About Sinai

The Sinai peninsula lies between the Red Sea's gulfs of Suez and Aqaba, a strategic desert land covering some 23 500 square miles (61 000 square km). Its northern two thirds is a vast arid plateau, with a rugged mountainous interior to the south which includes the great Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa) at 2285m and Mount St Catherine at 2629m.

Biblical texts

The Sinai desert is famous as the wilderness where the Israelites wandered for forty years after their escape from slavery under the Egyptians. The route which was taken by the Israelites as they fled, the site of the Red Sea which parted for them, the names of the wells and springs, places of tribal festivals, battles and the location of Mount Sinai itself have all been debated endlessly, and many theories put forward. There are countless extracts from the Old Testament which tell the story of the journey of the Israelites through Sinai.

St Catherine's Monastery

St Catherine’s Monastery lies in the shadow of Mount Sinai in the Wadi ed-Deir. The spot where the Monastery now stands is traditionally revered as the site of the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1). St Catherine’s is the only monastery still active in the Sinai, and consist of a group of 10 to 15 Greek Orthodox monks who still welcome pilgrims today. The Monastery houses one of the most famous collections of Christian art and ancient manuscripts dating from as early as the forth century AD through to the present day. It was here that the Codex Sinaiticus, a 1600-year old manuscript containing the oldest complete copy of the New Testament in the world, was discovered in 1844.

Today the mountain is open to all, but with the hermitages and small walled gardens dotted around the mountain, some of which remain in use, still something of the ancient reverence remains.