Sinai Peninsula - wikipedia Sinai Peninsula Jump to : navigation , search `` Sinai '' redirects here . For other uses , see Sinai ( disambiguation ) . Relief map of the Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula or simply Sinai ( / ˈsaɪnaɪ / ; Arabic : سيناء ‎ Sīnāʼ ; Egyptian Arabic : سينا ‎ Sīna , IPA : ( ˈsiːnæ ) ; Hebrew : סיני ‎ Sinai ; Coptic : ⲥⲓⲛⲁ ) is a peninsula in Egypt , the only part of the country located in Asia . It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south , and is a land bridge between Asia and Africa . Sinai has a land area of about 60,000 km ( 23,000 sq mi ) and a population of approximately 1,400,000 people . Administratively , the Sinai Peninsula is divided into two governorates : the South Sinai Governorate and the North Sinai Governorate . Three other governorates span the Suez Canal , crossing into African Egypt : Suez Governorate on the southern end of the Suez Canal , Ismailia Governorate in the center , and Port Said Governorate in the north . The Sinai Peninsula has been a part of Egypt from the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt ( c. 3100 BC ) . This comes in stark contrast to the region north of it , the Levant ( present - day territories of Syria , Lebanon , Jordan , Israel and Palestine ) , which , due largely to its strategic geopolitical location and cultural convergences , has historically been the centre of conflict between Egypt and various states of Mesopotamia and Asia Minor . In periods of foreign occupation , the Sinai was , like the rest of Egypt , also occupied and controlled by foreign empires , in more recent history the Ottoman Empire ( 1517 -- 1867 ) and the United Kingdom ( 1882 -- 1956 ) . Israel invaded and occupied Sinai during the Suez Crisis ( known in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression due to the simultaneous coordinated attack by the UK , France and Israel ) of 1956 , and during the Six - Day War of 1967 . On 6 October 1973 , Egypt launched the Yom Kippur War to retake the peninsula , which was the site of fierce fighting between Egyptian and Israeli forces . By 1982 , as a result of the Israel -- Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979 , Israel had withdrawn from all of the Sinai Peninsula except the contentious territory of Taba , which was returned after a ruling by a commission of arbitration in 1989 . Today , Sinai has become a tourist destination due to its natural setting , rich coral reefs , and biblical history . Mount Sinai is one of the most religiously significant places in the Abrahamic faiths . Contents ( hide ) 1 Name 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 3 History 3.1 Ancient Egypt 3.2 Assyrian Period 3.3 Achaemenid Persian Period 3.4 Hellenistic Period 3.5 Roman and Byzantine Periods 3.6 Early Muslim Period 3.7 Ayyubid Period 3.8 Mamluk and Ottoman Periods 3.9 British control 3.10 Wars with Israel ( 1948 , 56 , 67 , 67 -- 70 , 73 ) 3.11 1979 Peace Treaty with Israel and aftermath 3.12 Early 21st Century security issues 4 Demographics 5 Economy 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Name ( edit ) Mount Sinai ( Gabal Musa ) The name Sinai may have been derived from the ancient moon - god Sin or from the Hebrew word Seneh ( Hebrew : סֶ֫נֶּה ‎ Senneh ) The peninsula acquired the name due to the assumption that a mountain near Saint Catherine 's Monastery is the Biblical Mount Sinai . However this assumption is contested . In addition to its formal name , Egyptians also refer to it as Arḍ ul - Fairūz ( أرض الفيروز `` the land of turquoise '' ) . The ancient Egyptians called it Ta Mefkat , or `` land of turquoise '' . Geography ( edit ) Image from Gemini 11 spacecraft , featuring part of Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula in the foreground and the Levant in the background Sinai is triangular in shape , with northern shore lying on the southern Mediterranean Sea , and southwest and southeast shores on Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea . It is linked to the African continent by the Isthmus of Suez , 125 kilometres ( 78 mi ) wide strip of land , containing the Suez Canal . The eastern isthmus , linking it to the Asian mainland , is around 200 kilometres ( 120 mi ) wide . The peninsula 's eastern shore separates the Arabian plate from the African plate . The southernmost tip is the Ras Muhammad National Park . Most of the Sinai Peninsula is divided among the two governorates of Egypt : South Sinai ( Ganub Sina ) and North Sinai ( Shamal Sina ) . Together , they comprise around 60,000 square kilometres ( 23,000 sq mi ) and have a population ( January 2013 ) of 597,000 . Three more governates span the Suez Canal , crossing into African Egypt : Suez ( el - Sewais ) is on the southern end of the Suez Canal , Ismailia ( el - Isma'ileyyah ) in the centre , and Port Said in the north . The largest city of Sinai is Arish , capital of the North Sinai , with around 160,000 residents . Other larger settlements include Sharm el - Sheikh and El - Tor , on the southern coast . Inland Sinai is arid , mountainous and sparsely populated , the largest settlements being Saint Catherine and Nekhel . Climate ( edit ) Sinai is one of the coldest provinces in Egypt because of its high altitudes and mountainous topographies . Winter temperatures in some of Sinai 's cities and towns reach − 16 ° C ( 3 ° F ) . History ( edit ) This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( March 2015 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) Sinai Peninsula in hieroglyphs Biau Bj3w `` Mining country '' Ancient Egypt ( edit ) Sinai was called Mafkat or `` country of turquoise '' by the ancient Egyptians From the time of the First Dynasty or before , the Egyptians mined turquoise in Sinai at two locations , now called by their Egyptian Arabic names Wadi Magharah and Serabit El Khadim . 