The Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula, located between Asia and Africa, has long been in the forefront of many a battle. Today, it has some of the best hotels and infrastructure in Egypt. Essentially the Sinai is a desert that has little evidence of much domesticity or inhabitants; the only known inhabitants are the Bedu, who have lived there for many years.
The South Sinai is frequented by many a western tourist, whether it be to visit St Catherine’s Monastery, built in 537AD by order of Justinian as a fortress monastery, in order to protect the Sinai passes against invasion. It is the oldest active Christian monastery in the world and its library can reasonably claim to be the oldest surviving library in Christendom. It holds a unique collection of manuscripts written in many languages: Arabic, Ethiopic, Georgian, Greek, Slavonic and Syriac. You could bathe in the crystal clear waters, or take advantage of the world class diving site at Ras Muhammed National Park. Ras Muhammad is a coral peninsula at the southern tip of the Sinai. It is a nature reserve and one of the most outstanding snorkeling and diving areas on the world. Sharm El Sheikh and Na'ama Bay are the most famous centres in this region.
There are daily flights from Cairo, Hurghada and Luxor and a high-speed catamaran that conveniently links Jordan and Egypt together.