Religious leaders, local tribal guardians and conservationists have voiced opposition to a proposed mega resort development at Mount Sinai, a site sacred to Christianity, Judaism and Islam and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Egypt’s “Great Transfiguration Project,” announced by state authorities, proposes luxury hotels, shopping centers and private villas around the mountainous area long associated with the biblical account of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) said the initiative aims to “turn the sacred mountainous area into a spiritual shrine and a destination for mountain, medical and environmental tourism.”
The head of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens, condemned the plan, saying the monastery’s land was being “seized and expropriated” and warning that the spiritual institution faces an “existential threat,” according to a statement reported by the Orthodox Times. Members of the Jebeleya tribe, who act as custodians of the area around St. Catherine’s Monastery, told the BBC that their homes and eco-camps had been demolished and that many residents received minimal or no compensation.
Ben Hoffler, a British travel writer working with Sinai tribes, described the project to the BBC as an “urban world” imposed from above. “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,” he said. Hoffler added that the tribes had not consented to a transformation that he said would change their place in their homeland forever.
Egyptese officials have emphasized the project’s economic and tourism objectives. SIS highlighted a rise in visitor numbers, noting that nearly 16 million tourists visited Egypt in 2024, an increase of more than one million from the prior year. Authorities framed the initiative as an effort to boost spiritual, mountain and medical tourism and to develop the wider Sinai region.
Mount Sinai and the nearby Monastery of St. Catherine are recognized by UNESCO for their exceptional religious and historical significance. UNESCO’s World Heritage listing cites the site’s ties to multiple faiths and its long-standing monastic community rooted in the Greek Orthodox tradition.
Critics say the project risks damaging both the cultural landscape and the livelihoods of local communities. Reports of demolitions and disputed compensation have heightened tensions between residents, religious authorities and government developers. Local custodians, who have long maintained access and caretaking traditions around the monastery, expressed alarm that construction and expropriation could restrict those practices and alter the area’s character.
The controversy adds to broader debates in Egypt over balancing heritage conservation, local rights and tourism-driven development. Tourism officials and project backers argue that carefully planned investment can expand economic opportunities and preserve sacred sites through renewed attention and resources. Opponents counter that large-scale commercial projects can prioritize short-term revenue over the preservation of religious and cultural values.
Fox News Digital sought comment from UNESCO’s World Heritage office and Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism; those organizations had not provided responses at the time of reporting. The project and the objections to it are likely to draw continued international scrutiny as stakeholders seek to reconcile competing priorities for one of the region’s most venerated landscapes.