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 historically attested mines . Assyrian Period ( edit ) Achaemenid Persian period ( edit ) At the end of the time of Darius I , the Great ( 521 -- 486 BCE ) Sinai was part of the Persian province of Abar - Nahra , which means `` beyond the river ( Euphrates ) . Cambyses successfully managed the crossing of the hostile Sinai Desert , traditionally Egypt 's first and strongest line of defence , and brought the Egyptians under Psamtik III , son and successor of Ahmose , to battle at Pelusium . The Egyptians lost and retired to Memphis ; the city fell to the Persian control and the Pharaoh was carried off in captivity to Susa in mainland Persia . Hellenistic Period ( edit ) Roman and byzantine periods ( edit ) St. Catherine 's Monastery is the oldest working Christian monastery in the world and the most popular tourist attraction on the peninsula . After the death of the last Nabatean king , Rabbel II Soter , in 106 , the Roman emperor Trajan faced practically no resistance and conquered the kingdom on 22 March 106 . With this conquest , the Roman Empire went on to control all shores of the Mediterranean Sea . The Sinai Peninsula became part of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea . Saint Catherine 's Monastery on the foot of Mount Sinai was constructed by order of the Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565 . Most of the Sinai Peninsula became part of the province of Palaestina Salutaris in the 6th century . Early Muslim Period ( edit ) Ayyubid period ( edit ) During the Crusades it was under control of Fatimid Caliphate . Later , Saladin abolished the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt and took this region under his control too . It was the military route from Cairo to Damascus during the Crusades . Mamluk and Ottoman periods ( edit ) The peninsula was governed as part of Egypt under the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt from 1260 until 1517 , when the Ottoman Sultan , Selim the Grim , defeated the Egyptians at the Battles of Marj Dabiq and al - Raydaniyya , and incorporated Egypt into the Ottoman Empire . From then until 1906 , Sinai was administered by the Ottoman provincial government of the Pashalik of Egypt , even following the establishment of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty 's rule over the rest of Egypt in 1805 . The wilderness of Sinai , 1862 British control ( edit ) In 1906 , the Ottoman Porte formally transferred administration of Sinai to the Egyptian government , which essentially meant that it fell under the control of the United Kingdom , who had occupied and largely controlled Egypt since 1882 . 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 . This line has served as the eastern border of Egypt ever since . Wars with Israel ( 1948 , 56 , 67 , 67 -- 70 , 73 ) ( edit ) Canadian and Panamanian UNEF UN peacekeepers in Sinai , 1974 At the beginning of the 1948 Arab -- Israeli War , Egyptian forces entered the former British Mandate of Palestine from Sinai to support Palestinian and other Arab forces against the newly declared State of Israel . For a period during the war , Israeli forces entered the north - eastern corner of Sinai . With the exception of Palestine 's Gaza Strip , which came under the administration of the All - Palestine Government , the western frontier of the former Mandate of Palestine became the Egyptian -- Israeli frontier under the 1949 Armistice Agreement . In 1958 , the Gaza Strip came under direct Egyptian military administration , though it was governed separately from Sinai , and was never annexed by Egypt . The Egyptian government maintained that Egyptian administration would be terminated upon the end of the conflict with Israel . In 1956 , Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal , a waterway marking the boundary between Egyptian territory in Africa and the Sinai Peninsula . Thereafter , Israeli ships were prohibited from using the Canal , owing to the state of war between the two states . Egypt also prohibited ships from using Egyptian territorial waters on the eastern side of the peninsula to travel to and from Israel , effectively imposing a blockade on the Israeli port of Eilat . Subsequently , in what is known in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression , Israeli forces , aided by Britain , and France ( which sought to reverse the nationalisation and regain control over the Suez Canal ) , invaded Sinai and occupied much of the peninsula within a few days . Several months later Israel withdrew its forces from Sinai , following strong pressure from the United States and the Soviet Union . Thereafter , the United Nations Emergency Force ( UNEF ) was stationed in Sinai to prevent any further conflict in the Sinai . In 1967 , Egypt reinforced its military presence in Sinai and on 16 May ordered the UNEF out of Sinai with immediate effect . Secretary - General U Thant eventually complied and ordered the withdrawal without Security Council authorisation . In the course of the Six - Day War that broke out shortly thereafter , Israel captured the entire Sinai Peninsula , and Gaza Strip from Egypt , the West Bank ( including East Jerusalem ) from Jordan ( which it had ruled since 1949 ) , and the Golan Heights from Syria . The Suez Canal , the east bank of which was now occupied by Israel , was closed . Israel commenced efforts at large scale Israeli settlement in the peninsula . Following the Israeli conquest of Sinai , Egypt launched the War of Attrition ( 1967 -- 70 ) aimed at forcing Israel to withdraw from Egyptian territory . The war saw protracted conflict in the Suez Canal Zone , ranging from limited to large scale combat . Israeli shelling of the cities of Port Said , Ismailia , and Suez on the west bank of the canal , led to high civilian casualties ( including the virtual destruction of Suez ) , and contributed to the flight of 700,000 Egyptian internal refugees . Ultimately , the war concluded in 1970 with no change in the front line . On 6 October 1973 , Egypt commenced Operation Badr to retake the Sinai , while Syria launched a simultaneous operation to retake the Golan Heights , thereby beginning the Yom Kippur War ( known in Egypt as the October War ) . Egyptian engineering forces built pontoon bridges to cross the Suez Canal , and stormed the Bar - Lev Line , Israel 's defensive line along the canal . Though the Egyptians maintained control of most of the east bank of the Canal , in the later stages of the war , the Israeli military crossed the southern section of Canal , cutting off the Egyptian 3rd Army , and occupied a section of the west bank . The war ended following a mutually agreed - upon ceasefire . After the war , as part of the subsequent Sinai Disengagement Agreements , Israel withdrew from the Canal , with Egypt agreeing to permit passage of Israeli ships . The canal was reopened in 1975 , with President Sadat leading the first convoy through the canal aboard an Egyptian destroyer . 