Discover Sinai

Very easy to reach from the town of St. Katherine, it lies just below the holy peaks of Mt. Sinai on one side and of Mt. Katherine on the other side. Mt. Sinai can be reached different ways, and the full day program is definitelly recommended. There is an ancient small Orthodox monastery next to the garden, with a big stone-walled orchard, olive groves, tall cypress trees. The rock of Moses is also in the same valley. Ramadan, the owner of the garden, sometimes plays the traditional stringed intrument, the simsimiyya. He also breeds Rock Hyraxes, a cute hairy mountain creature. The terraced garden has many secluded areas away from Ramadan's family tent, with stone rooms for winter use and shady-windy open arishas for summer. There are clean toilets and showers. There are many fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, all grown organically. The garden is ideal for individuals and smaller groups who want to relax on holy land but don't want to - or unable to - walk too much or too hard. ...

Originally posted on March 12, 2014 Although the temperature has dropped significantly and it might be still a bit cold for a few more days even in the desert, spring is here. According to the Bedouin - the Arabs - there is only spring if there are plants for their animals to eat. Unfortunately that’s not always the case: for many years, due to a long drought, there was no spring, but last year it has returned. When the plants are big enough to take the animals to graze, many Bedouin move out to their traditional grazing grounds in the desert. First they go and check if plants are growing, and what plants exactly: some are good for sheep and goats, others for camels. If everything is fine, they pack up and go. In the past that was done by camels and on foot, these days pickups are used. They stay in a place as long as there is enough food for their animals, then either move to another area or go back to their settlements. These settlements with the simple brick houses are fairly new, i...