Sinai Peninsula Research (SPR) & AlpPlan
SINAI PENINSULA RESEARCH (SPR) started as a private survey and documentation fieldwork by Dr Ahmed Shams [BSc (Hons) PhD] in the High Mountains of Sinai Peninsula (TurSina), including the area of the Holy Monastery of St. Catherine. A series of seventeen expeditions (Phase I: 2000-2008) were conducted in order to study the geography and human occupation development of the entire mountain range. Between 2010 and 2013 (Phase II), the previously conducted office/field work has undergone an extensive analysis and modeling process via a PhD study, supervised and sponsored by IMT Institute for Advanced Studies, Lucca, Italy, scientifically collaborating with the EURAC research AlpEnv Institute for Alpine Environment, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy via SinaiAlps Project (DIAMONT-based Project), towards a global perspective.
SPR Interest
- Mapping, mapmaking & geographical knowledge-making
- Cartographic theory and GIS
- Connectivity clusters
- Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES)
- Landscape and land use and landscape consumption
- Spatial planning
- Spatio-market analysis
- Protected areas
- Mountain/high-altitude areas
- Desert & mountain frontiers and borderlands (Middle East, Alps, Hindu-Kush/Himalaya & Tibet)
Field Expeditions
Survey - Phase I: 2000-2008 (Egypt)
- August 2000 G. Musa
- July 2001 G. Musa, G. Abbas, G. Katharina, G. Bab
- February 2002 G. Musa, G. Sefsafa
- June 2002 G. Sefsafa
- September 2002 G. Katharina
- February 2003 G. Katharina
- June 2003 G. Umm Shoumar
- September 2003 G. Sefsafa
- February 2004 G. Musa, G. Sefsafa
- August 2004 G. Bab, G. Tarbush, G. Banat, G. Abbas
- January 2005 G. Musa, Nasb Abu Grun
- June 2005 G. Katharina, G. Khalta
- January 2006 G. Thabt
- July 2006 G. Katharina, G. Khalta, Nasb Abu Grun, G. Bab
- February 2007 G. Musa
- April 2007 G. Anshil, G. Maza
- September 2007 G. Sefsafa
Documentation - Phase I (Egypt)
- June 2008 G. Katharina
- March 2009 Town of St. Catherine
- April 2009 Holy Monastery of St. Catherine
- June 2009 Town of St. Catherine, G. Abbas
Analysis - Phase II: 2000-2013 (Egypt)
- August 2010 G. Katharina
The Alps - Phase II (Italy, Switzerland & Austria)
- October 2011-October 2012
SinaiAlps Project: DIAMONT-based Project
- February 2010 [SPR Aerial Series]
Central-Upper Rhône
Mont Blanc de Cheilon-Monte Rosa ridge
- March 2011 Colle/Kohlern
- August 2011 [SPR Aerial Series]
The Southern Alpine Lakes: Lago d'Orta-Lago Maggiore-Lagi di Lungano-Lago di Como region
Mont Blanc de Cheilon-Monte Rosa ridge
Central-Upper Rhône
The Western Alpine Lakes: Lac de Neuchâtel-Murtensee-Bielersee
- September 2011 [SPR Aerial Series]
The Western Alpine Lakes: Lac Léman/Geneva & Ain
Central-Upper Rhône
Mont Blanc range
- October 2011 Colle-Kohlern, Val di Mazia/Matscher Tal, Naturpark Rieserferner - Valle di Anterselva/Anthol zer Tal,
Naturpark Rieserferner - Valle di Riva/Rain Tal, Lower Val Venosta/Vinschgau
- November 2011 Val Pusteria/Pustertal, Val di Mazia/Matscher Tal, Cornon del Renon/Rittner Horn, Upper Val Venosta/Vinschgau,
- December 2011 S. Cipriano/St. Zyprian, Laste di Verdins/Alpplattspitze, Plain De Corones/Kron Platz, Val Gardena/Gröden
- March 2012 Colle/Kohlern, Lower Val Venosta/Vinschgau
- April 2012 Lower Val Venosta/Vinschgau
- May 2012 Val di Mazia/Matscher Tal
- July 2012 [SPR Aerial Series]
The Northern Alpine Lakes: Lucerne-Brienzersee-Thunersee & Zugersee
The Southern Alpine Lakes: Lago d'Iseo
- August 2012 Grawand Glacier, Lago di Garda
The Eastern Alpine Arc - Col Nudo Arc (SPR Open Plain Series)
- September 2012 Val d'Ega/Eggental, Plose, Latemar, Stubaital
Project - Phase III: 2013+
- January 2013 [SPR Aerial Series]
The Southern Alpine Lakes: Lago Maggiore
- September 2013 Nasb Abu Grun, G. Musa
- November 2013 [SPR Aerial Series]
Mont Blanc de Cheilon range
- April 2014 [SPR Aerial Series]
Mont Blanc de Cheilon-Monte Rosa ridge
Central-Upper Rhône
The Western Alpine Lakes: Lac Léman/Geneva
- December 2014 [SPR Aerial Series]
Mont Blanc/Monte Bianco, Val d'Aosta
- May 2015 Val di Mazia/Matscher Tal (Berkwaal, Leitenwaal, Quairwaal, Grigwaal, Matschwaal, Ackerwaal),
Upper Val Ridanna/Rinaun Tal, Upper Val Venosta/Vinschgau
- June 2015 Val Pusteria/Pustertal, Colle/Kohlern, Alpi di Siusi/Seiser Alm, Dachstein, Hallstatter See
- August 2015 G. Musa, G. Sefsafa, G. Abbas