1979 peace treaty with Israel and aftermath ( edit ) Egypt - Israel border . Looking north from the Eilat Mountains In 1979 , Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in which Israel agreed to withdraw from the entirety of Sinai . Israel subsequently withdrew in several stages , ending in 1982 . The Israeli pull - out involved dismantling almost all Israeli settlements , including the settlement of Yamit in north - eastern Sinai . The exception was the coastal city of Sharm el - Sheikh , which the Israelis had founded as Ofira during the period of their occupation . The Treaty allows monitoring of Sinai by the Multinational Force and Observers , and limits the number of Egyptian military forces in the peninsula . Early 21st century Security issues ( edit ) Since the early 2000s , Sinai has been the site of several terror attacks against tourists , the majority of whom are Egyptian . Investigations have shown that these were mainly motivated by a resentment of the poverty faced by many Bedouin in the area . Attacking the tourist industry was viewed as a method of damaging the industry so that the government would pay more attention to their situation . ( See 2004 Sinai bombings , 2005 Sharm El Sheikh bombings and 2006 Dahab bombings ) . Since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution , unrest has become more prevalent in the area including the 2012 Egyptian - Israeli border attack in which 16 Egyptian soldiers were killed by militants . ( See Sinai insurgency ) . Also on the rise are kidnappings of refugees . According to Meron Estifanos , Eritrean refugees are often kidnapped by Bedouin in the northern Sinai , tortured , raped , and only released after receiving a large ransom . Under President el - Sisi , Egypt has implemented a rigorous policy of controlling the border to the Gaza Strip , including the dismantling of tunnels between Gaza and Sinai . Demographics ( edit ) Two young Bedouins making bread in the desert The two governorates of North and South Sinai have a total population of 597,000 ( January 2013 ) . This figure rises to 1,400,000 by including Western Sinai , the parts of the Port Said , Ismailia and Suez Governorates lying east of the Suez Canal . Port Said alone has a population of roughly 500,000 people ( January 2013 ) . Portions of the populations of Ismailia and Suez live in west Sinai , while the rest live on the western side of the Suez Canal . Population of Sinai has largely consisted of desert - dwelling Bedouins with their colourful traditional costumes and significant culture . Large numbers of Egyptians from the Nile Valley and Delta moved to the area to work in tourism , but development adversely affected the native Bedouin population . In order to help alleviate their problems , various NGOs began to operate in the region , including the Makhad Trust , a UK charity that assists the Bedouin in developing a sustainable income while protecting Sinai 's natural environment , heritage and culture . Economy ( edit ) Dahab in Southern Sinai is a popular beach and diving resort See also : Tourism in Egypt Since the Israeli -- Egyptian peace treaty , Sinai 's scenic spots ( including coral reefs offshore ) and religious structures have become important to the tourism industry . The most popular tourist destination in Sinai are Mount Sinai ( Jabal Musa ) and St Catherine 's Monastery , which is considered to be the oldest working Christian monastery in the world , and the beach resorts of Sharm el - Sheikh , Dahab , Nuweiba and Taba . Most tourists arrive at Sharm el - Sheikh International Airport , through Eilat , Israel and the Taba Border Crossing , by road from Cairo or by ferry from Aqaba in Jordan . See also ( edit ) Isthmus of Suez Operation Eagle Multinational Force and Observers Negev Bedouin Natural places Desert of Paran Mitla Pass Manmade structures Biblical Mount Sinai Nawamis Wildlife Sinai leopard References ( edit ) Jump up ^ `` Definition of Sinai '' . The Free Dictionary . Retrieved 2014 - 05 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` Define Sinayi '' . Dictionary.com . Retrieved 2014 - 05 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` Sinai Peninsula ( peninsula , Egypt ) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia '' . Britannica.com . Retrieved 14 January 2012 . Jump up ^ `` Sinai , Mount '' . JewishEncyclopedia.com . Retrieved 14 January 2012 . Jump up ^ See Biblical Mount Sinai for a fuller discussion . Jump up ^ `` Étude de la turquoise : de ses traitements et imitations '' Archived 15 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. , thesis by Claire Salanne , Université de Nantes , 2009 . Jump up ^ Homberg , Catherine and Martina Bachmann , Evolution of the Levant Margin and Western Arabia Platform Since the Mesozoic , The Geological Society of London , 2010 , p 65 ISBN 978 - 1862393066 ^ Jump up to : Ned Greenwood ( 1 January 2010 ) . The Sinai : A Physical Geography . University of Texas Press . pp. 4 -- . ISBN 978 - 0 - 292 - 77909 - 9 . ^ Jump up to : The translation `` mining country '' is not certain , see also Rainer Hannig : Großes Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch - Deutsch : ( 2800 - 950 v. Chr . ) . p. 1135 . Jump up ^ http://www.egyptsearch.com/forums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=8;t=008397 Jump up ^ Joseph Davidovits and Ralph Davidovits ( 2007 ) . `` Why Djoser 's blue Egyptian faience tiles are not blue ? Manufacturing Djoser 's faience tiles at temperatures as low as 250 ° C ? '' . In Jean Claude Goyon , Christine Cardin . Proceedings of the ninth International Congress of Egyptologists ( PDF ) . 