Gabal Musa safaris

By Ragi Halim
A large part of the economy of the Jabaliya (literally "of the mountain") tribe in South Sinai depends, as one might expect, on camels. Camels, though, with a twist: the tribesmen have invested their local knowledge in camel-safari tourism.
In spite of this, wadi (valley) and mountain safaris are, usually, foot safaris. "The main role of the camel is not to carry the tourist but rather his luggage," Sheikh Abul-Heim told us at his safari headquarters in Milgah, close to Abu Gifa, which is considered one of the best places in the region of Saint Catherine's to embark on safari.
The room in which he sat was small, equipped with no more than a single desk, telephone and fax machine, but make no mistake: this is big business. Sheikh Musa, who started up in 1980, speaks many languages, including Hebrew, and has about 400 guides and their camels at his disposal. Excursions vary from one to 10 nights, each tailored to fit the wishes of the travellers. "In winter most of my clients are German and Austrian while in summer they are mostly Egyptian boy scouts and Israelis, in groups of up to 50," he says.
All the guides belong to the Jabaliya tribe, who are probably descendants of a group of families brought from Wallachia (Romania) to serve the monks of St Catherine's and protect it from raids by the tribes of eastern Sinai. A church had been founded in the 4th century by the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, who discovered the reputed site of the 'burning bush' of biblical tradition. This grew into a monastic community after Christians fleeing the persecutions of Diocletian made their way into Sinai and the Red Sea hills. In the 5th century the Emperor Justinian built the Church of the Transfiguration, and brought the Jabaliya to Egypt. As Christians they were expected to nurture no loyalties to the surrounding Bedouin, but over the following centuries, mainly through intermarriage with local tribespeople, they converted to Islam, while still retaining some distinct customs which set them slightly apart.
"They know every path and trail on the route of the walking safari," Sheikh Musa said. "The camel carries the luggage on a parallel path, so a tourist or group of tourists engage two guides: one to guide the walkers, and the other to bring the camel or camels to pre-arranged meeting points. When they get there, the two guides set up the overnight tents, do the cooking, and keep watch."
Gabal Musa, also known as Mount Sinai (and not to be confused with Mount Catherine) has been made sacred by tradition, and is honoured by the three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is an almost isolated peak, 2,244 metres high, at the southern end of a lofty plateau. The famous picture-postcard lower slopes of the mountain rise behind the monastery of Saint Catherine. Of the several paths leading to the summit, some are more difficult than others.
Millions of years ago Egypt, Sinai and Arabia belonged to the same land mass. Geophysical evidence of this is apparent from the similarity of the mountains of Egypt's Eastern Desert to the craggy ranges of southern Sinai; both have volcanic rocks compacted with mineral crystals of a similar composition. It is possible that Mount Shayib, the highest peak in Egypt, was part of the same lofty mountain range as Gabal Musa, and the freshwater spring that once rose at Ain Sukhna on the western shore of the Gulf of Suez shared the same source as Ain Musa on the eastern.
The track up Gabal Musa begins as a gentle, graded path leading to the first landmark: a well in a granite rock edged with green moss, with crystal clear water. Known by the monks as the "water of Moses," it was said to have been created for a cobbler, Sargarius, who once lived there as a hermit. A further ascent leads to a narrow platform where a small stone chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, followed by a steep ravine bounded to the west by Wadi El-Luju ("Valley of Refuge"), to the east by Wadi El-Dair ("Valley of the Monastery") and with the Plain of Raha spreading out at its base.
The view from the summit of Gabal Musa offers a splendid panorama. On a clear day almost three-quarters of the entire Sinai peninsula is visible, including the two gulfs, Suez and Aqaba. If you reach the peak before sunset, you can look across the obscured desert wastes, the rugged, volcanic, precipitous gorges and gaunt pinnacles, lifted from the shadows by the setting sun. Threadlike outlines turn into shapes. Subtle hues tint the noble peaks and ridges. Silhouettes become radiant with light.
Climbing Mount Catherine is quite a different experience. This, at 2,842 metres above sea level, is the highest peak in the peninsula. The summit peak is a huge, naked block of granite descending steeply on all sides, making it easy to identify. The mountain, which lies south-west of Mount Sinai, can be approached from the plain of Raha via Wadi El-Luju. The base of the mountain is abundant in desert herbs and reeds which provide nutritious feed for camels and goats. Unlike Mount Sinai, the foliage grows denser as one climbs upwards. On the summit is a small chapel, built into the contours of the rock face and dedicated to Saint Catherine, the patron saint of the monastery, whose body, according to monastic legend, was carried there by angels after her martyrdom in Alexandria. The view from the summit of Mount Catherine takes in a wider vista than that of Mount Sinai.
"The Jabaliya have their frontiers. The movement of Bedouin camels is restricted by traditional geographic limits which are respected by the tribes," Sheikh Musa says. "No camels from outside the Jabaliya can ascend Gabal Musa, or any other mountain which falls within our territory."
I asked what would happen should I wish to take a walking tour extending beyond a traditional boundary.
"If I take tourists to Nuweiba, I take them to Wadi Al-Mout (the 'death valley') and deliver them to the Muzayna tribe," Sheikh Musa explained. "I can take groups as far as Feiran, then deliver them to the Gararsha, or to the tribe known as the Jabaliya of Gabal Awwad which is near the nuns' convent."
Sheikh Musa's ambition is to obtain a permit to establish an 80-square-metre camp at Milgah as a reception area for tourists after their descent. "So they can get some rest and spend a night, as many of them may be too tired to move on," he says. "But the government is asking me to pay LE22 per square metre of land. But this is my land, why should I pay? They give permits to hotels with such ease but for Bedouin it is difficult. They tell me there's a special office for 'investors' in El-Tor and I have to go all the way there."
In a 1957 publication, Sinai and Saint Catherine Monastery by William Farid Bassili of the Egyptian State Tourist Administration, mention is made of a five-day excursion to Sinai offering travel from Cairo and return, with three days in the desert. Today, Sheikh Musa offers one to 10-night safaris in the heart of southern Sinai, with alternative paths and detours for the more adventurous.
Practical information:
The cost of safaris (in which the nights are spent in a shack at LE2/night) is approximately LE120 per day -- LE40 for the camel, LE40 for the guide and LE40 for the organiser. Charges for guides may vary.
There are two places through which camels cannot pass (Galt Al-Azraq, Gabal Serbal and Gabal Umm Shomar) when donkeys are used (LE 60/day)
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