- September 2015 [SPR Aerial Series]
The Southern Alpine Lakes: Lago d'Orta-Lago Maggiore-Lagi di Monate-Lago di Varese-Lago di Comabbio
Mont Blanc de Cheilon-Monte Rosa ridge, Upper Rhône, Albristhorn-Niesen range
- August 2016 [SPR Aerial Series]
Upper Rhône and Upper Rhine
The Northern Alpine Lakes: Hallwilersee-Baldeggersee-Sempachersee,
Lucerne-Alpnachersee-Wichelsee-Sarnersee-Lungernersee-Brienzersee-Thunersee
The Southern Alpine Lakes: Lago Maggiore-Lagi di Lungano-Lago di Como region
- December 2016 Mont Blanc/Monte Bianco, Punta Helbronner snowfields, Val di Susa
The Western Alpine Arc - Monte Viso-Monte Rosa Arc (SPR Open Plain Series)
- November 2018 [SPR Aerial Series]
Upper Rhône
- March 2020 Bernese Alps, Jungfrau-Aletsch, Monte Rosa Massif-Cervinia/Matterhorn ridge
- October 2022 Helm/M. Elmo-Fullhrn-Hochgrube, Birnlucke/Forc del Picco-Ref. Brigata Tridentina, Drei Zinnen/Tre Cime di La Vararedo-Ref. Brigata Tridentina, Pfelders.Plan-Unt. Schneidalm-Zwickweur-Planferner Hutte, Saint Martin im Kofel/San Martino al Monte, Abtei/Alta Badia-Uita Piz La Ila
- November 2022 La Villa/Stern-Abtei/Alta Badia, Pragser Wildsee/Lago di Braies-Grunwaldalm, Sand in Taufers/Campo Tures- Reinbach Wasserfall/Cascatadi Riva, Passirtal/Val Passiria-Rabenstein/Corvara in Passiria
- August 2023 Piz Boe & Sas de Pordoi, Speikboden/Monte Spico, Rotmoos/Rotbach & Rotalm/Rio di Valle Rossa, La Crusc/Santa Croce & Wengental/Valle di La Valle, Knappenegg/Brugger/Knappenstockl, Lavarellahutte/Fanes, Durrensee/Lago di Landro & Rienztal/Valle della Rienza
- November 2023 Julian Alps/Triglav National Park: Bohinjsko Jezero, Koča Merjasec na Voglu
After obtaining my PhD in Management and Development of Cultural Heritage (MDCH) [2013] from IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy (jointly with EURAC research AlpEnv Institute for Alpine Environment, Italy: SinaiAlps project), I joined the Department of Archaeology, Durham University as a postdoc researcher (AHRC fund) and started teaching [current: since 2014] in the MA International Cultural Heritage Management (ICHM). I joined The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project at the School of Archaeology, University of Oxford as a consultant for The SinaiArchaeoWater (SAW) project [current: since 2018]. At present, I am the research officer at Henley Business School, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), and a member of the AlpPlan European Working Group (ARL/OpenSpaceAlps) and PlanToConnect Expert Platform (The Interreg Alpine Space projects) on green infrastructure, ecological connectivity and spatial planning in The Alps.
I am the founder of Sinai Peninsula Research (SPR) ― a 23-year field survey and cross-disciplinary and inter-sectoral project with 14,000 plus points-of-interest GIS database to promote informed regional and local (municipal) spatial planning, governance, and natural and cultural landscape management in Sinai Peninsula.
Drawing on 23-year of continuous field expeditions, I have recently published THE SINAI'S MAPS TRILOGY, the first ever concise history of mapping and mapmaking in Sinai Peninsula — a game changer article series by Sinai Peninsula Research (SPR) on the nature of the international boundary and postcolonial maps, and contemporary spatial planning, governance, landscape, and land use and ownership across the peninsula. The TRIOLOGY key scholarly articles reveal a 150 years gap in mapping and mapmaking in Sinai Peninsula and the Middle East. This raises crucial open questions about the reliability of the maps in the region―in understanding the historic and contemporary development of the cartographic knowledge and the realities on ground. The new maps of SPR uncover a dramatic loss in cartographic knowledge on the consecutive historic and contemporary maps, and the its impact on spatial planning and governance and geopolitics.
At present (founded on the above), I work on developing a new cartographic and spatio-market planning methodology to monitor tourism flow to high-altitude mountain and protected areas in The Alps ― to develop and geo-visualise a pan-Alpine impact indicator. It compromises the principles of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) and Spatial Planning, and will be used in local/regional spatial planning instrumentation (protected area and municipal plans), i.e., geodata