1 . Louvain / Paris / Dudley . p. 375 . Jump up ^ Iranchamber Jump up ^ Schürer , Emil ; Millar , Fergus ; Vermes , Geza ( 26 March 2015 ) . The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ : . Bloomsbury Academic . p. 583 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 567 - 50161 - 5 . Jump up ^ Taylor , Jane : Petra And the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans . I.B. Tauris 2001 , ISBN 1860645089 , p. 73 - 74 ( online copy , p. 73 , at Google Books ) Jump up ^ Rogan , Eugene L. and Avi Shlaim , eds . The War for Palestine : Rewriting the History of 1948 . 2nd edition . Cambridge : Cambridge UP , p. 99 , 2007 Jump up ^ Shlaim , Avi ( 2001 ) . Israel and the Arab Coalition . In Eugene Rogan and Avi Shlaim ( eds . ) . The War for Palestine ( pp. 97 ) . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press . ISBN 978 - 0 - 521 - 79476 - 3 Jump up ^ http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/egypt-nationalizes-the-suez-canal Jump up ^ `` 1956 : Egypt Seizes Suez Canal '' . BBC . 26 July 1956 . Jump up ^ Samir A. Mutawi ( 18 July 2002 ) . Jordan in the 1967 War . Cambridge University Press . p. 93 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 521 - 52858 - 0 . Although Eshkol denounced the Egyptians , his response to this development was a model of moderation . His speech on 21 May demanded that Nasser withdraw his forces from Sinai but made no mention of the removal of UNEF from the Straits nor of what Israel would do if they were closed to Israeli shipping . The next day Nasser announced to an astonished world that henceforth the Straits were , indeed , closed to all Israeli ships Jump up ^ Spencer , Tucker . Encyclopedia or the Arab - Israeli Conflict . p. 175 . Jump up ^ `` War of Attrition '' . Jump up ^ Serene Assir ( 23 July 2005 ) . `` Shock in Sharm '' . Al - Ahram Weekly . Retrieved 29 March 2014 . Jump up ^ Meron Stefanos on the torture houses in north Sinai Jump up ^ Sound of Torture documentary Jump up ^ http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/04/egypt-sinai-gaza-tunnels-sanctions-sisi-terrorist.html# Jump up ^ Leonard , William R. and Michael H. Crawford , The Human Biology of Pastoral Populations , Cambridge University Press , 2002 , p. 67 ISBN 978 - 0521780162 Further reading ( edit ) Gardner , Ann . `` At Home in South Sinai '' . Nomadic Peoples 2000 . Vol. 4 , Iss. 2 ; pp. 48 -- 67 . Detailed account of Bedouin women H.J.L. Beadnell ( May 1926 ) . `` Central Sinai '' . Geographical Journal . 67 ( 5 ) : 385 -- 398 . doi : 10.2307 / 1782203 . JSTOR 1782203 . C.W. Wilson ( 1873 ) . `` Recent Surveys in Sinai and Palestine '' . Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London . 43 : 206 -- 240 . doi : 10.2307 / 1798627 . JSTOR 1798627 . Jacobs , Jessica ( 2006 ) . `` Tourist Places and Negotiating Modernity : European Women and Romance Tourism in the Sinai '' . In Minca , Claudio ; Oakes , Tim . Travels in Paradox : Remapping Tourism . Rowman & Littlefield . ISBN 978 - 0 - 7425 - 2876 - 5 . Retrieved 7 January 2010 . Teague , Matthew ; Moyer , Matt ( March 2009 ) . `` The Sinai 's Separate Peace '' . National Geographic Magazine . Washington , D.C. : National Geographic Society . 215 ( 3 ) : 99 -- 121 . ISSN 0027 - 9358 . Retrieved 7 January 2010 . Jarvis , C.S. , Yesterday and To - day in Sinai ( Edinburgh / London : W. Blackwood & Sons , 1931 ) . New terrorist challenges in the Sinai peninsula , prominent jihadists organisations , Strategic Impact ( 52 ) , issue : 3 / 2014 , pp. 39 - 47 External links ( edit ) Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sinai Peninsula . Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sinai Peninsula . Guide to Sinai , covering background information on history , flora , fauna , desert , Bedouin , safaris and geology of Sinai Sinai Local Magazine The Complete Guide To : The Sinai , The Independent , 15 March 2008 . Sinai in ancient Egypt Broadcasting videos from Sinai Images of the Sinai Desert IRIN humanitarian news : EU grant to tackle rural poverty in South Sinai Sinai trekking and safari : route maps and photo archive Geography of Asia Sovereign states Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Cyprus East Timor ( Timor - Leste ) Egypt Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Northern Cyprus Palestine South Ossetia Taiwan Dependencies and other territories British Indian Ocean Territory Christmas Island Cocos ( Keeling ) Islands Hong Kong Macau People and things in the Quran ( hide ) Characters Non-humans Allâh ( `` The God '' ) Names of Allah found in the Quran Beings in Jannah ( Paradise , literally ' Garden ' ) Ghilman & Wildan Houri Zaqqum Animals Related The baqarah ( cow ) of Israelites The dhi'b ( wolf ) that Jacob feared could attack Joseph The hud - hud ( hoopoe ) of Solomon The kalb ( dog ) of the sleepers of the cave The nūn ( fish or whale ) of Jonah The nāqaṫ ( she - camel ) of Saleh The fīl ( elephant ) of the Abyssinians ) Non-related Ḥimār ( domesticated donkey or wild ass ) Qaswarah ( ' Lion ' , ' Beast of prey ' or ' Hunter ' ) Jinns Iblīs the Devil Ifrit Marid Qareen Prophets Mentioned Ādam ( Adam ) Al - Yasa ' ( Elisha ) Ayyūb ( Job ) Dāwūd ( David ) Dhūl - Kifl ( Ezekiel ? ) Hārūn ( Aaron ) Hūd ( Eber ? ) Idrīs ( Enoch ? ) Ilyās ( Elijah ) ' Imrān ( Joachim the father of Maryam ) Is - ḥāq ( Isaac ) Ismā'īl ( Ishmael ) Dhabih Ullah Isma'il Ṣādiq al - Wa 'd ( Fulfiller of the Promise ) Lūṭ ( Lot ) Ṣāliḥ Shu'ayb ( Jethro , Reuel or Hobab ? ) Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd ( Solomon son of David ) ' Uzair ( Ezra ? ) Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ( John the Baptist the son of Zechariah ) Ya'qūb ( Jacob ) Isrâ'îl ( Israel ) Yūnus ( Jonah ) Dhūn - Nūn ( `` He of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' or `` Owner of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' ) Ṣāḥib