St. Katherine

The town of St. Katherine is famous for the Monastery of St. Katherine, built on the site of the Burning Bush at the foot of Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa). This is the only site most tourists visit in the interior, so it can get crowded. The best way to avoid the crowds, at least on Mt. Sinai, is to go for the sunset instead of the sunrise and descend to town before total darkness sets in. A wide range of accommodation is available in town, from simple camps to up-market hotels. A new ecolodge, called Mount Sina Eclodge, has also opened its doors near town in Wadi Isbaiya. 



Map of St. Katherine

St. Catherine consists of a small town center and a few little settlemets around town. The main attraction, the Monastery of St. Katherine, is before town in a short wadi, and the main route to Mt. Sinai starts from here.


Main locations: 1. Visitor Centre; 2. The Golden Calf; 3. the Monastery of St. Katherine; 4. Mt. Sinai; 5. town center; 6. the Rock of Moses; and 7. the Monastery of the Forty Martyrs.

See photos of St Katherine.


Popular posts from this blog

Geographical features: Jidda / Dyke (Dike)

Image
Originally posted on February 7, 2015 The whole southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula is a mountainous area, while the High Mountain Region proper, sometimes called the Central High Mountains, is the area in the middle around the town of St. Katherine. (See Google Earth screenshots below.) Up to 80% of the massif is granite of different types formed as far back as 600 million years, but there are also mountains that are made of newer, about 10 million year-old black volcanic rock. Sandstone and limestone are found north of the mountainous tip, forming surrealistic rock formations, sandy plains and eroded layered plateaus. In the mountainous area red granite and black volcanic mountains are often found together, as we can see with the Jebel Safsafa-Mt. Sinai, the Jebel Raba-Jebel Ahmar-Mt. Katharina or the Jebel Abu Mahashur-Jebel Abbas Basha ranges. In each case much of the mass of the mountains is made of hard and smooth red granite, but the famous peaks are actually softer crumbling bl...
Read more

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in South Sinai

Image
Originally posted on November 16, 2015 South Sinai features more attractions than most people think, and not all is under water. Known mostly for its Red Sea resorts, coral reefs and great diving, there is a lot to see in the interior too. Following are the 10 best known tourist attractions, the must-see places in South Sinai. 1. Ras Mohamed National Park Located near the resort city of Sharm el Sheikh, Ras Mohamed was the first National Park in the Sinai. It is famous for its underwater life and coral reefs, and so is usually visited for snorkeling and scuba diving, either by car or boat. It is a pleasant spot even if you are not into water sports. It is the southernmost point of the Sinai Peninsula and there are a number of beaches in little cute bays, as well as lookout points. Most tour operators organise programs to Ras Mohamed. >>> See photos 2. Blue Hole The Blue Hole is one of the most famous diving spots in Sinai, found near Dahab. It is submarine sinkhole, around 130...
Read more

Garden of Ramadan Abu Sayyed

Image
Very easy to reach from the town of St. Katherine, it lies just below the holy peaks of Mt. Sinai on one side and of Mt. Katherine on the other side. Mt. Sinai can be reached different ways, and the full day program is definitelly recommended. There is an ancient small Orthodox monastery next to the garden, with a big stone-walled orchard, olive groves, tall cypress trees. The rock of Moses is also in the same valley. Ramadan, the owner of the garden, sometimes plays the traditional stringed intrument, the simsimiyya. He also breeds Rock Hyraxes, a cute hairy mountain creature. The terraced garden has many secluded areas away from Ramadan's family tent, with stone rooms for winter use and shady-windy open arishas for summer. There are clean toilets and showers. There are many fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, all grown organically. The garden is ideal for individuals and smaller groups who want to relax on holy land but don't want to - or unable to - walk too much or too hard. ...
Read more