El Tor, Egypt

{{For|the bacterial strain|El Tor}} {{Redirect|Raithu}} {{Redirect|El-Tur|other uses of Tur|Tur (disambiguation){{!}}Tur}} {{Infobox settlement  | name = El Tor | other_name = | native_name = {{lang|arz|الطور}} | nickname = | settlement_type = City | motto =  | image_skyline = {{photomontage |photo1a = Hammam Musa (Moses' Bath), hot spring, El-Tor. South Sinai. Egypt. 03.jpg |photo2a = El-Tor. South Sinai. Egypt. 01.jpg |photo3a = Mount Sinai (997008872697505171).jpg |photo3b = Mount Sinai (997008872698605171.jpg |photo4a = El Tor, Qesm at Tour, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt - panoramio.jpg |photo4b = Mount Moses.jpg |size = 270 |color = transparent |spacing = 1 }} | image_caption = | image_flag = | flag_size = | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_shield = | shield_size = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Egypt#Africa | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_mapsize = 300 | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Egypt | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|Egypt}} | subdivision_type1 = Governorate | subdivision_name1 = {{flag|South Sinai}} | subdivision_type2 = | subdivision_name2 = | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 =  | leader_name1 = | established_title =  | established_date =  | area_magnitude = | area_footnotes = <ref name="citypopulation">{{cite web |title=Aṭ-Ṭūr (Kism (urban and rural parts), Egypt) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/egypt/admin/s%C4%ABn%C4%81_al_jan%C5%ABbiyah/3501__a%E1%B9%AD_%E1%B9%AD%C5%ABr/ |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=17 March 2023}}</ref> | area_total_km2 = 2,581 | area_land_km2 =  | population_as_of = 2021 | population_footnotes = <ref name="citypopulation" /> | population_note = | population_total = 43,720 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_sq_mi = auto | population_metro = | population_density_metro_km2 = auto | population_density_metro_sq_mi = auto | population_blank1_title = Ethnicities | population_blank1 = | population_density_blank1_km2 = auto | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = auto | timezone = EST | utc_offset = +2 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | coordinates = {{coord|28|14|30|N|33|37|20|E|region:EG|display=inline,title}} | elevation_footnotes = <ref name="citypopulation" /> | elevation_m = 14 | elevation_ft =  | postal_code_type =  | postal_code = | area_code = (+20) 377 | blank_name = | blank_info = | blank1_name = | blank1_info = | website = | footnotes = }} '''El Tor''' ({{langx|arz|الطور}} ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|aṭ-Ṭūr}}/{{transliteration|arz|et-Ṭūr }}'' {{IPA|arz|etˈtˤuːɾ}}), also romanized as ''Al-Tur'' and ''At-Tur'' and known as ''Tur Sinai'', formerly '''Raithu''', is a 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 is believed to have received the Tablets of the Law from God; this mountain is designated ''Jabal Al Tor''.

At-Tur itself appears to have been founded in the 13th century near the site of the ancient Raythou (medieval ''Raya'').<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Peacock|first1=David|last2=Peacock|author-link1=David Peacock (archaeologist)| first2=Andrew|title=The Enigma of 'Aydhab: a Medieval Islamic Port on the Red Sea Coast|url=https://www.academia.edu/16070958|journal=International Journal of Nautical Archaeology|year=2008|language=en|volume=37|issue=1|pages=32–48|doi=10.1111/j.1095-9270.2007.00172.x|issn=1057-2414}}</ref> 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). Known for its springs, the city is an important tourist destination in the South Sinai Governorate along with Sharm El Sheikh and Saint Catherine.

==History== ===Monastery=== 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 (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.<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/194/ Rutho Monastery - UNESCO World Heritage Centre] Retrieved on 2009-03-26.</ref> Theodore of Raithu was champion of neo-Chalcedonism in the early 7th century.

=== Portuguese attack === En route to Suez with the objective to seek and destroy the Ottoman fleet, a Portuguese Armada was sent in 1541 to Red Sea.

After several days sailing, the commander Estevão da Gama gave the order to direct a surprise attack. The troops were able to disembark and the defenders came out to the shore but were pushed to the city not managing to close the city doors. The Portuguese as the city fell, were ready to loot, but two priests came to the Commander, and appealed to him avoiding the destruction. Several soldiers were armed Knights after a mass, and the armada stayed for a few days preparing to sail and attack Suez.

