The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai (Coptic: ⲥⲓⲛⲁ sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا; Arabic, sina'a سيناء; Sinin in most Semitic languages, Hebrew: סיני Sinai) is an inverted triangle-shaped peninsula in Egypt. Coptic or Coptic Egyptian ( MetRemenkīmi) is the final stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Semitic languages are a Language family whose living representatives are spoken by more than 467 million people across much of the Middle East, A peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by Water but connected to Mainland via an Isthmus. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea (to the north) and Red Sea (to the south), forming a land bridge to Southwest Asia. The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. A land bridge, in Biogeography, is an Isthmus or other land connection between otherwise separate areas which allows Animals and Plants Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia (largely overlapping with the Middle East) is the southwestern portion of Asia. Its area is about 60,000 km². The Egyptians call it the Land of Fayrouz.
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History
The Sinai was inhabited by the Monitu and was called Mafkat or Country of Turquoise. From the time of the First dynasty or before, the Egyptians mined turquoise in Sinai at two locations, now called by their Arabic names Wadi Maghareh and Serabit el-Khadim. The first dynasty of Ancient Egypt is often combined with the second dynasty under the group title Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. This article is about the contemporary North African ethnic group Turquoise is an opaque blue-to-green Mineral that is a hydrous Phosphate of Copper and Aluminium, with the Chemical Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Serabit el-Khadim (سرابت الخادم ( Arabic, also transliterated Serabit al-Khadim Serabit el-Khadem is a locality in the south-west Sinai Peninsula where The mines were worked intermittently and on a seasonal basis for thousands of years. Modern attempts to exploit the deposits have been unprofitable. These may be the first known mines. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body
The Mamluks of Egypt controlled the Sinai from 1260 to 1518, when the Ottoman Sultan, Selim the Grim, destroyed them at the Battles of Marj Dabiq and al-Raydaniyya. Selim I ( Ottoman: سليم الأول, Turkish: ISelim; also known as "the Grim" or "the Brave" Yavuz in From then until the early 20th century, Sinai, as part of the Pashalik of Egypt, was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish In 1906 it became part of British-controlled Egypt, when the Turkish governmen yielded to British pressure to hand over the peninsula. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The border imposed by the British runs in an almost straight line from Rafah on the Mediterranean shore to Taba on the Gulf of Aqaba. Rafah (رفح is a Palestinian town in the Gaza Strip, on the Egyptian border and a nearby town on the Egyptian side of the border on the Sinai The Gulf of Aqaba ( Arabic: خليج العقبة transliterated: Khalyj al-'Aqabah in Israel known as the Gulf of Eilat ( Hebrew This line has served as the eastern border of Sinai ever since, and is now the international border between Israel and Egypt. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics.
In 1948, Egyptian forces passed through Sinai on their way to help Palestine from the invasion of the state of Israel, newly created on the basis of a United Nations partition dividing the land between the Jews and the Arabs. Saint Catherine's Monastery ( Greek:) on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of an inaccessible gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt is one The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Israeli forces entered the north-eastern corner of Sinai, but withdrew shortly after, following British and American pressure. Under the terms of the 1949 Armistice Agreement, Sinai, together with the Gaza Strip, remained under Egyptian control, although parts of it were demilitarized. The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west
In 1956, Egypt used its control of Sinai to impose a blockade on the Israeli port of Eilat. Eilat (Hebrew אילת should not be confused with the nearby kibbutz of Eilot (Hebrew אילות Following this Israeli forces, aided by Britain and France (which sought to regain control over the Suez Canal), invaded Sinai and took control of the entire peninsula within a few days (see Suez Crisis). The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, (أزمة السويس - العدوان الثلاثي Crise du canal de Suez מבצע קדש Kadesh Several months later Israel withdrew its forces from Sinai, following strong American and Soviet pressure. Following this the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was stationed in Sinai to prevent any military occupation of the Sinai. The first United Nations Emergency Force ( UNEF) was established by United Nations General Assembly to secure an end to the 1956 Suez Crisis with resolution
In 1967, Egypt reinforced its military presence in Sinai, renewed the blockade on Eilat, and on May 16 ordered the UNEF out of Sinai with immediate effect. A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies Troops information or aid from reaching an opposing force Secretary-General U Thant eventually complied and ordered the withrawal without Security Council authorization. U Thant (ဦးသန့် 22 January 1909 &ndash 25 November 1974) was a Burmese Diplomat and the third Secretary-General In response Israel initiated the Six-Day War in which the Egyptian army was defeated, and Israel took control over the entire peninsula. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt The Suez Canal, the east bank of which was now controlled by Israel, was closed. The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation
In the 6th October War of 1973 Egyptian forces built pontoon bridges to cross the Suez Canal, and stormed the supposedly impregnable Bar-Lev Line to gain control of most of the Eastern Bank. The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War (מלחמת יום הכיפורים transliterated: Milkhemet Yom HaKipurim or מלחמת יום The Bar Lev Line (קו בר לב Kav Bar Lev; خط برليف Khaṭṭ Barlīf) was a chain of fortifications built by With the battles zone extending 20 km into Sinai, the war ended with some of each side's forces on both sides of the canal. As part of the subsequent Sinai Disengagement Agreements Israel withdrew from west of the canal and pulled out of an additional strip in the western Sinai - while Egyptians held positions in Sinai - allowing for the later re-opening of the canal, which was eventually under Egyptian control.
