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Limited by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gulf of Suez (shallow) to the west and the Gulf of Akaba (very deep) later alphabetic. Rugged mountains, arid deserts, stony moorlands, occasional wadis and oases and a varied coastline.
Its majestic landscape is a kaleidoscope of colors ranging from gray, pink and yellow granite through green, brown, blue and ocher to white clay. The underwater landscapes of the Red Sea, which extends from Ras Mohamed to Taba, are amazing, and the wonderful coral reefs abound with a rich and varied marine flora and fauna.
Most of its inhabitants live in the north, on the coastal plain. The rest of the area has scattered Bedouin populations that arrived from the Arabian Peninsula 500 years ago. His nomadic life has almost disappeared and even the everlasting camels are replaced by jeeps. However, hospitality remains an important aspect of Bedouin culture and guests are welcomed with a strong and sweet cup, and the possibility of buying local handicrafts. Serabit el-Khadim is an old turquoise mine in the southwest of Sinai. During the Middle and New Kingdom it was visited by numerous Egyptian mining expeditions.
The site is known for its inscriptions carved into the open rock, but most of all for the temple of the 12th dynasty built near the mine for the goddess Hathor lady of the turquoise. The caravan drivers left large commemorative steles in the temple. There were also the famous prosynitic inscriptions in the Semitic precursor alphabet of later literary writings.