St. Catherine Monastery

It is located at the foot of Sinai Mountain; to its west is Al- Raha valley. It is located in a place where the splendor of nature and climate and the fresh well water.

This monastery is similar to the fortresses of the middle ages, it has a big wall of granite stones with towers at the corners and surrounding inner buildings one above the other with curved passages and corridors. The difference in the designs of these buildings proves that they date back to different periods.

The main gate is located at the western side, nowadays is sealed and another door to the left of the main door is presently in use.

In 342 A.D., Empress Helena, Constantine`s mother, built a monastery including the chapel known as the Virgin Mary at the Burning Bush, and in the 6th century A.D., Emperor Justinian built another church known as the Church of Transfiguration in the same sacred place. Both the monastery and the church were named after St. Catherine.

The original building was destroyed except some parts of the walls and church while remaining buildings date back to different eras, most of them to recent centuries.

The monastery is surrounded by a beautiful huge garden, including a cemetery for the monks and a room called Room of Skulls, which contains piles of bones and skulls of monks.

The main church is built in the Basilican style; it consists of a central nave with two aisles on both sides ending with two rooms, one of which used for the preparing of the holy Bush.

As for the Mosque, situated inside the monastery wall, it was built during the Fatimid period in the reign of Caliph Al Amer Be-Ahkam Allah.

This mosque consists of three riwaqs; the middle is the biggest and ends with a main mihrab with two other smaller mihrabs on both sides.

An oil press is located below the mosque; it was used for squeezing olives.

Inside the walls of the monastery also is a library and wells.