Wadi Feiran Oasis
The largest oasis of Sinai, beneath Mount Serbal — an early Christian bishopric with a convent of Greek Orthodox nuns.
A green valley in the mountains
Wadi Feiran is the largest and most fertile oasis of the Sinai Peninsula, a long valley of palm groves, gardens and tamarisks stretching between granite mountains on the road between the Gulf of Suez coast and Saint Catherine. Above it rises the jagged mass of Gebel Serbal, which some early Christians identified as the biblical Mount Sinai.
Ancient Pharan
In late antiquity, Feiran was the site of Pharan, the most important town of southern Sinai and the seat of a bishop from the fourth to the seventh centuries. Monks and hermits settled in the caves and valleys around it, and ruins of churches, a cathedral and hermit cells can be seen on the hillsides and on the low hill of Tell el-Mekharet. Some traditions also associate the valley with the biblical Rephidim, where the Israelites fought the Amalekites.
The convent
Today, a small convent of Greek Orthodox nuns, a dependency of Saint Catherine's Monastery, stands in the oasis among its gardens. Visits can sometimes be arranged; the nuns are known for the beauty of their garden and their hospitality. The oasis is inhabited by Bedouin families, and the valley is a starting point for treks to the summit of Mount Serbal with a local guide.
Exhibo editorial
After hours of bare granite on the road from the coast, Wadi Feiran comes as a shock of green: date palms, gardens, little orchards walled with stone, children and goats along the road, and above it all the saw-toothed ridge of Mount Serbal. Early Christians thought this, not Gebel Musa, was the mountain of Moses, and standing in the valley it's easy to see why.
Stop for an hour on the way to Saint Catherine: walk among the palms, look for the ruins of ancient Pharan on the hillsides, and if the nuns welcome visitors that day, see their garden — one of the most peaceful places in Sinai.
How to find it
Wadi Feiran lies on the main road from the Gulf of Suez coast (via Abu Rudeis) to Saint Catherine, about 50–60 km before Saint Catherine. The convent stands near the road in the heart of the oasis; ask locally or arrange a visit through Saint Catherine's Monastery or a local guide.
