1091 CE Sinai Quake

Textual Evidence

Text (with hotlink)	Original Language	Biographical Info	Religion	Date of Composition	Location Composed	Notes
Nectarius of Jerusalem	Greek	Biography	Greek Orthodox Christian	before 1680 CE	Jerusalem ?	Nectarius of Jerusalem reports that seven shocks occurred on the same night (12 February 1091 CE) when the Archbishop of the Monastery (John the Athenian) was tortured and killed. However, Ambraseys (2009) notes that the date of John's martyrdom is in dispute. Eckenstein (1921:144-145) reports that this martyrdom occurred in 1069 CE which raises the possibility that these shocks were related to the 1068 CE Earthquake(s) which appears to have been due to fault ruptures along the Araba Fault and/or the Gulf of Aqaba. Chiekho (1907:416) cited an Arabic manuscript to date John's martyrdom to 1091 CE which, according to Ambraseys (2009), was followed by Rabino (1937:82). Ambraseys (2009) also cites an anonymous Greek text from 1817 as stating that John's martyrdom occurred in 1061, 1071, or 1091 CE in different parts of that text.
Text (with hotlink)	Original Language	Biographical Info	Religion	Date of Composition	Location Composed	Notes

Nectarius of Jerusalem

Aliases

Aliases	Greek
Nectarius of Jerusalem
Nectarios Kretas
Patriarch Nektarios
Nikolaos Pelopidis	Νεκτάριος Πελοπίδης

Background and Biography

Excerpts

English from Triantafyllou et al. (2022)

from Triantafyllou et al. (2022:12)
from Part Γ of Epitome
Triantafyllou et al. (2022:12) related the following as a preface to their excerpt:
In Part Γ of Epitome the attack of an Egyptian troop against the Sinai Monastery is narrated. This event happened in the year AD 1091. The Archbishop of the Monastery Iωάννης Αθηναῖος (Ιoannis Athinaeos) [was] tortured by the Egyptians until he died on AD 12 February 1091. In Epitome one may find a short account regarding a series of earthquakes felt in the Sinai Monastery on the same date

But at that evening seven great and terrible earthquakes happened, and the Barbarians got in fear and left, and after that they asked nothing more.

Chronology

Year	Reference	Corrections	Notes
12 February 1091 CE	the night of the murder of the Archbishop of the Monastery of St. Catherine Iωάννης Αθηναῖος (Ιoannis Athinaeos - John the Athenian) - 12 February 1091 CE	none	Date as reported by Triantafyllou et al. (2022:12) Ambraseys (2009) cautions that the earthquake is dated by reference to the death of the Archbishop John the Athenian, the date of which is subject to some dispute. Ambraseys (2009) adds that Eckenstein (1921:144–145) puts John’s death in 1069, which raises the possibility of the 18 March 1068 earthquake. Ambraseys (2009) goes on to say that Cheikho (1907:416) quotes an Arabic manuscript that gives 1091 for his death, and this is followed by Rabino (1937: 81). Eckenstein (1921:144-145) reports that in the year 1069 John the Athenian, bishop of Sinai, was killed during his stay in Egypt under circumstances that are not recorded while adding that he was canonised at the convent. Chiekho (1907:416) states that according to another Arabic Manuscript, reported in our document, John was archbishop of Sinai in 1091 of Jesus Christ. He was Athenian by birth and was martyred by the Muslims of Egypt: the religious of Sinai gave him the cult due to the Saints.

Seismic Effects

seven great and terrible earthquakes happened

Locations

Monastery of St Catherine in the Sinai

Sources

Notes and Further Reading

References

Location (with hotlink)	Status	Intensity	Notes
Saint Catherine's Monastery In Sinai	no evidence		There is no archaeoseismic evidence that I am aware of although there is Textual evidence
Location (with hotlink)	Status	Intensity	Notes

Saint Catherine's Monastery In Sinai

Tsunamogenic Evidence

Paleoseismic Evidence

Notes

Ambraseys (2009)

AD 1091 Feb 12 Sinai

A series of shocks was felt during the night at the monastery of St Catherine in Sinai.

The earthquake is dated by reference to the death of the Archbishop John the Athenian, the date of which is subject to some dispute.

The sole author (Anon. 1817, 125) to mention the earthquake places it in 1091, but elsewhere in 1061 or/and 1071.

Eckenstein (1921, 144–145) puts John’s death in 1069, which raises the possibility of the 18 March 1068 earthquake. Cheikho (1907, 416) quotes an Arabic manuscript that gives 1091 for his death, and this is followed by Rabino (1937, 81).

No reference to the shock has been found in Arabic sources for this year (484 a.H.) or the surrounding period, or to the Bedouin raids on the monastery that are said to have led to the Archbishop’s death.

References

Ambraseys, N. (2009). Earthquakes in the Mediterranean and Middle East: a multidisciplinary study of seismicity up to 1900. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press.

Ambraseys et al (1994)

1091 February 12 ? Sinai

A series of shocks was felt during the night at the monastery of St Catherine in Sinai. The earthquake is dated by reference to the death of the Archbishop John the Athenian, a date which is the subject of some dispute.¹

Footnotes

1 Anon. (1817), p. 125, the sole author to mention the earthquake, has 1091, but elsewhere 1061 or 1071. Eckenstein (1921), pp. 144-5, puts John's death in to 1069, which raises the possibility of the 18 March 1068 earthquake, see above. Cheikho (1907), p. 416, quotes an Arabic manuscript that gives 1091 for his death, and this is followed by Rabino (1937), p. 82. No reference to the shock has been found in Arabic sources for this year (484 H), or the surrounding period, nor to the bedouin raids on the monastery that are said to have led to the Archbishop's death.

References mentioned

Anonymous (1817) Description of the 114 Mount Sinai N. Glvka, Venice (in Greek) , p. 125

Chiekho, L. (1907) Les Archeveques du Sinai. Melanges de la Far. Orient. de l'Universite St-Joseph, Beirut, 2, 408-21. p. 416 - open access at persee

Eckenstein, L. (1921) History of Sinai. London, pp. 144-5 - open access at archive.org

Rabino, M.H.L. (1937) Le monastere de Sainte Catherine (Mont-Sinai); souvenirs epigraphiques des anciens pelerins. Bull. Soc. R. de Geogr. d'Egypte, 19, 21-126. , p. 82

References

Ambraseys, N. N., Melville, C. P., and Adams, R. D. (1994). The seismicity of Egypt, Arabia, and the Red Sea : a historical review. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Triantafyllou et al. (2022)

from Triantafyllou et al. (2022:12)

4.4 AD 12 February 1091: earthquakes in Sinai

In Part Γ of Epitome the attack of an Egyptian troop against the Sinai Monastery is narrated. This event happened in the year AD 1091. The Archbishop of the Monastery Iωάννης Αθηναῖος (Ιoannis Athinaeos) tortured by the Egyptians until he died on AD 12 February 1091. In Epitome one may find a short account regarding a series of earthquakes felt in the Sinai Monastery on the same date: “But at that evening seven great and terrible earthquakes happened, and the Barbarians got in fear and left, and after that they asked nothing more”.

This earthquake activity is also referred to by Anonymous (1817) who either had access to the source(s) used by the writer of Epitome or just copied Epitome. Guidoboni and Comastri (2005) do not list this earthquake episode. Badawy (1999) and Ambraseys (2009), who do not cite Epitome, included that seismic episode in their earthquake catalogues based only on to Anonymous (1817)

1091 CE Sinai Quake

12 February 1091 CE ?

by Jefferson Williams

Introduction & Summary