al - Ḥūṫ ( `` Companion of the Whale '' ) Yūsuf ibn Ya'qūb ( Joseph son of Jacob ) Zakariyyā ( Zechariah ) Ulu - l - ' Azm Muḥammad Aḥmad Other names and titles of Muhammad ʿĪsā ( Jesus ) Al - Masīḥ ( The Messiah ) Ibn Maryam ( Son of Mary ) Mūsā Kalīmullāh ( Moses He who spoke to God ) Ibrāhīm Khalīlullāh ( Abraham Friend of God ) Nūḥ ( Noah ) Debatable ones Dhūl - Qarnain ( Cyrus the Great ? ) Luqmân Maryam ( Mary ) Ṭâlûṫ ( Saul or Gideon ? ) Implied Ermia / Jeremiah Ṣamû'îl ( Samuel ) Yusha ' ibn Nūn / Joshua ( companion and successor of Musa ) People of Prophets Mentioned evil ones Āzar ( possibly Terah ) Fir'aun ( Pharaoh of Moses ) Hāmān Jâlûṫ ( Goliath ) Qarun / Korah ( cousin of Musa / Moses ) As - Sāmirī Abu Lahab Specified good ones Zechariah 's wife Adam 's immediate relatives Martyred son Wife Women of Moses Moses ' mother Sister Wife Sister - in - law Isaac 's mother Zayd Non-specified good ones Abiona / Amtelai daughter of Karnebo ( mother of Ibrahim ) Bathsheba ( wife of Dawud , mother of Sulayman ) Hājar / Hagar ( wife of Ibrahim , mother of Isma'il ) Hannah / Anne daughter of Faquz ( mother of Maryam , wife of Imran ) Imran / Amram ( father of Musa ) Lamech ( father of Nuh ) Rāhil / Rachel ( wife of Ya'qub , mother of Yūsuf ) Rahma / Dinah ( wife of Ayyub ) Shamkha bint Anush / Betenos ( mother of Nuh ) Son of Luqman Implied Asiyah bint Muzahim / Bithiah ( wife of Fir'aun ) Asif ibn Barkhiya ( vizier and successor of Sulayman ) Bilquis ( Queen of Saba / Sheba ) Believer of Fir'aun Family ( Hizbil / Hizqil ibn Sabura ) Benyamin / Benjamin Habib the Carpenter ( believer of Ya - Sin ) Kaleb / Caleb ( companion of Yusha ' ) Khidr Magicians of Fir'aun Simon Cephas / Simon Peter Abrahah Bal'am / Balaam Barsisa Nebuchadnezzar II Nimrod Potiphar ( Al - Aziz ) Shaddad Simeon ( son of Ya'qub ) Slayers of Saleh 's she - camel ( Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda ' ibn Dahr ) Valid ibn Rayyan ( king of Egypt in the account of Yūsuf ) Zuleikha ( wife of al - Aziz ) Groups Mentioned Aş - ḥāb al - Jannah People of Paradise People of the Burnt Garden Aş - ḥāb as - Sabṫ ( Companions of the Sabbath ) Christian apostles Disciples of Jesus Companions of Noah 's Ark Aş - ḥāb al - Kahf war - Raqīm ( Companions of the Cave and Al - Raqaim ? Companions of the Elephant People of al - Ukhdūd People of the City ( People of Ya - Sin ) People of Yathrib or Medina Folk of Dawud Folk of Lut Folk of Musa and Harun Nation of Nuh Tribes , ethnicities or families A'rāb ( Arabs or Bedouins ) ' Ād ( people of Hud ) Companions of the Rass Qawm Tubba ' ( People of Tubba ) People of Saba ' / Sheba Quraysh Thamûd ( people of Saleh ) Aṣ - ḥâb al - Ḥijr ( `` Companions of the Stoneland '' ) Ajam Ar - Rûm ( literally `` The Romans '' ) Banî Isrâ'îl ( Children of Israel ) Mu'ṫafikāṫ ( The overthrown cities of Sodom and Gomorrah ) People of Ibrahim People of Ilyas People of Nuh People of Shuaib Ahl Madyan People of Madyan ) Aṣ - ḥāb al - Aykah ( `` Companions of the Wood '' ) Qawm Yûnus ( People of Jonah ) Ya'juj and Ma'juj / Gog and Magog Ahl al - Bayṫ ( `` People of the Household '' ) Household of Abraham Brothers of Yūsuf Daughters of Abraham 's nephew Lot ( Ritha , Za'ura , et al . ) Progeny of Imran Household of Moses Household of Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul - Muttalib ibn Hashim Daughters of Muhammad Wives of Muhammad Household of Salih People of Fir'aun Current Ummah of Islam ( Ummah of Muhammad ) Aṣ - ḥāb Muḥammad ( Companions of Muhammad ) Muhajirun ( Emigrants ) Anṣār Muslims of Medina who helped Muhammad and his Meccan followers , literally ' Helpers ' ) People of Mecca Umm Jamil ( wife of Abu Lahab ) Children of Ayyub Dead son of Sulaiman Qabil / Cain ( son of Adam ) Wali'ah or Wa'ilah / Waala ( wife of Nuh ) Walihah or Wahilah ( wife of Lut ) Yam or Kan'an ( son of Nuh ) Implicitly mentioned Amalek Ahl al - Suffa ( People of the Verandah ) Banu Nadir Banu Qaynuqa Banu Qurayza Iranian people Umayyad Dynasty Aus & Khazraj People of Quba Religious groups Ahl al - dhimmah ( Dhimmi ) Kâfirûn ( Infidels ) Zoroastrians Munafiqun ( Hypocrites ) Muslims People of the Book ( Ahl al - Kiṫāb ) Naṣārā ( Christian ( s ) or People of the Injil ) Ruhban ( Christian monks ) Qissis ( Christian priest ) Yahūd ( Jews ) Ahbār ( Jewish scholars ) Rabbani / Rabbi Sabians Polytheists Meccan polytheists at the time of Muhammad Mesopotamian polytheists at the time of Abraham and Lot Locations Mentioned Al - Arḍ Al - Mubārakah ( `` The Land The Blessed '' ) Al - Arḍ Al - Muqaddasah ( `` The Land The Holy '' ) In the Arabian Peninsula ( excluding Madyan ) Al - Aḥqāf ( `` The Sandy Plains , '' or `` the Wind - curved Sand - hills '' ) Iram dhāṫ al - ' Imād ( Iram of the Pillars ) Al - Madīnah ( formerly Yathrib ) ' Arafāṫ Al - Ḥijr ( Hegra ) Badr Ḥunayn Makkah ( Mecca ) Bakkah Ka'bah ( Kaaba ) Maqām Ibrāhīm ( Station of Abraham ) Safa and Marwah Saba ' ( Sheba ) ' Arim Saba ' ( Dam of Sheba ) Rass In Mesopotamia : Al - Jūdiyy Munzalanm - Mubārakan ( `` Place - of - Landing Blessed '' ) Bābil ( Babylon ) Qaryaṫ Yūnus ( `` Township of Jonah , '' that is Nineveh ) Door of Hittah Madyan ( Midian ) Majma ' al - Bahrain Miṣr ( Mainland Egypt ) Sinai Region or Tīh Desert Al - Wād Al - Muqaddas Ṭuwan ( The Holy Valley of Tuwa ) Al - Wādil - Ayman ( The valley on the ' righthand ' side of the Valley of Tuwa and Mount Sinai ) Mount Sinai or Mount Tabor Mu'tafikat ( Sodom ) Implied Antioch Antakya Arabia Ayla Barrier of Dhul - Qarnayn Bayt al - Muqaddas & ' Ariha Bilād ar - Rāfidayn ( Mesopotamia ) Canaan Cave of Seven Sleepers Dār al - Nadwa Al - Ḥijāz ( literally `` The Barrier '' ) Black Stone ( Al - Ḥajar al - Aswad ) & Al - Hijr of Isma'il Cave of Hira & Ghar al - Thawr ( Cave of the Bull ) Ta'if Hudaybiyyah Jordan River Nile River Palestine River Paradise of Shaddad Religious locations Bay'a ( Church ) Mihrab Monastery Masjid ( Mosque , literally `` Place of Prostration '' ) Al - Mash'ar Al - Ḥarām ( `` The Monument the Sacred '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Aqṣā ( Al - Aqsa Mosque , literally `` The Place - of - Prostration The Farthest '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Ḥarām ( The Sacred Mosque of Mecca ) Masjid al - Dirar A Mosque in the area of Medina , possibly : Masjid Qubâ ' ( Quba Mosque ) The Prophet 's Mosque Salat ( Synagogue ) Non-human physical entities Religious texts Al - Injîl ( The Gospel of Jesus ) Al - Qur'ân ( The book of Muhammad ) Ṣuḥuf - i Ibrâhîm ( Scroll ( s ) of Abraham ) Aṫ - Ṫawrâṫ ( The Torah ) Ṣuḥuf - i - Mûsâ ( Scroll ( s ) of Moses ) Tablets of Stone Az - Zabûr ( The Psalms of David ) Related objects Forbidden fruit of Adam Heavenly Food of Christian Apostles Noah 's Ark Staff of Musa Tabut al - Sakina ( Casket of Shekhinah ) Throne of Bilqis Trumpet of Israfil Mentioned idols ( cult images ) ' Ansāb Idols of Israelites : Baal The ' ijl ( golden calf statue ) of Israelites Idols of Noah 's people : Nasr Suwā ' Wadd Yaghūth Ya'ūq Idols of Quraysh : Lāt Manāṫ ' Uzza Jibt and Taghut Events Battle of al - Aḥzāb ( `` the Confederates '' ) Battle of Badr Battle of Hunayn Battle of Khaybar Battle of Tabouk Battle of Uhud Conquest of Mecca Incident of Ifk Laylat al - Mabit Mubahala Sayl al - ' Arim ( Flood of the Great Dam of Marib in Sheba ) The Farewell Pilgrimage ( Hujja al - Wada ' ) Treaty of Hudaybiyyah Umrah al - Qaza Yawm al - Dār Implied The event of Ghadir Khumm Note : The names are sorted alphabetically . Standard form : Islamic name / Biblical name ( title or relationship ) VIAF : 162783451 GND : 4104369 - 8 NDL : 00628596 Coordinates : 29 ° 30 ′ N 33 ° 50 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 29.500 ° N 33.833 ° E ﻿ / 29.500 ; 33.833 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sinai_Peninsula&oldid=816580927 '' Categories : Sinai Peninsula Peninsulas of Asia Peninsulas of Egypt Geography of Western Asia Landforms of the Middle East Landforms of Western Asia North Sinai Governorate South Sinai Governorate Biblical places History of Israel History of the Middle East Landforms of the Red Sea Suez Canal Western Asia Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from August 2012 Articles containing Arabic - language text Articles containing Egyptian Arabic - language text Articles containing Hebrew - language text Articles containing Coptic - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014 Articles needing additional references from March 2015 All articles needing additional references Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from September 2011 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Afrikaans አማርኛ Aragonés ܐܪܡܝܐ Авар Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Cebuano Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Gaelg Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hornjoserbsce Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Қазақша Kiswahili Kurdî Ladino Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Lingála Magyar Македонски മലയാളം मराठी მარგალური مصرى مازِرونی Bahasa Melayu Монгол Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Piemontèis Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Sicilianu සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Soomaaliga کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Winaray 吴语 Yorùbá 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 22 December 2017 , at 07 : 54 . 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where is sinai peninsula located on a map
The Sinai Peninsula or simply Sinai ( / ˈsaɪnaɪ / ; Arabic : سيناء ‎ Sīnāʼ ; Egyptian Arabic : سينا ‎ Sīna , IPA : ( ˈsiːnæ ) ; Hebrew : סיני ‎ Sinai ; Coptic : ⲥⲓⲛⲁ ) is a peninsula in Egypt , the only part of the country located in Asia . It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south , and is a land bridge between Asia and Africa . Sinai has a land area of about 60,000 km ( 23,000 sq mi ) and a population of approximately 1,400,000 people . Administratively , the Sinai Peninsula is divided into two governorates : the South Sinai Governorate and the North Sinai Governorate . Three other governorates span the Suez Canal , crossing into African Egypt : Suez Governorate on the southern end of the Suez Canal , Ismailia Governorate in the center , and Port Said Governorate in the north . The Sinai Peninsula has been a part of Egypt from the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt ( c. 3100 BC ) . This comes in stark contrast to the region north of it , the Levant ( present - day territories of Syria , Lebanon , Jordan , Israel and Palestine ) , which , due largely to its strategic geopolitical location and cultural convergences , has historically been the centre of conflict between Egypt and various states of Mesopotamia and Asia Minor . In periods of foreign occupation , the Sinai was , like the rest of Egypt , also occupied and controlled by foreign empires , in more recent history the Ottoman Empire ( 1517 -- 1867 ) and the United Kingdom ( 1882 -- 1956 ) . Israel invaded and occupied Sinai during the Suez Crisis ( known in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression due to the simultaneous coordinated attack by the UK , France and Israel ) of 1956 , and during the Six - Day War of 1967 . On 6 October 1973 , Egypt launched the Yom Kippur War to retake the peninsula , which was the site of fierce fighting between Egyptian and Israeli forces . By 1982 , as a result of the Israel -- Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979 , Israel had withdrawn from all of the Sinai Peninsula except the contentious territory of Taba , which was returned after a ruling by a commission of arbitration in 1989 . Today , Sinai has become a tourist destination due to its natural setting , rich coral reefs , and biblical history . Mount Sinai is one of the most religiously significant places in the Abrahamic faiths . The name Sinai may have been derived from the ancient moon - god Sin or from the Hebrew word Seneh ( Hebrew : סֶ֫נֶּה ‎ Senneh ) The peninsula acquired the name due to the assumption that a mountain near Saint Catherine 's Monastery is the Biblical Mount Sinai . However this assumption is contested . In addition to its formal