El Tor (Arabic: الطور aṭ-Ṭūr / et-Ṭūr Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [etˈtˤuːɾ]), also romanized as Al-Tur and At-Tur and known as Tur Sinai, formerly Raithu, is a small city and the capital of the South Sinai Governorate of Egypt. The name of the city comes from the Arabic term for the mountain where the prophet Moses received the Tables of the Law from God; this mountain is designated Jabal Al Tor.
El Tor
الطور | |
---|---|
city | |
Coordinates: 28°14′30″N 33°37′20″E / 28.24167°N 33.62222°E | |
Country | |
Governorate | South Sinai |
Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
Population (2012) | |
• Total | 32,877 |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
Area code | (+20) 377 |
The El Tor strain of cholera was discovered there in 1905. It was a quarantine camp for Muslim pilgrims returning from Hajj (the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca).
The Raithu desert is situated around El Tor, between Saint Catherine and the Red Sea. It is part of the Archdiocese of Mount Sinai and Raithu of the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The "Martyrs of Raithu" were 43 anchorites (sort of early Christian hermits) murdered by bedouins (desert dwellers) during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305CE). Christian monks fleeing persecutions had been present since the 3rd century, and the Raithu monastery (or Rutho) was commissioned in the 6th century by Byzantine emperor Justinian. The latter was proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage site on November 1, 1994, in the Cultural category.[1]
Climate
Its climate is classified by Köppen-Geiger system as hot desert (BWh).
Climate data for El Tor | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 28.8 (83.8) |
29.7 (85.5) |
35.9 (96.6) |
38.9 (102.0) |
42.6 (108.7) |
42.4 (108.3) |
42.5 (108.5) |
40.5 (104.9) |
38.2 (100.8) |
35.6 (96.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
28.7 (83.7) |
42.6 (108.7) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.9 (69.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
24.2 (75.6) |
28.0 (82.4) |
31.0 (87.8) |
32.3 (90.1) |
33.2 (91.8) |
33.3 (91.9) |
31.0 (87.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
25.3 (77.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
27.6 (81.7) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) |
17.0 (62.6) |
19.9 (67.8) |
23.4 (74.1) |
26.2 (79.2) |
27.9 (82.2) |
28.9 (84.0) |
29.1 (84.4) |
27.6 (81.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
23.2 (73.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.5 (49.1) |
10.2 (50.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
23.1 (73.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
24.8 (76.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
19.1 (66.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
11.4 (52.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | 2.6 (36.7) |
4.2 (39.6) |
5.6 (42.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
13.2 (55.8) |
18.4 (65.1) |
20.3 (68.5) |
20.7 (69.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.8 (42.4) |
2.6 (36.7) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
5 (0.2) |
7 (0.3) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 53 | 51 | 53 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 59 | 63 | 66 | 61 | 58 | 55 | 57.2 |
Source 1: NOAA[2] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Climate Charts[3] |
References
- ^ Rutho Monastery - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved on 2009-03-26.
- ^ "El–Tor Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ "El Tor, Egypt Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data". Climate Charts. Retrieved 12 August 2013.