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A preview of the
top of Mt Sinai or Mt Moses. Reaching
the top is a half days walk. The historical presence is empowering
as you trek Moses's footsteps. From the top you can see the tops
of mountain tips and look down into the valleys. At sunset the
whole mountain range lights up in an array of colours that will
leave a stamp in your memory for years to come. See
below for more. |
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Located at the foot of Mount
Moses, St. Catherine's Monastery, was constructed by order
of the Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565. It is built around
what is thought to be Moses' Burning Bush, which has a chapel built
atop it. It is a spectacular natural setting for priceless works
of art. See
below for more. |
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We recommend you make time on your activity
holiday to visit the many canyons the Sinai mountains have to
offer. You can do day trips or stay over night in bedouin style
underneath the stars. It truly is fantastic! The canyons each
have their own special character. Some are tinted blue whilst
others winds their way like rabbit warrens through the breathtaking
landscape. |
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Special thanks goes to Egypttours for the information below. Mt Moses, Mt Sinai - the low down!While there have been a number of other locations suggested as the biblical site of Mount Sinai, also referred to as Mount Horeb, the traditional location is a peak in the central southern Sinai peninsula. This site and the surrounding area are steeped in Biblical tradition. All around Mount Sinai are locations and sites that have been associated with Biblical places named in the Exodus, and there is a long oral tradition of their authenticity. However, there is no proven archaeological evidence that this, or any of the other suggested alternate locations of Mount Sinai, is the actual one referred to in the Bible. Nevertheless, this mountain has drawn pilgrims for over a thousand years in the overwhelming belief that it is the Holy Mountain, and its tradition as the Biblical peak can be directly traced back to the fourth century AD. John Lloyd Stephens said that "Among all the stupendous works of Nature, not a place can be selected more fitting for the exhibition of Almighty power." The traditional Mount Sinai, located in the Sinai Peninsula, is actually the name of a collection of peaks, sometimes referred to as the Holy Mountains. The mountain was called Sinai, or "the mount of God" possibly before the time of Moses, according to Josephus. On its southern end is Mount Mousa (or Musa), sometimes referred to as Jebel Musa, Gebel Mousa, Mount Moses or the Mountain of Moses (all of which basically means the same thing). This peak is traditionally considered to be biblical place where Moses communicated with God and received the Ten Commandments. It also has considerable religious significance to Islam as the place where Mohammed's horse, Boraq, ascended to heaven. Mount Musa is 7,495 feet (2,285 meters) high. It is not he highest peak in the Sinai, That distinction, as well as the highest in Egypt, belongs to nearby Mount Catherine, which is 8652 feet (2637 meters) high. Visitors to Mount Musa may climb it using several routes. The shortest route, known as Siket Syidna Musa, is a steep stairway consisting of 3,750 steps, known as the "steps of penitence", that were hewn out of stone by the monks of St. Catherine's Monastery, located at the northeastern foot of the mountain, and enclosing what is traditionally thought to be the Burning Bush. However, this route may not be climbed at night, actually when most people ascend the mountain in order to arrive at the peak for the sunrise. The longer, less steep track, known as Siket El Bashait, may be climbed at night either on foot or by camel. It takes an average of about two and one half hours to ascend on foot. At a number of locations along the longer route, often referred to as the camel route, there are vendors where one may buy water, food and other items. Both of the routes lead to a natural amphitheater known as the "Seven Elders of Israel", where the wise men are thought to have waited while God spoke to Moses. From there, one must ascend the remaining 750 steps on foot to reach the summit The Chapel of the Holy Trinity, built in 1934 (on the location of the original chapel built in 363 and rebuilt by Justinian in 530), is located on the summit, but is not open to the public, though it is said to enclose the rock from which God made the tablets of the Ten Commandments. There is also a small mosque and a cave where Moses is thought to have waited to receive the Tablets. Of course, the summit also provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountain ranges and valleys. While the monuments on the peak of Mount Musa are well known, there are a number of other monuments and historical site located on the mountain, many of which are located along the stairway, and on the surrounding mountains. There are other peaks in this range, some of which have also been contested as the true Mount Sinai. Jebel Serbal is also a candidate. Other peaks in this range include Jebel Megafa and Jebel Moneiga. |
St. Catherine's Monastery - The low down!
Located at the foot of Mount Moses, St. Catherine's Monastery, was constructed by order of the Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565. It is built around what is thought to be Moses' Burning Bush, which has a chapel built atop it. It is a spectacular natural setting for priceless works of art, including Arab mosaics, Greek and Russian icons, Western oil paintings, paintings on wax, fine sacerdotal ornaments, marbles, enamels, chalices, reliquaries, including one donated by Czar Alexander II in the 19th century, and another by Empress Catherine of Russia in the 17th century. But of perhaps even greater significance is that it is one of the largest and most important collection of illuminated manuscripts in the world (The Vatican has the largest). The collection consists of some 4,500 volumes in Greek, Coptic, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, Slavic, Syriac, Georgian and other languages.
St. Catherine's has a rich history indeed. So rich that it is a sparkling example of an undiscovered jewel of travel. It has been called the oldest working Christian monastery and the smallest diocese in the world. The Chapel of the Burning Bush was originally ordered built by Empress Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great, but the monastery itself was actually built by Emperor Justinian to protect the monks in the region and to honor the site of the Burning Bush. St. Catherine, whose body was reportedly carried away by angels, was discovered five hundred years later at the top of the peak that now bears her name. Her relics are stored in a marble reliquary in the Basilica. We have additional pictures of this church, and of its interior. St. Catherine's is also a formidable fortification, with granite walls measuring 8 to 35 meters tall, surrounded by gardens and cypresses. Prior to probably the twentieth century, the only entrance to St. Catherine's was a small door 30 feet high, where provisions and people were lifted with a system of pulleys, and where food was often lowered to nomads. It has withstood numerous attacks over its 14 hundred year existence, thus protecting a rich store of art. Today, while it is one of the oldest monasteries in the world, its original, preserved state is unmatched.
Though patronized during much of its history by the Russian Orthodox Church, it is now under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Church. Most of its monks are also of Greek origin, though their ranks include an international flavor. |
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