name , Egyptians also refer to it as Arḍ ul - Fairūz ( أرض الفيروز `` the land of turquoise '' ) . The ancient Egyptians called it Ta Mefkat , or `` land of turquoise '' . Sinai is triangular in shape , with northern shore lying on the southern Mediterranean Sea , and southwest and southeast shores on Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea . It is linked to the African continent by the Isthmus of Suez , 125 kilometres ( 78 mi ) wide strip of land , containing the Suez Canal . The eastern isthmus , linking it to the Asian mainland , is around 200 kilometres ( 120 mi ) wide . The peninsula 's eastern shore separates the Arabian plate from the African plate . The southernmost tip is the Ras Muhammad National Park . Most of the Sinai Peninsula is divided among the two governorates of Egypt : South Sinai ( Ganub Sina ) and North Sinai ( Shamal Sina ) . Together , they comprise around 60,000 square kilometres ( 23,000 sq mi ) and have a population ( January 2013 ) of 597,000 . Three more governates span the Suez Canal , crossing into African Egypt : Suez ( el - Sewais ) is on the southern end of the Suez Canal , Ismailia ( el - Isma'ileyyah ) in the centre , and Port Said in the north . The largest city of Sinai is Arish , capital of the North Sinai , with around 160,000 residents . Other larger settlements include Sharm el - Sheikh and El - Tor , on the southern coast . Inland Sinai is arid , mountainous and sparsely populated , the largest settlements being Saint Catherine and Nekhel . Sinai is one of the coldest provinces in Egypt because of its high altitudes and mountainous topographies . Winter temperatures in some of Sinai 's cities and towns reach − 16 ° C ( 3 ° F ) . This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( March 2015 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( March 2015 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) Sinai Peninsula in hieroglyphs Biau Bj3w `` Mining country '' Sinai Peninsula in hieroglyphs Biau Bj3w `` Mining country '' Sinai was called Mafkat or `` country of turquoise '' by the ancient Egyptians From the time of the First Dynasty or before , the Egyptians mined turquoise in Sinai at two locations , now called by their Egyptian Arabic names Wadi Magharah and Serabit El Khadim . 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 historically attested mines . At the end of the time of Darius I , the Great ( 521 -- 486 BCE ) Sinai was part of the Persian province of Abar - Nahra , which means `` beyond the river ( Euphrates ) . Cambyses successfully managed the crossing of the hostile Sinai Desert , traditionally Egypt 's first and strongest line of defence , and brought the Egyptians under Psamtik III , son and successor of Ahmose , to battle at Pelusium . The Egyptians lost and retired to Memphis ; the city fell to the Persian control and the Pharaoh was carried off in captivity to Susa in mainland Persia . After the death of the last Nabatean king , Rabbel II Soter , in 106 , the Roman emperor Trajan faced practically no resistance and conquered the kingdom on 22 March 106 . With this conquest , the Roman Empire went on to control all shores of the Mediterranean Sea . The Sinai Peninsula became part of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea . Saint Catherine 's Monastery on the foot of Mount Sinai was constructed by order of the Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565 . Most of the Sinai Peninsula became part of the province of Palaestina Salutaris in the 6th century . During the Crusades it was under control of Fatimid Caliphate . Later , Saladin abolished the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt and took this region under his control too . It was the military route from Cairo to Damascus during the Crusades . The peninsula was governed as part of Egypt under the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt from 1260 until 1517 , when the Ottoman Sultan , Selim the Grim , defeated the Egyptians at the Battles of Marj Dabiq and al - Raydaniyya , and incorporated Egypt into the Ottoman Empire . From then until 1906 , Sinai was administered by the Ottoman provincial government of the Pashalik of Egypt , even following the establishment of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty 's rule over the rest of Egypt in 1805 . In 1906 , the Ottoman Porte formally transferred administration of Sinai to the Egyptian government , which essentially meant that it fell under the control of the United Kingdom , who had occupied and largely controlled Egypt since 1882 . 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 . This line has served as the eastern border of Egypt ever since . At the beginning of the 1948 Arab -- Israeli War , Egyptian forces entered the former British Mandate of Palestine from Sinai to support Palestinian and other Arab forces against the newly declared State of Israel . For a period during the war , Israeli forces entered the north - eastern corner of Sinai . With the exception of Palestine 's Gaza Strip , which came under the administration of the All - Palestine Government , the western frontier of the former Mandate of Palestine became the Egyptian -- Israeli frontier under the 1949 Armistice Agreement . In 1958 , the Gaza Strip came under direct Egyptian military administration , though it was governed separately from Sinai , and was never annexed by Egypt . The Egyptian government maintained that Egyptian administration would be terminated upon the end of the conflict with Israel . In 1956 , Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal , a waterway marking the boundary between Egyptian territory in Africa and the Sinai Peninsula . Thereafter , Israeli ships were prohibited from using the Canal , owing to the state of war between the two states . Egypt also prohibited ships from using Egyptian territorial waters on the eastern side of the peninsula to travel to and from Israel , effectively imposing a blockade on the Israeli port of Eilat . Subsequently , in what is known in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression , Israeli