A cabinet statement on Thursday said that the project claimed the top award at the Middle East Landscape Conference & Exhibition 2025, held in Abu Dhabi under the theme "Nature and Society."
The theme reflects the belief that landscape architecture extends beyond aesthetics: it is a driver of social connection, resilience, and well-being in rapidly evolving cities.
The central challenge is ensuring that urban progress deepens humanity's bond with nature and enhances the quality of life for all.
The international jury, comprising 14 judges, awarded first place in the Planning and Landscape Architecture for Heritage Conservation category to the "St. Catherine – Great Transfiguration Site" project, supervised by Sites International.
The prize was announced during the conference's formal award ceremony.
According to the statement, the Great Transfiguration, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, represents an exceptional fusion of environmental planning, architectural and landscape design, cultural-heritage preservation, and spiritual identity at one of the holiest locations in the world.
The five-year design and implementation process was carried out in close coordination among government bodies, supervising design firms, contracting companies, St. Catherine Monastery, and local Bedouin communities.
The goal was to preserve the site's historic and spiritual essence while revitalizing its local economy and environment through a sustainability-driven master plan that also enhances visitor services and encourages longer stays at this unique destination.
The project's master plan prioritizes harmony with the natural landscape, preserving sacred sightlines, protecting the valley and the monastery's surroundings, and introducing eco-lodges, visitor facilities, and heritage-based economic initiatives, all carefully integrated into the natural terrain.
Innovative water-management systems collect floodwater and treated water for reuse in orchard irrigation and to support Bedouin agriculture, helping restore ecological balance in a landscape long shaped by drought and seasonal floods.
Saint Catherine City, one of Egypt’s most historic and spiritually significant cities, lies at the heart of South Sinai on a high mountain plateau more than 1,500 metres above sea level, making it the highest inhabited area in the peninsula.
Surrounded by some of Egypt’s tallest peaks, including Mount Sinai and Mount Catherine, the city is known for its dramatic desert-mountain landscape, cool climate, and unique ecological diversity.
The city’s identity is inseparable from Saint Catherine’s Monastery, the 6th-century Byzantine complex built by Emperor Justinian I, which is widely regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world.
The UNESCO-listed monastery preserves what is venerated as the Burning Bush, alongside one of the world’s richest collections of ancient manuscripts and religious icons.
Its profound significance makes Saint Catherine a cornerstone of religious heritage for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam alike.
In October 2024, the High International Committee of the African-Asian Union (AFASU) Awards named St. Catherine City the World’s Best Capital of Religions, Tolerance, Peace, and Tourism.
St. Catherine, named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose incorrupt body was believed to have been miraculously transported by angels to the mountain in the 9th century AD, remains one of the most significant holy sites in Christianity.
Modern Saint Catherine is home to nearly 5,000 residents, including long-established Bedouin communities, particularly the Jebeliya tribe, whose cultural traditions, agricultural practices, and craftsmanship form an integral part of the city’s character.
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