St Catherine's Monastery Attractions
The world famed St Catherine's Monastery lies at an altitude of some 4,925ft/1,500m in the Wadi Shuaiba (or Wadi el-Deir, "Monastery Valley"), at the foot of the steep granite walls of Gebel Musa (Mount of Moses; 7,497ft/2,285m), also known as Mount Sinai. According to tradition this was the site of the well at which Moses watered the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro and the spot where he saw the burning bush.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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The fortress-like exterior of the monastery still preserves, in spite of later alterations, essentially the same appearance as when it was originally constructed.
History
The present monastery occupies the site of an earlier fortified monastery founded by Justinian about A.D. 530 as a place of safety for the hermits and anchorites of southern Sinai. Justinian granted the monks 100 Roman and 100 Egyptian slaves, with their wives and children, whose work contributed to the prosperity of the monastery and whose descendants, the Muslim Gebeliye or Tuarah, still live in the neighboring mountains. The monastery was able to maintain itself in spite of the advance of Islam thanks to its great hospitality to Muslim as well as Christian travelers and to its care for Muslim shrines. Most of the monks came, and still come, from Crete and Cyprus. Their numbers, which about the year 1000 were between 300 and 400, have now shrunk to about 50, of whom only 20 live in the monastery itself, the remainder in dependent houses. The rules of the Order are extremely strict. The monks are forbidden to eat meat. The order is headed by an Archbishop, who is normally resident in Cairo and is, therefore, usually represented by a Prior, the Dikaios. The monastery's affairs are managed by an administrator, the Oikonomos.
The Monastery
Roughly square in plan, the monastery measures 93yd/85m by 83yd/76m and is surrounded by walls north 5.5ft/1.65m thick and 39-49ft/12-15m high. The walls on the south and west sides date from the original foundation; those on the east and north sides were destroyed by an earthquake in 1312 and later rebuilt.
History
The present monastery occupies the site of an earlier fortified monastery founded by Justinian about A.D. 530 as a place of safety for the hermits and anchorites of southern Sinai. Justinian granted the monks 100 Roman and 100 Egyptian slaves, with their wives and children, whose work contributed to the prosperity of the monastery and whose descendants, the Muslim Gebeliye or Tuarah, still live in the neighboring mountains. The monastery was able to maintain itself in spite of the advance of Islam thanks to its great hospitality to Muslim as well as Christian travelers and to its care for Muslim shrines. Most of the monks came, and still come, from Crete and Cyprus. Their numbers, which about the year 1000 were between 300 and 400, have now shrunk to about 50, of whom only 20 live in the monastery itself, the remainder in dependent houses. The rules of the Order are extremely strict. The monks are forbidden to eat meat. The order is headed by an Archbishop, who is normally resident in Cairo and is, therefore, usually represented by a Prior, the Dikaios. The monastery's affairs are managed by an administrator, the Oikonomos.
The Monastery
Roughly square in plan, the monastery measures 93yd/85m by 83yd/76m and is surrounded by walls north 5.5ft/1.65m thick and 39-49ft/12-15m high. The walls on the south and west sides date from the original foundation; those on the east and north sides were destroyed by an earthquake in 1312 and later rebuilt.
Related Attractions
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Church of the Transfiguration
The Church of the Transfiguration at St Catherine's Monastery is noted for its fine marble pulpit from the late 18th C, and its imposing bell tower that rings 33 times each morning.
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Gardens
The St Catherine's Monastery Gardens are terraced and contain a wide assortment of flowering plants shaded by Cypress trees.
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Library
The Library at St Catherine's Monastery contains an important collection of over 2000 valuable old manuscripts.
Hill of the Willow
From a level area planted with cypresses half-way between the monastery and Gebel Musa an easy path (45minutes) runs between two lush green depressions (in the first of which is an old Chapel of St John the Baptist) to the foot of Ras el-Safsaf ("Hill of the Willow"), with a ruined Chapel of the Virgin's Girdle. Here visitors are shown the ancient willows from which Moses is said to have cut his rod. The first part of the ascent of Ras el-Safsaf (6542ft/1994 m) is facilitated by rock-cut steps, but the ascent beyond this is for experienced climbers only.
Mosque
Opposite the Church of the Transfiguration is a simple mosque with a separate minaret, built in the 12th C. on the site of an earlier sixth C. guest house, for the use of Muslim travelers.
Wadi el-Raha
Before reaching the mouth of this Wadi el-Leja, in the Wadi el-Raha, visitors are shown the spot where Korah and his followers were swallowed up by the earth (Numbers 16) and the cavity in the rock in which the golden calf was cast.
