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.
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 ==