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Katherine Environment

St.Katherine Holy Places Ancient Chrches & Monastries

Chapel of St. Katherine : is on the summit of Jebel Katherina, the mountain where the body of the saint from Alexandria was placed by angels, according to Christian beliefs. The saint, born as Dorothea in 294 AD, was educated in pagan schools but converted to Christianity for which she was executed. Her body vanished, but some three centuries later, monks guided by a dream found it on the mountain. It was brought down and placed in a golden casket in the Monastery what became known since the 11th century as the Monastery of St. Katherine.

Hajar Musa (Rock of Moses) :in Wadi el Arbain, where Prophet Moses fetched water from the rock. A holy place to all the big monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Locals believe the twelve clefts on it represent the twelve springs mentioned in the Quran (Sura 2:60). It is also mentioned in the Exodus as the rock which sustained the children of Israel (1 Cor. 10:4). There is a small Orthodox chapel next to it. According to Swiss orientalist Johann Ludwig Burkhardt the Jebeliya Bedouin believe "that by making [female camels] crouch down before the rock [...] the camels will become fertile and yield more milk". There is also a Bedouin marriage proposal rock in the walled compound.

The Basilica of the Transfiguration:The Basilica was built in AD 527 by Emperor Justinian's architect Ailisios, and is considers to be one of the very few surviving churches in the regioun from this period. The basilic's name is owned to a rare mosaic of the transfiguration apse, dating back to the 6^th century. A guilded , painted iconostasis from the 17^th century separates the basilica's nave from its altar, sheltering behind it the mosaic transfiguration. Visitors will be struck by the church's richness in decoration, not only evident in its 11th Century doors carved with magnificent reliefs of birds and flowers (which are believed to be the original doors from Justinian's church), but also obvious in its marble floor and high coffered 18th Century ceiling. Six, grand pillars flank the Basilica's central nave with Byzantine saint icons worshipped in each month of

The Chapel of the Burning Bush: Beyond the Basilica's altar lies the monastery's holiest place: The Chapel of the Burning Bush. The still existing and evergreen bush is believed to be a stock of the same bush, where God had spoken to Moses to free the Israelites to the Promised Land. The bush is of a species found nowhere else in Sinai, and all attempts to transplant a branch of it somewhere else has been unsuccessful. Although the chapel is usually closed to public, however, it internally holds a magnificent icon representing the Holy Virgin seated within the Burning Bush holding her son, with Moses worshipping barefooted on the left. Its holy alter stands above the roots of the Burning Bush, with the original bush flourished several yards further.

Well of Moses: Inside the outer walls of the monastery (walls of Justinian dating back to the 6th century) lies the monastery's main water source "Well Moses", where Moses is said to have met his wife Zipporah.

The Monastery's Library: the largest and second in importance after Vatican's library, holding over 3,000 ancient manuscripts and codices in Greek, Coptic, Armenian, Hebrew, Arabic and Syriac texts. One of the library's main highlights is a 5th Century Syriac version of the New Testament known as the "Codex Syriacus". The complex houses priceless works of art of Greek, and Russian icons, and matchless mosaics. Saint Peter (5th -6th Century) and the Christ in Majesty and ladder of Paradise (from the 7th Century) are among the only surviving icons from the Inconoclast era, where images were held (726-843). Today, a project is undertaken to catalogue the works embraced by the library.

Monastery's Garden: Amidst shady olive and apricot trees rests the monastery's cemetery and the Chapel of St. Triphonius. What commonly draws visitors is the latter's crypt holding the Charnel's house, containing the skulls and bones of monks who died in the monastery over centuries.

Monastery of the Forty Martyrs: In Wadi el Arbain "was constructed in the sixth century in honor of the forty Christian martyrs who died in Sebaste (central Turkey). Monks relate that forty Christian soldiers from the Roman Army in the third century were commanded to worship pagan gods. They refused and were put to death by being exposed at night to the bitterly cold winds off a frozen lake. Those who survived until morning were killed by the sword. [...] In the grounds of this monastery is a chapel dedicated to the hermit Saint Onuphrius. Coming from Upper Egypt, he was said to have lived for seventy years in the rock shelter at the northern end of the garden, until he died in AD 390."