In 1979, Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in which Israel agreed to transfer all control over Sinai to Egypt, despite the fact that large oil reserves had recently been found in the region. Oil reserves are the estimated quantities of Crude oil that are claimed to be recoverable under existing Economic and operating conditions Subsequently Israel pulled out of Sinai in several stages, ending in 1982. The Israeli pull-out involved dismantling almost all Israeli settlements, including the town of Yamit in north-eastern Sinai. Yamit (ימית was an Israeli settlement of 600 homes and approximately 2500 inhabitants in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula that was established during The exception was Ofira, which became the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Ofira (אופירה was an Israeli settlement in the Sharm el-Sheikh area of the southern Sinai Peninsula, an Egyptian territory that was under Sharm el Sheikh (شرم الشيخ Sharm al-Shaykh) often known simply as "Sharm" is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in
Present
The Sinai Peninsula is currently divided among several governorates, or provinces, of Egyptian administration. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. A Governorate is an Administrative division of a country It is headed by a Governor. The southern portion of the Sinai is called Ganub Sina in Arabic, literally "South of Sinai"; the northern portion is named Shamal Sina', or "North of Sinai". South Sinai Governorate ( Arabic: جنوب سيناء) is one of the governorates of Egypt. North Sinai Governorate (شمال سيناء Shamal Sina) is one of the governorates of Egypt. The other three governates converge on the Suez Canal, including el-Sewais, literally "the Suez"; on its southern end and crosses into Egypt-proper. The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation Suez Governorate ( Arabic: محافظة السويس) is one of the governorates of Egypt. In the center is el-Isma'ileyyah, and Port Said lies in the north with its capital at Port Said. Ismailia Governorate (الإسماعيلية is one of the governorates of Egypt. Port Said Governorate ( محافظة بور سعيد) is one of the governorates of Egypt. Port Said ( Arabic بورسعيد transliterated Būr Saʻīd) is a northeastern Egyptian city near the Suez
Approximately 66,500 people live in Ganub Sina and 314,000 live in Shamal Sina'. Port Said itself has a population of roughly 500 000 people. Portions of the populations of el-Isma'ileyyah and el-Suweis live in Sinai, while the rest live on the western side of the Suez Canal in Egypt-proper. Ismailia Governorate (الإسماعيلية is one of the governorates of Egypt. Suez Governorate ( Arabic: محافظة السويس) is one of the governorates of Egypt. The combined population of these two governorates is roughly 1. 3 million (only a part of that population live in the Sinai, while the rest live on the western side of the Suez Canal).
Over the past 30 years the Sinai has become a tourist destination due to its spectacular natural beauty, rich coral reefs, biblical history, and proximity to Israel. Large numbers of Egyptians from the Nile Valley and Delta have moved to the area to work in tourism, while at the same time development has robbed native Bedouin of their grazing land and fishing grounds. As a result the Sinai has been the site of several terrorist attacks targeted at Westerners and Israelis, but also Egyptians on holiday. Terrorism in Egypt is often done to protest the government's perceived moderate stance in its relations with Israel, its alliance with the United States, and the repression
References
- Gardner, Ann "At Home in South Sinai" Nomadic Peoples 2000. Vol. 4,Iss. 2; pp. 48-67. Detailed account of Bedouin women
Further reading
- H. J. L. Beadnell (May 1926). "Central Sinai". Geographical Journal 67 (5): 385–398. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.
- C. W. Wilson (1873). "Recent Surveys in Sinai and Palestine". Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London 43: 206–240. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.
- J Jacobs (2006 Rowman and Littlefield). "Tourist Places and Negotiating Modernity: European Women and Romance Tourism in the Sinai". Travels in Paradox: Remapping Tourism (eds) C Minca and T Oakes.
See also
- Desert of Paran
- Multinational Force and Observers
- Nawamis
- Negev Bedouins
- Suez Canal
- Mount Sinai
- Biblical Mount Sinai
- Mitla Pass
External links
- Wikitravel: Sinai
- Practical Online Guide for Travelling around Sinai
- Sinai Local Magazine
- Guide to Sinai, covering background information on history, flora, fauna, desert, beduines, safaris and geology of Sinai
- Broadcasting video's from Sinai
- Images of the Sinai Desert
- Sheikh Sina
- Sinais Safari Places
- "Voyages...Visages" - Another way of travelling and seeing
- IRIN humanitarian news: EU grant to tackle rural poverty in South Sinai
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