The Imprints of the French Expedition on St. Catherine’s Monastery (1798-1801)

Abdel Meged, Shimaa Abdel Tawab Sayed; AbdelAziz, Marwa Ezz El-Din

doi:10.21608/mfth.2025.429777

The Imprints of the French Expedition on St. Catherine’s Monastery (1798-1801)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Associate Professor, Tourist Guidance Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Helwan University

² Lecturer, Tourist Guidance Department, Sinai Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotels, Ras Sadr

10.21608/mfth.2025.429777

Abstract

Sinai is distinguished by its important strategic site, it is the main key to Egypt at the heart of the world with its continents and civilizations, and the axis of communication between the Africa and Asia. On the other hand, it is rich in a group of archaeological, religious and tourist landmarks, in addition to its possession of many natural components and its strategic role throughout the ages. Sinai's history has witnessed numerous major battles that transformed it into a battlefield. The best evidence of this transformation is the arrival of the French Expedition in Egypt, where the vision of French generals changed, along with their look of a part of the Sinai region, namely St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai Governorate. St. Catherine's Monastery is the oldest monastery in the world and international tourist landmark, in addition to its distinguished religious status among the world's churches and monasteries and its administrative independence. With the arrival of the French Expedition to Egypt in 1798-1801, the strategic and defensive importance of Sinai increased, and this was reflected in the interest in St. Catherine's Monastery.
The research relies on historical, descriptive, and analytical of Saint Catherine's Monastery. It answers questions such as:
- What is the archaeological, religious historical role of Saint Catherine's Monastery?
-What fundamental changes did the French Expedition cause to the monastery's architecture? Continued focus on the tourist routes of Saint Catherine's Monastery? Recommendations include raising historical and archaeological awareness among tour guides about the monastery's importance, not only from a religious perspective, but also as a center of cultural and civilizational heritage throughout the ages, in addition to what will become clear through the study.

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