After the heavy showers that hit South Sinai over the winter, the mountains of Saint Catherine are brimming with life, with crystal clear pools of water dotting the usually dry landscape and lush greenery adding swathes of vibrant color to the valleys and hills of the area. It’s easy to be filled with a sense of hope and wonder at the amazing cycles of life that the Earth goes through when left uninterrupted, and uncorrupted, by us.
Aurelia Weintz, a Permaculturist living in Sinai, shared these stunning pictures yesterday highlighting the unbelievable natural beauty of our deserts after a season of heavy rainfall. Weintz is currently working to protect the natural and cultural heritage of the area, collaborating closely with Sinaweya, a great social enterprise that we’ll be featuring very soon on Scoop Empire, as well as the local bedouin community, without which any conservation work is meaningless.
Sinai, as with many desert lands, holds much much more than meets the eye. Recording and protecting the incredibly diverse and rich heritage of both the land and its people is especially important now, as globalization and modernization threaten to wipe out all traces of ancient tradition and an ecosystem that has been survived for millennia.
The photos were all taken by Weintz between Farsh Rummana and Galt el Azraq (the Black Pool).