Recommended Reading: Wildlife in South Sinai

Wildlife in South Sinai

Photography and text: Dina Aly and Rafik Khalil

Funded by the EU in cooperation with G.O.S.S., 2011

ISBN 13: 9789774761027

Available for LE 220 from Al Kotob Khan, Diwan Bookstore, and AUC

From the Author’s notes:

This book is not meant to provide a complete or comprehensive guide to the flora and fauna of South Sinai but rather to show some characteristic species, with a special emphasis on their behavioural patterns. It is through understanding the complicated life patterns of the desert creatures, while revealing their beauty and vulnerability, that we  hope expanded awareness and deeper appreciation are achieved amongst readers. Understanding and appreciation are the solid ground upon which conservation efforts will build.

The book is divided into seven chapters: Water, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Insects, Arachnids and Flora. Local names are provided whenever Bedouins have verified them, taking into account that some names were sadly lost for many reasons.

My Thoughts:

An absolute must-have for Sinai nature lovers! This book is full of the most stunning images of the plants and animals of South Sinai, not to mention all the interesting facts about the critters’ behaviors.  I’ve read a lot about the wildlife of our desert over the past several years, but the text in this book left me fascinated! Did you know, for example, that the female Velvet Spider ends her life to become food for her young? Or that the nest of White-crowned Black Wheatear is built of small rocks in  crevices – and the Bedouin call these little rocks “darahem Om Ghrair” (the money of the Black Wheatear)? That the Bedouin have a vaccine against the venomous scorpion and wasp bites that is given to infants before they eat their first solid food? Besides the amazing photos and facts, the authors provide an excellent brief overview of the flora and fauna of South Sinai. Their admiration and devotion to the natural world is obvious throughout the book, and they discuss sensible and attainable suggestions for protecting the remaining wildlife in the region.

Recommended Reading: Trekking in South Sinai

 Trekking in South Sinai – the highlights

Author: Zoltan Matrahazi

Published by CreateSpace, June 2011

ISBN 10: 1463579209

ISBN 13: 9781463579203

Available for $6.50 from Amazon.com

Book description from Goodreads.com:

Although South Sinai is a popular holiday destination, the interior is still very little known. It is a world class trekking country though. Apart from the stunning desert landscapes there are rugged mountain ranges with many peaks well above 2000 metres, providing a cooler climate and enclosing a unique eco-system. There are seasonal and permanent creeks, waterfalls, waterpools and hundreds of lush Bedouin orchards. The Sinai, furthermore, has a very significant religious importance and there are many archaeological sites across the region from different ages. This little book, despite describing only 8 treks, is the first trekking guide to South Sinai as such. Although it only presents some of the highlights, it gives a glimpse of all the different regions and shows well the diversity of the peninsula. • 8 treks from 6 different regions • 17 maps and GPS coordinates • Trek images with waypoints • Index of places in English and Arabic • Bedouin-Arabic glossary

My thoughts:

This is an excellent resource for planning your trekking safaris through the mountains and wadis around St. Katherine’s! According to the law, all visitors to the area must hire a local guide for trekking so this book alone will not get you through the deserts of south Sinai. However, the information presented gives readers a better understanding of what to expect along the way – distances, interesting sites, level of difficulty, etc. – perfect for trekkers trying to decide which route they would like to take! The routes described in the book include treks to Mt. Sinai, Mt. Katharina, Coloured Canyon, Serabit el Khadim, Wadi Feiran and more. The GPS coordinates and the photos will help confirm locations for curious travelers.  The Bedouin Arabic – English glossary included at the end is also a very useful addition to this guide.

Recommended Reading: Traveling through Sinai

Traveling through Sinai: From the Fourth to the Twenty-First Century

Edited by Deborah Manley and Sahar Abdel-Hakim

Published by The American University in Cairo Press, 2006

ISBN-10: 9774160223

ISBN-13: 9789774160226

Available from book stores in Cairo. In Dahab, you can find it at Neptune. It is also available from Amazon.com.

While not the most enthralling book, Traveling through Sinai does give interesting glimpses into the history of, well, traveling through Sinai.

The book is a collection of excerpts from the journals of various travelers throughout the years, organized not by chronology, which took some getting used to, but by the editors´ ideas of related topics or themes:

1 – To Sinai and Back
2 – The Place, the People, and the Travelers
3 – Preparations for the Journey
4 – From Cairo to Suez
5 – Routines, Hardships, and Pleasures of the Journey
6 – Crossing to Sinai across the Red Sea
7 – Wide Desert, Deep Wadis, and High Mountains
8 – Episode and Encounters on the Journey
9 – Arriving at the Convent
10 – The Convent and Convent Life
11 – Convent Life and the Traveler
12 – Pilgrimage to Neighboring Holy Places
13 – The Return from Sinai

There is a section of brief biographies of all the travelers, a bibliography, and an index of travelers.

An index of places would have been helpful. A map of Sinai would also have been a welcome addition! I´m glad I had my own to refer to.

Seeing as many of the early travelers were pilgrims, the book is heavy on the convent (St. Catherine´s Monastery). Even section 13 is more about departing the convent than it is about the return route.

But, in general, the chosen excerpts provide a historical look at the places and people of Sinai from the travelers´ perspectives. And, of course, all travelers through Sinai were accompanied by Bedouin guides. Although the writers/editors do not spend a great amount of time on the local guides, I was intrigued to learn about what has changed and what has not. The book made me long to return to exploring the deserts of Sinai but also saddened me to think of what Sinai used to be in terms of natural resources – the rains, floods, fruits, gardens, etc.

It’s probably not a book that you’ll sit and read cover-to-cover, but it’s format does make it possible to simply flip through and read whichever brief entry catches your eye.  You’re sure to learn something new about the sites, events, and people of the Sinai peninsula!