St. Catherine's Monastery, Sharm El Sheikh

A visit to Saint Catherine's is not for every one. Yes, it is a special place and visiting there is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life but I can easily see how for someone else a visit there might just be another packaged excursion from a cheap holiday resort such as Sharm.

Saint Catherine's is one of the two oldest surviving Christian monasteries, built in the 6th century by order of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, around a predating church and near the place that Moses was believed to have seen the burning bush. The monastery is considered a holy place for Jews, Christians and Muslims and this probably explains how a Greek Orthodox monastery survived in the midst of an Islamic country.

The monastery has a collection of religious artifacts and books that are simply stunning. Not all of them are displayed but what could be seen at the small museum left me breathless. Alongside Christian relics and icons, a copy (for the original is not on display) of a paper signed by Mohammed granting the monastery human right privilages such as freedom of worship, movement and property. The church itself is an absolute jewel in almost every respect.

The monastery is a living cell of religion and despite what some people do or think, its primary function is not to satisfy tourists or offer them a product. Most facilities are outside the monastery and prices are no bargain. The daily period that tourists can visit is limited and most visitors need to be out of the monastery by 12:00. Exception is only granted to Orthodox Christians who can attend a short service at 12:00. Attending such a service was for me something unique.

I visited Saint Catherine's monastery while vacationing in Sahrm el Sheik. I rented a car and the drive took me around three hours to get there. The road is very good and without much traffic. The scenery is beautiful and enjoyed it immensly. There are also buses leaving Sharm for two types of tours. One leaves at night so you can climb the hills and watch the sunrise before visiting the monastery in the morning. The other is just a drive to and from the monastery with a guide It is also possible to fly to the airport near Saint Catherine's from Cairo.

Last info dated December, 28 2010.

A "guide" is said to be necessary but I met several people on the road who climbed alone and no control was enforced. Anyhow to hire a guide only cost 80 Egyptian Pound (12 EUR) and offers some chance for better explanation has they all speak decently English and off course they show the way and shortcuts.

The climb, perse, is easy: 1.5 hours uphill climb on a rocky steps track. Just take the valley after the Monastery and stay on the right canyon (not the main valley) . The path is well marked up to the top. Elevation at start 1560 circa, at the top 2280 circa.
The descent can be done in 1 hour from the main track used uphill by who prefer to use the camels.

Outstanding view from he top. No need to carry water/food , there are 2-3 huts that sell everything including blankets/mattress if you want to sleep on the top.

Enjoy

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An approximate 2 hour trip by car or bus gets you to St Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. Here you can see the famous "burning bush" and encounter the Mount Sinai climbers on their descent. There is also a small church here and a room full of skulls. Small entrance fee.

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Sharm el Sheikh is a great jump-off point for excursions to St. Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai. Our tour operator said that the trip would last about 7 hours but with a stop in Dahab, it was more like 12 hours and a lot of that was spent on the bus! But the trip is well worth it if you are into history :)

The monastery closes at 12pm so you have to leave early in the morning from Sharm. I believe our bus left around 7am in order to get to the monastery in time for a short tour.

The monastery has some of the oldest icons in history and houses the famed Burning Bush. The story of St. Catherine is quite interesting and I won't spoil it by sharing and ruining your tour :)

The monaster sits at the bottom of Mount Sinai. Unfortunately most tours don't include time to hike up the Mount. It is famed with its sunrises but in order to do this, you need at least 3-4 hours to hike to the top and that means you must arrive late at night.

There are a ton of tour agencies in Sharm but I've included the link to one that has a website of tours and their prices.

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Started at 6am return after 7pm so a long day. Lunch was included but we didn't eat it until gone 4pm so if going (like us) with children - be prepared!

A fairly long drive on deserted roads; amazing desert & mountain scenery. When we got to St. Katherine's Monastery it appeared the rest of Sinai was also visiting! St. K's Monastery is UNESCO, steeped in history (The Burning Bush & Moses etc...), has an amazing setting and is visiting. However, the crowds did spoil it a bit fo me.

Another drive to the Coloured Canyon, the last 1/2 hr being a desert jeep safari to get to the canyon. Was good fun and the kids LOVED it! There's a small path (of sorts) that leads down into the canyon which is fairly easy. Then there's the way through the canyon which, in places and especially with children, isn't so easy (boulders to slide under, drops to fall down etc...). The climb back up is probably the hardest part. It's a long way up in the heat, relatively slippery and a rather sheer drop in many places. Those not good with heights struggled and I have to say I didn't feel completely confident getting myself and my children to the top... but obviously we got up safe and sound. WELL WORTH the efforts. The canyon is quiet and beautiful and definitely one of my Sinai highlights.

A stop in Nuweiba to dine - views across the water to Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Was a nice pit stop on a beach - quiet and chilled. Maybe not every tour stops here to dine or perhaps every other tour ate their lunch at a more sensible hour!

A stop in Dahab. I was a bit disappointed with Dahab. It was certainly a lot more modern than I had anticipated and one stretch we nicnamed the Dahab Vegas! By the time we were there it was dark and everybody was gearing up for the night throng of dinner and drinks so perhaps it is more serene in the day?

If you're going to do the monastery & the canyon do them on the same day as a grand tour.

In the Book of Exodus, the burning bush is a miracle that God uses to inform Moses of his divine calling. Burning bush is also a common name applied to several different, unrelated plants.
In the Book of Exodus, Moses is forced to flee Egypt and comes to live with Jethro. Moses, while tending his flock near a mountain, comes across a burning bush on the mountain. Moses approaches the bush, and discovers that the bush is burning, yet flames do not consume it.
In Byzantine times, Saint Katherine's monastery was built on a traditional site of the biblical event. What was thought to be the original burning bush is now dead, but a bush claimed to be its descendant is on view today.

It's a World Heritage Site and well worth the visit although there are lots of cons:

It's in the middle of the peninsula so it's a long way from most of the resorts.
It's only open for two hours a day.
It gets very, very crowded.
You will feel like a tourist.
You will be hassled for bakeesh.
It'll be hot and dusty.

But

It is a wonderful place and the history is monumental. Swot up first so you know what you're seeing - including Moses' burning bush and the atmospheric charnel house, the monks garden and a mosque within a monastery.

This very famous Monastery is situated on the Sinai Peninsula about three hours drive through the desert from Sharm El Sheikh. It is a long and tiring drive in the searing desert heat, but so very well worth the effort. Indeed the scenery along the route is fascinating and most tours make stops at interesting spots - we stopped at Dahab, at a country market, a small town to buy souvenirs etc.

When you arrive the coaches all stop a long walk from the Monastery itself and you are indeed expected to walk the rest of the way. If you are in any way unfit or elderly I would advise you to accept the opportunity of a camel ride the rest of the way as nobody will assist you and there is no possibility of a camel once you set off on foot. I was with my elderly Mother and she found it hard going. Our pleas for a camel were judiciously ignored by our guide for the day.

The Monastery itself houses many interesting and historical things, to include the famous sacred well, the second largest library in the world, and an amazing (if creepy) ossuary (place where they store skeletons/bones). I had never seen an ossuary before and it sent the shivers through me.

The Monastery adjoins Moses Mountain and some day trips allow the opportunity of climbing the mountain. Although it's scorching at ground level, there's snow on top of Moses mountain.

Dress for the heat, but bring warm clothing if you are going to venture up the mountain. Remember to cover your shoulders and dress respectably in the religious parts of the monastery. You will also need to bring your passport on this trip as you will pass various border checkpoints and they can spot check passports.