A rugged, triangular desert peninsula of granite mountains and dry valleys, forming a land bridge between Africa and Asia.
Area
60,000 km²
Continent
Asia
Location
Sinai Peninsula, between Africa and Asia
Temperature
Hot days, cold mountain nights
Rainfall
Under 100 mm a year
Climate
Hot desert
About the Sinai Desert
The Sinai Desert fills the triangular peninsula that links Egypt’s mainland to south-west Asia. Its north is sandy and low, but the south rises into dramatic granite mountains, including Mount Sinai. Deep wadis, oases and Bedouin communities thread through the rock, and the Nubian ibex still climbs its cliffs.
Did you know?
It is home to Mount Sinai and the ancient St Catherine’s Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Highlights
- A land bridge between two continents
- Home to Mount Sinai and St Catherine’s Monastery
- Rugged granite peaks in the south
Photo gallery
Life in the Sinai Desert
Animals, birds and plants that have adapted to survive this landscape.
Animals
Dromedary camel
The one-humped “ship of the desert”, able to go for days without water.
Caracal
A tawny desert cat with black ear-tufts, famous for leaping at birds.
Sand cat
A small wildcat with furry foot-pads that walk unburnt across hot sand.
Birds
Sandgrouse
Flies vast distances to water and soaks it up in its breast feathers.
Golden eagle
A mighty raptor that patrols open desert mountains and plains.
Trees & plants
Acacia (thorn tree)
Flat-topped thorn trees that survive on scarce desert groundwater.
Date palm
The classic oasis tree, feeding desert peoples with sweet dates for millennia.
Day & night in the Sinai Desert
Deserts are famous for their extreme temperature swings. Flip between day and night to feel the difference — these are typical figures for a subtropical desert.
Midday sun
+45°C
typical daytime high
Blistering daytime heat gives way to surprisingly cool nights — clear skies let the day’s warmth escape, and the temperature can tumble by 30°C or more after dark.
Recorded range for the Sinai Desert: Hot days, cold mountain nights