===Modern Egypt=== El Tor was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967. It was returned to Egypt, along with the rest of the Sinai Peninsula, following the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty.

== Geography == === Climate === Its climate is classified by Köppen-Geiger system as hot desert (BWh).

{{Weather box |width = auto |location = El Tor |single line = Yes |metric first = Yes |Jan record high C = 28.8 |Feb record high C = 29.7 |Mar record high C = 35.9 |Apr record high C = 38.9 |May record high C = 42.6 |Jun record high C = 42.4 |Jul record high C = 42.5 |Aug record high C = 40.5 |Sep record high C = 38.2 |Oct record high C = 35.6 |Nov record high C = 31.7 |Dec record high C = 28.7 |year record high C = 42.6 |Jan high C = 20.9 |Feb high C = 21.9 |Mar high C = 24.2 |Apr high C = 28.0 |May high C = 31.0 |Jun high C = 32.3 |Jul high C = 33.2 |Aug high C = 33.3 |Sep high C = 31.0 |Oct high C = 28.2 |Nov high C = 25.3 |Dec high C = 22.3 |year high C = 27.6 |Jan mean C = 16.1 |Feb mean C = 17.0 |Mar mean C = 19.9 |Apr mean C = 23.4 |May mean C = 26.2 |Jun mean C = 27.9 |Jul mean C = 28.9 |Aug mean C = 29.1 |Sep mean C = 27.6 |Oct mean C = 24.5 |Nov mean C = 20.7 |Dec mean C = 17.4 |year mean C = 23.2 |Jan low C = 9.5 |Feb low C = 10.2 |Mar low C = 13.5 |Apr low C = 17.2 |May low C = 20.3 |Jun low C = 23.1 |Jul low C = 24.0 |Aug low C = 24.8 |Sep low C = 23.2 |Oct low C = 19.1 |Nov low C = 14.4 |Dec low C = 11.4 |year low C = 17.6 |Jan record low C = 2.6 |Feb record low C = 4.2 |Mar record low C = 5.6 |Apr record low C = 8.8 |May record low C = 13.2 |Jun record low C = 18.4 |Jul record low C = 20.3 |Aug record low C = 20.7 |Sep record low C = 17.2 |Oct record low C = 10.5 |Nov record low C = 7.0 |Dec record low C = 5.8 |year record low C = 2.6 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 0 |Feb precipitation mm = 0 |Mar precipitation mm = 0 |Apr precipitation mm = 0 |May precipitation mm = 0 |Jun precipitation mm = 0 |Jul precipitation mm = 0 |Aug precipitation mm = 0 |Sep precipitation mm = 0 |Oct precipitation mm = 1 |Nov precipitation mm = 1 |Dec precipitation mm = 5 |year precipitation mm = 7 |Jan humidity = 53 |Feb humidity = 51 |Mar humidity = 53 |Apr humidity = 55 |May humidity = 56 |Jun humidity = 57 |Jul humidity = 59 |Aug humidity = 63 |Sep humidity = 66 |Oct humidity = 61 |Nov humidity = 58 |Dec humidity = 55 |year humidity = 57.2 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 0 |Feb precipitation days = 0 |Mar precipitation days = 0 |Apr precipitation days = 0 |May precipitation days = 0 |Jun precipitation days = 0 |Jul precipitation days = 0 |Aug precipitation days = 0 |Sep precipitation days = 0 |Oct precipitation days = 0 |Nov precipitation days = 0 |Dec precipitation days = 0.1 |year precipitation days = 0.1 |source 1 = NOAA<ref name= NOAA>{{Cite FTP | url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/UB/62459.TXT | server = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | title = El–Tor Climate Normals 1961–1990 | access-date = October 25, 2015}}</ref>

| source 2 = Climate Charts<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/u/UB62459.php |title=El Tor, Egypt Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data |publisher=Climate Charts |access-date=12 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817034144/http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/u/UB62459.php |archive-date=17 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

}}

==See also== * List of cities and towns in Egypt

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== * Portuguese Sea Battles Volume III - From Brazil to Japan 1539 - 1579 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Saturnino-Monteiro/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ASaturnino+Monteiro {{Governorates capital of Egypt}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Governorate capitals in Egypt Category:Populated places in South Sinai Governorate Category:Populated coastal places in Egypt