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All Egypt Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh Blue Desert

Blue Desert

Brightly painted boulders scattered throughout the Sinai Desert.

Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh, Egypt

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Tawsam
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Some of the painted boulders (Wikimedia Commons)   http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:02_...
Details of some of the boulders (Wikimedia Commons)   http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:08_...
Local man sitting among the surreal rocks (www.verame.com)   http://www.verame.com/anglais/sinai.php
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Not far from Mount Sinai, in the Saint Katherine Protectorate, lies the Blue Desert. Unlike the White Desert and the Black Desert (both in the Egyptian Sahara), the Blue Desert is not a natural creation, but a work of art.

Created in 1980 by Belgian artist Jean Verame, the groundbreaking Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement (1979) inspired the artist to paint several large boulders in this otherwise barren desert region in a bright blue color, symbolizing peace. The unusual peace monument is situated in the South of the Sinai Peninsula, a region which prior to the Peace Agreement, saw numerous battles between the warring countries. The artist used a total of 10 tons of paint, which were granted from the United Nations. Verame has since created similar monumental pieces of art in Morocco and Chad.

Update April 2018: The site has been closed by the Egyptian government and no longer allows visitors.

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Martian Landscapes Outsider Art Ecosystems
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Added By

Tawsam

Edited By

PQPP3, Molly McBride Jacobson

  • PQPP3
  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

October 17, 2011

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  • www.verame.com/anglais/sinai.php
  • sobreegipto.com/2008/09/30/el-desierto-azul-el-lugar-de-la-paz/
  • egyptiantravelguide.com/blue+desert/
Blue Desert
St. Katherine
Cairo
Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh
Egypt
28.433541, 34.064142
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Nearby Places

St. Catherine's Monastery

Qesm Saint Katrin, Egypt

miles away

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh

Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh

Egypt

Places 2

Nearby Places

St. Catherine's Monastery

Qesm Saint Katrin, Egypt

miles away

Red Sea Blue Hole

Qesm Saint Katrin, Egypt

miles away

SS Thistlegorm

Egypt

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh

Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh

Egypt

Places 2

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