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The City of St. Katherine
- often spelled as St. Catherine - is in the Sinai
peninsula of Egypt at an elevation of about 1600
meters from sea level, at the foot of the Sinai
High Mountains. Many tourists come to visit St.
Katherine's Monastery, the oldest continuously inhabited
monastery in the World built on the site where Prophet
Moses (Musa) talked to God in the miracle of the
Burning Bush, and to climb Mt. Sinai (the Biblical
Mt. Horeb, known locally as Jebel Musa) where Moses
received the Ten Commandments. Most visitors arrive
on organized tours from the resort towns of Sharm
el Sheikh and Dahab in the evening, climb the mountain
at dawn, visit the Monastery in the morning and
leave right afterwards. They don't know what they
are missing out on: the area has much more to offer
than the otherwise indeed spectacular sunrize! It
is a UNESCO World Heritage Area for its natural
and cultural importance, and in fact, you could
spend weeks to explore the region. There are over
200 religious places with other important monasteries
and churches, ruins of Byzantine monastic settlements,
the highest mountains in Egypt with spectacular
views, amazing rock formations and landscape. It
is a unique high-altitude desert eco-system with
many endemic and rare species, there is a whole
range of medicinal plants used by locals for centuries
which are not found elsewhere, there are water-pools,
springs, creeks, narrow canyons and wide valleys...
In the wadis of the high mountains, everywhere you
go, there are beautiful Bedouin gardens unique to
this area only. Its original inhabitants, the kind
and friendly Jebeliya (Gebeliya) Bedouin are expert
gardeners and camel herders, and if you take your
time you might have a glimps into their closed,
traditional, albeit slowly changing way of life
and culture that has been around for more than 1400
years.
This site is aimed at providing you - the visitor,
the guest - the outmost information about all aspects
of the area, from the practical to the more theoretical,
while providing local businesses and projects the
opportunity to have a platform and make the contacts
they deserve. This is a non-commercial site, listing
is free, but all entries must be related to the
area or its people. Furthermore, apart from providing
information we would like to implement some small
scale projects in the area to promote responsible,
environmentally and culturally conscious toursim
... God Willing.
| The
Village |
 Although
most people call it a village, St. Katherine
officially is a city, with all amenities of
a modern place: there are several schools,
including a high school, a hospital, police,
firebrigade, hotels of various standard and
so on. Howeveer, a few decades ago it wasn't
like this. The tarmac road was only constructed
in the 1980s, and only Bedouin people and
the monks from the Monastery lived here prior
to the Israeli occupation. It is the highest
inhabited place in Egypt at an elevation of
about 1600 meters from sea level at the foot
of the High Mountains, which makes it very
pleasant in the hot summer months. >>> more
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| The
People |
 The
traditional people of the area are the Jebeliya
Bedouin - "the People of the Mountains"
- who have been living in the region since
the foundation of St. Katherine's Monastery.
They are of Eastern European origin, having
been brought by Emperor Justinian from the
Balkan in the 6th century AD to protect and
serve the monastery. In fact, they are one
of the first peoples of Sinai who were here
before most other Bedouin tribes and the spread
of Islam, but along the centuries they became
Muslims and intermarried with other Arab tribes.
Their traditions and way of life are similar
to other Bedouin groups, although their roots
are well remembered and there are many unique
features. The Jebeliya consists of four clans
called Roba, or quarter, which is divided
into more smaller groups. >>> more
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| The
Monastery |
 The
Monastery of St. Katherine is the oldest continuously
inhabited monastery in the World and its library
has the largest religious collection after
the Vatican. It was built by the Byzantine
Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD, although
there was already a church at the site of
the Burning Bush erected by the Empress Helena
in 330 AD. Byzantine Orthodox monasticism
has even earlier roots, and the area is sacred
to all three monotheistic religions, Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. The monastery was
under the protection of
the Prophet Mohammed, Arab and Turkish leaders
as well as Napoleon which helped to preserve
it virtually undameged. In the walled compound
there is a Fatimid mosque built next to the
Orthodox church, a rare coexistence of religions
in today's World. >>> more
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| Mt.
