Egypt’s plan to build a mega resort at Mount Sinai has ignited fierce opposition from religious leaders and local communities. The “Great Transfiguration Project” aims to transform this sacred site, where Moses received the Ten Commandments, into a luxury tourism hub featuring hotels, shopping centers, and villas.
Mount Sinai holds immense spiritual significance, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine, located at the mountain’s base, is central to the Greek Orthodox tradition. Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens condemned the project, stating, “The monastery’s property is being seized and expropriated. This spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism is now facing an existential threat.”
Local tribes, including the Jebeleya, have suffered forced evictions. Homes and eco-camps were demolished, often with little or no compensation. British travel writer Ben Hoffler observed, “This is not development as the Jebeleya see it or asked for it, but how it looks when imposed top-down to serve the interests of outsiders over those of the local community.” The project, he warned, “will change their place in their homeland forever.”
While tourism in Egypt reached nearly 16 million visitors in 2024, the construction raises serious ethical and cultural concerns. Critics argue that commercializing a holy site prioritizes profit over preservation, displacing communities and undermining centuries of religious heritage.
As Archbishop Ieronymos II cautioned, the sacred site is facing an existential threat, signaling a clash between global tourism ambitions and the protection of faith and tradition.
