The South Sinai is one of the most spectacularly beautiful landscapes on the planet, some of which has in recent years been set aside as national parkland. These parks are comparatively young–Ras Mohammed having been established only in 1983–and they have been joined even more recently by the region surrounding St. Catherine Monastery. Encompassing Mount Sinai as well as a number of other attractions of the area, the park at St. Catherine’s is perhaps the best example of the purpose and the need for the Sinai’s protected areas