Two short walks near St Catherine: Wadi el Arbain and Wadi Talaa

 


Looking at Jebel Safsafa and Wadi Shrij from the former Fansina building. 

The route to Wadi el Arbain, also known as Wadi Leja, is via the steep Wadi Shrij under the Safsafa-Mount Sinai massif. There are Bedouin gardens along the way and in Wadi Arbain, as well as one of the ancient Orthodox monasteries known as Dier el Arbain or the Monastery of the Forty Martyrs. 





























One of the ways to Wadi Talaa is via the short but steep pass known as Naqb el Raheb, the "Priest's Pass", which leads to the top of the wadi. You'll find a few Bedouin gardens in Wadi Talaa as well as several Monastery properties, including the ancient Monastery of Climacos, locally known as Dier el Raheb. From the end of Wadi Talaa a short and easy climb leads back to St Catherine. 










































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