Dr. Nuria Sanz, Director of the UNESCO Cairo Office, visited on Monday the St.Catherine World Heritage Site and the ongoing Great Transfiguration Project in South Sinai.
Sanz was received by a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The delegation was led by Khaled Sarwat, adviser on international relations and supervisor general of the international cooperation and treaties department at the ministry, and Abu Bakr Ahmed, who is in charge of managing the work of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
They were joined by authorities from the South Sinai governorate and other experts.
Sanz went on an inspection tour of the archaeological site and St. Catherine's Monastery.
During the tour, officials from the Antiquities Ministry explained the latest development work being done at the site, including the rehabilitation of the road leading to St. Catherine’s Monastery, alongside developments in the visitor center and the services building.
A number of meetings were held on the sidelines of the tour with officials of St. Catherine's Monastery.
During the visit, the delegation had the privilege of interacting with the monastic community residing in the St. Catherine Monastery, one of the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monasteries in the world.
The monks expressed their great efforts in the restoration project of the monastery's library building and its volumes, which have great religious and archaeological importance.
The visit comes within the framework of the Ministry's interest in the site as it is one of the archaeological sites registered on the World Heritage List and is a part of the ongoing "Great Transfiguration Project" in the governorate.
It aimed to explore potential areas of further collaboration in terms of conservation and management of movable and built heritage of the site to ensure a lasting preservation of its unique treasures, sacred spirit, and religious daily practices.
Follow the latest news on Google News
