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The visit aimed to explore potential areas of further collaboration in terms of conservation and management of movable and built heritage of the site to ensure a lasting preservation of its unique treasures, sacred spirit, and religious daily practices. 

The delegation embarked on a captivating journey through the St. Catherine World Heritage Site, located at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt's South Sinai Governorate and inscribed on the Unesco List on 2002 with the criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)(vi) 

. Led by knowledgeable guides, the delegation was immersed in the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural surroundings and the spiritual life of the monastery. 

Engaging with the Monastic Community:

During the visit, the delegation had the privilege of interacting with the monastic community residing in the St. Catherine Monastery, one of the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monasteries in the world. They engaged in insightful discussions with the monks, who generously shared their deep knowledge of the site's religious and historic significance, they commented on the advances undertaken in the restoration of the Library building as well on the digitalization of painstaking volumes collected within the wall of the monastery since VIII th century.  Recognized as one of the world's most important libraries, the collection includes religious manuscripts, historical texts and musical and botanical treaties. The delegation had the opportunity to witness firsthand the preservation efforts undertaken by the monks and development partners to safeguard this precious legacy. 

Recognizing the importance of preserving and promoting the St. Catherine World Heritage Site, the UNESCO Cairo office delegation held constructive discussions with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the monastic community, and local authorities. The focus was on devising strategies to enhance conservation practices, raise public awareness, and foster sustainable tourism in the region, ensuring the site's long-term preservation.

By bringing together an extended list of stakeholders, including governmental bodies, religious institutions, Bedouin tribes, and local authorities, the visit was instrumental to fostering dialogue and to identify collaboration to safeguard the unique heritage of the St. Catherine World Heritage Site. Stakeholders agreed on the interest of exchanging experiences and discussing challenges and solutions to ensure the preservation of the outstanding values of the religious current life with other monastic World Heritage sites. 

On the second day of the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to learn about the objectives, progress, and technical aspects of the Transfiguration project led by the Ministry of  Housing and Urban Planning and the South Sinai Governorate. Interventions have been carried out since 2020 in the urban area of Saint Catherine and its surroundings. An ambitious plan to improve housing, tourism services, improve road communications and a solid intervention to prevent avalanche and flood risks in the wadi have been developed over the past two years. A large visitor and convention Center aims to generate an extension and quality of the tourist experience for visitors who come to visit the monastery and its sacred sites. The landscaping intervention has been extremely careful with the natural and spiritual environment of the site.

The representatives of Mota and UNESCO met with representatives of the Bedouin and Coptic communities in the company of technicians from Misr Sinai company, Sites International and representatives of Governorate of South Sinani. Women Artisan companies, the traditional doctor, the representative of the Al-Gabaliyah tribe exchanged views on the progress of the project and the visits served to identify:

-the need at this crucial stage of the project - approaching the completion of the construction phase - to establish reinforced coordination between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, Mota and local authorities to define a tourism operation model in keeping with the character of the site's natural and cultural heritage.

The UNESCO Cairo Regional Office has proposed to collaborate in the following areas of work:

- strengthening the project's green policy especially in sustainable management of water resources, in the use of new clean energy and energy saving technologies.

-collaborate in the preparation of a plan of operation and management of tourist flows, in accordance with the exploitation of new services and infrastructures, in order to improve the tourist experience while preserving the character of the site and the spirit of the place.

-establishment of a permanent training Center, perhaps a UNESCO Category II Centre, specialized in the promotion of World Hwritage sites:  Interpretation,  signage, arts and crafts related to its natural and cultural heritage, organization of events and conventions, generation of a local economy with the involvement of the local population in terms of food products, handicrafts etc......

Note:

The Monastic Community is a community of Greek Orthodox Monks who have dedicated their lives to the service of God and their faith since VIII century.

UNESCO Cairo is the regional office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization responsible for coordinating and implementing UNESCO's programs and initiatives in the Arab States region.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is the governmental body responsible for the promotion and preservation of Egypt's cultural heritage and tourism sector.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning is the governmental body responsible for urban development, housing projects, and infrastructure initiatives in Egypt.

The Governorate of South Sinai is the local administrative authority responsible for the governance and development of the South Sinai region in Egypt.