At the foot of Mt. Sinai lies the Monastery of St. Catherine, with its 23 Orthodox monks. It was founded in the 4th century AD, and remains to be one of the major tourist attractions in Sinai, along with Mount. Sinai. It is dedicated to St. Catherine, the legendary martyr of Alexandria. The

monastery is still operative and tourists are only allowed to see the chapel, and a room full of the bones of deceased monks from the past. Also known as the room of one thousand skulls.

The monastery’s other treasures are off limits, they include a library (2000 Greek, and 700 Arabic manuscripts) and a museum stocked with a unique collection of icons dating back to the 6th century. The monastery is open daily from 9 am to noon, except on Fridays and Sundays. Behind the monastery, the long and well worn path to the top of Mount. Sinai begins. There are two paths to the 2285 meter summit, the camel trail and steps of repentance. They are both fine, but most tourist prefer the camel trail, for there is always the option of going up on camel back.

The way up takes around two to three hours, and we must warn you that it can be hectic. Nevertheless, the view from the summit is absolutely breathtaking, especially during sunrise or sunset, and well worth the hard accent.You can see the peak of Mount. Katherine, which is the highest mountain in Egypt. If you plan to spend the night on the summit, bring warm clothes because it is cold during winter and summer. An interesting small Greek Orthodox Chapel stands at the summit, built with red granite blocks. There is a hostel down at the monastery, if you wish to spend the

night.You can get to St. Catherine by bus, minibus or by taxi, from Cairo and/or from Sharm El-Sheikh. We must warn however, that a taxi from Sharm El-Sheikh will be too expensive, not to mention from Cairo!

On your way to St. Catherine, you will enter Wadi Firan, or the Oasis of Firan, which is the largest patch of cultivation on the Sinai Peninsula. Scattered through-out the palm groves are clusters of Bedouin huts, and the remains of the Christian Colonies which inhabited the area long before the construction of St.Catherine. You might want to check out the Monastery of Firan. Also known as the

Monastery of Moses, this church housed the Bishop of Sinai from the 4th to the 6th Century. The Church of Moses was built by two monks from St. Catherine's Monastery. Five nuns now live in this simple monastery, surrounded by a garden of citrus and palms, it is indeed a haven of peace and tranquility