Our Story
A home imagined in silence and shaped by patience.
The story of Dar Katrine began in 2007, when Mohammad arrived in Saint Catherine on a spontaneous trip. The mountains, the light, and the silence left a mark. He stayed for months, building friendships and learning the rhythms of the land.
In 2013, Bassma discovered the same magnetic pull toward these mountains. Their shared love for Saint Catherine drew them closer—through hikes, shared stories, and countless trips. By October 2016, during their first hike together, something shifted. In December 2017, they were married.
Saint Catherine became their sanctuary—a place to return to at least twice a year, to slow down, breathe, and reconnect. And always, there was the quiet dream of a home here. In 2020, that dream took shape when they bought a small house in Wadi el Raha with the help of local Bedouin friends, Badry Mohamed and Ragab Eid (may Allah have mercy on his soul). Over time, they acquired neighboring plots until the land became a spacious haven.
The plan was ambitious: expand the original structure into a U-shaped house with maximum privacy, perfect ventilation, and no concrete—only natural stone and wood. Mohamed A. Tantawy, an eco-building pioneer friend, designed the concept, while the old house became the heart of the new.
Building remotely from Cairo proved… interesting. Mohammad made weekly or biweekly trips, solving challenges from unexpected pipes to elusive building materials. Salma Safaa, another architect friend, stepped in to help manage on-site decisions. And then there were the dozen amazing helpers—locals and friends—Ali Tarek, Marwa Ghallab, Nada Khaled, Mariam Hamza (and her team), and many others—who made choices on their behalf when needed, sometimes without asking.
Your ContentBetween 2021 and 2024, life grew alongside the house. Their first child arrived in 2021, their second in 2024—both shaping the dream into a family sanctuary where safety, calm, and beauty could meet.
By summer 2025, Dar Katrine was complete. The first stay with the kids revealed exactly what they had imagined: wide windows framing mountain ridges, natural light drifting through every room, seating areas that followed the sun, and air so fresh it felt alive. Even the bathrooms had mountain views. Goes Here
Dar Katrine is not just a house. It is a place where time slows, where every stone carries a story, and where the sacred mountains of Saint Catherine wrap you in stillness. Its name—meaning “House of Saint Catherine”—is both a tribute to the land and a reflection of the care, patience, and community that brought it to life.