History

The Red Sea coast is world-renowned for its beautiful nature and historical legacy. With its combination of mountains and sea, the natural landscape of the Sinai Peninsula and mainland Egypt is awe-inspiring. Nearby are two ancient Roman sites, Mons Porphyritis and Mons Claudianus. These sites supplied the Romans with black granite columns, some of which still support the Pantheon in Rome today.

In the North lie St. Anthony's and St. Paul's. In the heart of the Red Sea Mountains, St. Anthony's is the oldest Coptic monastery in Egypt and St. Paul's is famous for its murals representing Virgin & Child. Nestling at the foot of Mount Sinai is St. Catherine's, thought to be the oldest inhabited Christian monastery in the world. Revered by Muslims, Christian and Jews, it was built fourteen hundred years ago next to where it is believed that God delivered his Ten Commandments to Moses.

The waters of the mighty Nile allowed the otherwise dry land of Egypt to become a cradle for one of the world's greatest ancient civilizations. One can travel along the Nile and explore a succession of ancient temples and tombs that are testimonies to the remarkable achievements of the people of ancient Egypt. To witness Egypt's full splendour, visit the Nile Valley and Cairo, home to the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum and the Citadel. The highlight of the Nile Valley is Luxor, famous for the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, the Colossi of Memnon, the Luxor Temple and further south, the Temples of Karnak. Egypt's scope is glorious and endless.