The Sinai
The people living on the Sinai Peninsula occupy a location
that has long been important in Egyptian affairs. Politically,
the peninsula was part of Israel from 1967 to 1979, when Israel
agreed to pull out of the region as part of the Israel-Egypt Peace
Treaty. Much of the Sinai is bordered by water. The Mediterra-
nean Sea forms the region’s northern border. In the northwest,
the Suez Canal links the Red Sea and Mediterranean. At the
head of the Red Sea, the “Y”-shaped troughs occupied by the
Gulf of Suez in the west and Gulf of Aqaba complete the water
boundaries. People living in the southern reaches of the Sinai,
in particular, have benefited greatly from their crossroads loca-
tion. Strategically situated between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the
Mediterranean coast, the cultural interaction over the years has
been quite remarkable.