Overview

• On May 28, an Egyptian appeals court ruled that St Catherine’s Monastery sits on state-owned land while affirming the community’s right to continue its use.
• A Greek government delegation arrived in Cairo on June 4 to contest the verdict, citing a 2002 UNESCO document that recognizes church ownership of the monastery grounds.
• Egyptian authorities defend the decision as reinforcing public stewardship of the site, with President al-Sisi pledging to uphold its sacred status.
• The dispute overlaps with the ‘Great Transfiguration’ tourism megaproject, which UNESCO urged in 2023 to pause for environmental and heritage impact reviews.
• St Catherine’s, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited monastery and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands in a nature reserve where the local Jabaliya tribe has long sought basic infrastructure improvements.