St Catherine and Mount Sinai

A mountain sacred to three religions

The Orthodox Monastery of St Catherine stands at the foot of Mount Horeb where, according to the Old Testament, Moses received the Tablets of the Law. Muslims revere the same mountain as Jebel Musa, the "Mountain of Moses". The site is sacred to Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

Founded in the 6th century, the monastery is, according to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the oldest Christian monastery to have kept its original function without a break. Its Byzantine walls protect a 6th-century church, the Chapel of the Burning Bush and a collection of icons and manuscripts among the most important in the world. The "Saint Catherine Area", the monastery and the surrounding mountains, has been on the World Heritage List since 2002. The monastery belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church; a small community of monks lives there.

St Catherine town, at around 1,600 m, is one of the few places in Egypt where snow sometimes falls in winter. A state project, the "Great Transfiguration", is adding new hotels and tourist facilities.

Climbing Mount Sinai

The summit stands at 2,285 m. Two paths start from the monastery, on its north-eastern side, and meet at Elijah's Basin, a natural amphitheatre with a tea stall for a break:

• The Steps of Repentance, the historic 6th-century path: about 3,750 steps cut by the monks, shorter but steep.
• The Camel Path, laid out in the 19th century: longer, with a gentle gradient. You can hire a camel at the foot of the monastery, but the last stretch is on foot.

From Elijah's Basin about 750 steps remain to the summit, where there are a chapel and a mosque. Many people go up one way and come down the other. The monastery reckons five to seven hours for the round trip; the Egyptian tourist board gives three to four hours for the climb, with a Bedouin guide.

The classic is the night climb, to reach the summit for sunrise. Depending on your fitness, set off between midnight and 3 am (local time), with a head torch. At the top the temperature drops: in winter it can freeze at night and snow is possible. Bring several layers, a hat, gloves and plenty of water. Climbing in the early afternoon for sunset is another option.

Staying overnight rather than a night-time round trip

Most excursions from the coast reach the foot of the mountain around 1 am, after two to three hours of night driving. Yet while a visit to the monastery is possible, the journey between the monastery and the coast is not made at night.

Sabaro therefore advises sleeping in St Catherine. You arrive by day from Sharm el-Sheikh (about 2 h 30 by road), Dahab or Nuweiba (about 2 hours), climb at night from the village, visit the monastery at opening time, then head back to the coast before dark. For the night, the monastery guesthouse, just below the walls, offers rooms with private bathroom, dinner and breakfast included, bookable by phone; the town also has hotels and Bedouin camps.

Visiting the monastery

Opening hours are short, and that is the main trap. According to the monastery, it is open from 9:00 to 11:30 am (local time) and closed on Fridays, Sundays and major Greek Orthodox feast days. If you climb on a Thursday or Saturday night, you will find Mount Sinai less crowded, but the monastery closed the next day.

Visitors enter the church and its immediate surroundings along a fixed route: the north gate in the walls, Moses' Well, the main church, the Burning Bush, then the sacristy, now a museum, and the exit. The monastery does not admit organised guided tours inside and forbids video recording. Respectful dress and behaviour are expected: shoulders and legs covered.

Beyond Mount Sinai

• Mount St Catherine, 2,637 m, Egypt's highest point, a few kilometres to the south-west. A long day's walk from the monastery, with a compulsory guide, for views as far as the Gulf of Aqaba.
• Bedouin treks, of a day or several days with camping, in the valleys around the town.
• Feiran Oasis, 60 km away, a valley of palms and tamarisks, the earliest Christian stronghold in Sinai.

The north of South Sinai governorate, beyond the St Catherine-Nuweiba road, coastal areas excepted, may be advised against depending on your ministry: its advice appears in the "Travel advice" table on this page. Sabaro advises trekking with a local guide, south of that road.