinai. The sharp ridges and towers of the heavily eroded granite rose steeply to the azure sky, and we felt as if we were in the wildest and loneliest sea of rocks imaginable. We then happened upon a steep valley and were astounded at what lay before us: under the green foliage of tall palm trees overloaded with amber-colored dates, red pomegranates shone like rubies and ripe oranges hung from deep green branches. There were almond and mulberry trees, and fresh, clear water flowed in little ditches through this garden surrounded by stone walls. Farther on, on a slope, we discovered two small houses and the ruins of a small church, still adorned with a wooden cross. In the middle of the inhospitable stony desert, we stood before this Eden-like garden.
Whoever makes their way from the north through the terrible "Desert of Confusion" across the granite massif of Mount Sinai (Gabal Musa) to the magic gardens of the Red Sea will experience a variety of nature completely unexpected in the midst of such a barren landscape. The range of geological features alone creates new views and impressions. As the changing light of day and season plays fantastically upon the mountains, dunes, acacias, wadis, rocks, gorges, and plains, the same panorama is dramatically altered.

Light plays a very important role in Sinai. Anybody who has enjoyed the sunrise on top of Mount Sinai or another lonely peak has experienced its magic. In such a steep and sublime wilderness, the way light changes the face of this expanse touches people and is certainly partly responsible for the great religious impulses that have had their origin in Sinai. It is easy to understand why people of so many varied backgrounds become enchanted by this landscape and always wish to return, and why some wish to leave everything behind and remain in Sinai forever.
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