Sinai (Gabal Musa) |
 Called
Mt. Horeb in the Bible and locally known as
Jebel Musa (Gebel Musa), Mt Sinai is the place
where Prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments
from God. It is the second highest mountain
in Egyspt after Mt. Katherine, with a small
Orthodox church and a mosque on its summit
at 2285 meters from sea level. Mt Sinai forms
one massif with Jebel Safsafa and Jebel Loza,
with many small basins atop. In these basins
there are old churches, small gardens and
relics of monastic life. The most common route
to the peak is from the Monastery via the
"Steps of Repentance " built by
monks or via the camel path built by Viceroy
of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi Pasha I., although there
are several other less travelled beautiful
treks. >>> more
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| The
Sinai High Mountain Region |
 With
most of it having formed some 600 milliion
years ago, the Sinai mountain range is one
of the World's oldest massifs. Apart from
the red granite rock which takes up 80 % of
the Sinai High Mountain Region, there are
newer, 10 million year-old black volcanic
rock formations. The interconnected labyrinth
of valleys were created by the rains and melting
snow, and are dotted with gigantic boulders
brought down by the enormous force of water.
Regular flash floods still sweep through the
wadis, causing damage to gardens and buildings,
but at the same time replenishing the underground
water catchment basins on which the very same
gardens depend on. >>> more
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| Other
Important Places |
Apart from the many religious places found
around the Monastery of St. Katherine and
on the top of Jebel Musa (Mt. Sina) and Jebel
Safsafa, there are many more churches, monasteries
and holy places in the area and a bit furhter
afield. There are many other historical places,
some dating back to Pharaonic times, the Nabatean
and Byzantine era, or to more recent times,
such as the Palace of Abbas Hilmi I. Pasha.
Furthermore the area is full of natural wonders,
such as water-pools, creeks and springs in
the dry, barren mountains, and there are amazing
rock formations, spectacular views, beautiful
Bedouin gardens and buildings. >>> more
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|
Galleries |
Image
Gallery - A comprehensive gallery
of St. Katherine and the Sinai High Mountains.
Images are organized according to geographical
location and places of interest and complemented
with short informative notes. >>> more
Video
Gallery - A collection of short
videos either related to the content of the
site or wich are relevant for other reasons.
You can view the videos in a better resolution
as well as the details on the hosting sites.
>>> more
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Medicinal Plants |
| The Sinai High Mountain
is home to a great number of plants with known
medicinal effects. The Bedouin have been using
these plants for centuries, and today some
of these plants are cultivated in greenhouses
for scientific research and for sale. >>> more
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Accomodation |
| All the accomodation in
the area from simple camps to luxury 5 star
hotels with all their contact details. Listing
is free! >>> more |
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Treks and Safaris |
| Trekking and hiking tours,
camel and jeep safaris, special interest programs
(such as rock climbing, meditation groups,
etc.) in the area. If you want to suggest
anything that fits here you are welcome: listing
is free! >>> more |
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Transport |
| Getting to and away from
St. Katherine, by public transport or services
provided by local businesses. You can list
your services here for free! >>> more |
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Other Points of Interest |
| Everything else St. Catherine
has to offer, from rock Hyraxes to Bedouin
run projects. If you know anything that you
think should be here your suggestions are
welcome! >>> more |
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Suggested Books |
| Books related to St. Katherine,
the Bedouin and the Sinai High Mountains.
By ordering books through this site you will
contribute to the local community and the
preservatiion of this fragile eco-system.
>>> more |
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Useful Links |
| Links related to St. Katherine
and the Sinai High Mountains, and other useful
links. You can suggest any link you feel is
appropriate. Offers for reciprocal link, if
your site is related to Egypt, Sinai, Travel
and Tourism, Hiking and Trekking, Safaris,
Environment, Religion and Culture, the Bedouin
and Indigenous Peoples etc. are welcome -
please contact us! >>> more |
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Contact |
| Your feedback, suggestions,
critisism are welcome, we'll be happy to hear
from you! If you know of any business, service,
project etc. in the St. Katherine area or
related to St. Katherine and the Sinai High
Mountains, please send us the info: once it
is checked and approved it will be included
for the benefit of all. >>> more |
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