forces , aided by Britain , and France ( which sought to reverse the nationalisation and regain control over the Suez Canal ) , invaded Sinai and occupied much of the peninsula within a few days . Several months later Israel withdrew its forces from Sinai , following strong pressure from the United States and the Soviet Union . Thereafter , the United Nations Emergency Force ( UNEF ) was stationed in Sinai to prevent any further conflict in the Sinai . In 1967 , Egypt reinforced its military presence in Sinai and on 16 May ordered the UNEF out of Sinai with immediate effect . Secretary - General U Thant eventually complied and ordered the withdrawal without Security Council authorisation . In the course of the Six - Day War that broke out shortly thereafter , Israel captured the entire Sinai Peninsula , and Gaza Strip from Egypt , the West Bank ( including East Jerusalem ) from Jordan ( which it had ruled since 1949 ) , and the Golan Heights from Syria . The Suez Canal , the east bank of which was now occupied by Israel , was closed . Israel commenced efforts at large scale Israeli settlement in the peninsula . Following the Israeli conquest of Sinai , Egypt launched the War of Attrition ( 1967 -- 70 ) aimed at forcing Israel to withdraw from Egyptian territory . The war saw protracted conflict in the Suez Canal Zone , ranging from limited to large scale combat . Israeli shelling of the cities of Port Said , Ismailia , and Suez on the west bank of the canal , led to high civilian casualties ( including the virtual destruction of Suez ) , and contributed to the flight of 700,000 Egyptian internal refugees . Ultimately , the war concluded in 1970 with no change in the front line . On 6 October 1973 , Egypt commenced Operation Badr to retake the Sinai , while Syria launched a simultaneous operation to retake the Golan Heights , thereby beginning the Yom Kippur War ( known in Egypt as the October War ) . Egyptian engineering forces built pontoon bridges to cross the Suez Canal , and stormed the Bar - Lev Line , Israel 's defensive line along the canal . Though the Egyptians maintained control of most of the east bank of the Canal , in the later stages of the war , the Israeli military crossed the southern section of Canal , cutting off the Egyptian 3rd Army , and occupied a section of the west bank . The war ended following a mutually agreed - upon ceasefire . After the war , as part of the subsequent Sinai Disengagement Agreements , Israel withdrew from the Canal , with Egypt agreeing to permit passage of Israeli ships . The canal was reopened in 1975 , with President Sadat leading the first convoy through the canal aboard an Egyptian destroyer . In 1979 , Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in which Israel agreed to withdraw from the entirety of Sinai . Israel subsequently withdrew in several stages , ending in 1982 . The Israeli pull - out involved dismantling almost all Israeli settlements , including the settlement of Yamit in north - eastern Sinai . The exception was the coastal city of Sharm el - Sheikh , which the Israelis had founded as Ofira during the period of their occupation . The Treaty allows monitoring of Sinai by the Multinational Force and Observers , and limits the number of Egyptian military forces in the peninsula . Since the early 2000s , Sinai has been the site of several terror attacks against tourists , the majority of whom are Egyptian . Investigations have shown that these were mainly motivated by a resentment of the poverty faced by many Bedouin in the area . Attacking the tourist industry was viewed as a method of damaging the industry so that the government would pay more attention to their situation . ( See 2004 Sinai bombings , 2005 Sharm El Sheikh bombings and 2006 Dahab bombings ) . Since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution , unrest has become more prevalent in the area including the 2012 Egyptian - Israeli border attack in which 16 Egyptian soldiers were killed by militants . ( See Sinai insurgency ) . Also on the rise are kidnappings of refugees . According to Meron Estifanos , Eritrean refugees are often kidnapped by Bedouin in the northern Sinai , tortured , raped , and only released after receiving a large ransom . Under President el - Sisi , Egypt has implemented a rigorous policy of controlling the border to the Gaza Strip , including the dismantling of tunnels between Gaza and Sinai . The two governorates of North and South Sinai have a total population of 597,000 ( January 2013 ) . This figure rises to 1,400,000 by including Western Sinai , the parts of the Port Said , Ismailia and Suez Governorates lying east of the Suez Canal . Port Said alone has a population of roughly 500,000 people ( January 2013 ) . Portions of the populations of Ismailia and Suez live in west Sinai , while the rest live on the western side of the Suez Canal . Population of Sinai has largely consisted of desert - dwelling Bedouins with their colourful traditional costumes and significant culture . Large numbers of Egyptians from the Nile Valley and Delta moved to the area to work in tourism , but development adversely affected the native Bedouin population . In order to help alleviate their problems , various NGOs began to operate in the region , including the Makhad Trust , a UK charity that assists the Bedouin in developing a sustainable income while protecting Sinai 's natural environment , heritage and culture . Since the Israeli -- Egyptian peace treaty , Sinai 's scenic spots ( including coral reefs offshore ) and religious structures have become important to the tourism industry . The most popular tourist destination in Sinai are Mount Sinai ( Jabal Musa ) and St Catherine 's Monastery , which is considered to be the oldest working Christian monastery in the world , and the beach resorts of Sharm el - Sheikh , Dahab , Nuweiba and Taba . Most tourists arrive at Sharm el - Sheikh International Airport , through Eilat , Israel and the Taba Border Crossing , by road from Cairo or by ferry from Aqaba in Jordan .
between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south