Monastery of Cosmas and Damianos : in Wadi Talaa, named after the martyred brothers who were doctors and treated locals for free in the 3d century AD. The garden of the monastery, looked after by a Bedouin family, has a long olive grove, some tall cypress trees, other fruit trees and vegetables. There are more gardens belonging to the Monastery further down in the wadi.

Chapel of Saint John Klimakos, or St. John of the Ladder, was built in 1979 in Wadi Itlah to commemorate his devotional work in the 6th century AD. Also spelled St. John Climacus or Climax, the saint spent forty years in solitude in a cave above the existing chapel. "During this time, Klimakos was elected Abbot of Sinai and asked to write a spiritual guide. He composed The Ladder of Divine Ascent which likens spiritual life to the ladder seen by the Patriach Jacob extending from earth to heaven (Genesis 28:12-17)." According to the book the ladder "consists of 30 rungs, each step corresponding to a spiritual virtue. Through silence and solitude hermits and monks sought to climb the divine ladder. The first rung instructs the renunciation of all earthly ties and the next 14 relate to human vices such as talkativeness, anger, despondency and dishonesty. The final 15 rungs relate to virtues including meekness, simplicity, prayer, holy stillness and humility. The crowning virtue is love."

Monastery of Wadi Feiran, with its chapel dedicated to Prophet Moses, is some 60 kms before reaching St. Katherine. The wadi is mentioned in the Genesis (21:21) "as the place where Hagar dwelt with her son after Abraham sent her away. As late as the 7th century, Firan was a city and an important Christian center, with its own bishop."

Monastery of El Tur was built by Emperor Justinian in the important port city, which was an early Christian center from the 3d century AD. Today it lies in ruins but there is a new monastery in the city, as well as a church and a guest house. The Spring of Moses is reputed for its therapeutic value.

Monastery of Ramhan south of Mt. Katherina,

Monastery of Hodra near the oasis of Ain Hodra,

St.Katherine Protectorate Environment

Location: Mid-Southern Sinai
Area: 5,750 km2
Type: National Park
Year of establishment: 1996
Objective: The basis of the National Park's rationale is the conservation of biological diversity or biodiversity. This phenomenon has increased over geological time, the world's biodiversity is richer now than at any time in its evolutionary history. At the same time, global biological diversity is being lost at a rate many times faster than ever before, largely as a result of human activities.
Management: The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA).

Geographical aspects: St. Catherine National Park occupies much of the central part of South Sinai, a mountainous region of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock, which includes Egypt's highest peaks (St. Catherine mountain, Moussa mountain, Serbal mountain, Umm Shomer mountain and Tarbush mountain).St. Catherine mountain is the highest peak in Egypt 2,624 m above sea-level. The Sinai massif contains some of the world's oldest rocks. Around 80% of the rocks are 600 million years old.

Importance:The St. Catherine National Park is an area of great biological interest and includes the highest mountains in Egypt. This high altitude ecosystem supports a surprising diversity of wild species; some found nowhere else in the world. The mountains are relic outposts for the Sinai rose finch from Asia, the ibex and wolf from Europe, and the striped hyena and Tristram's grackle which came from Africa. Several species are unique to the National Park including two species of snakes and about twenty plant species, such as a beautiful native primrose.

Flora: Around 1000 plant species, representing almost 40% of Egypt's total flora are found in this region. These include many endemic species. Half of the 33 known Sinai endemics are found in St. Catherine area. Many of these are rare and endangered. Small orchards are scattered in wadis particularly at higher elevations.

Fauna: The White-crowned Black wheatear is very characteristic of the area. There are 46 reptile species, where 15 of which are found nowhere else in Egypt. e.g. Endemic Sinai Banded Snake and the Innes Cobra which is considered to be very vulnerable to extinction. Other fauna include Geckos, Agamids, Skinks, Rodents, Hedgehogs, Hares, Red fox, Wild cat, Sinai Leopard, Rock hyrax, the Nubian ibex, Dorcas gazelle. The Panther pardus jarvisi is endangered and the endemic sub-species as well. A rich diversity of insects also exists.