About Saint Catherine's Monastery

A 6th-century construction, this is one of the oldest fully functional, the occupied monastery in the world. With 36 monks who live here, this monastery is also famous for the second largest collection of old manuscripts ever. This location is also very important because it is said that this is the very spot where God appeared to Moses. The monastery is called Saint Catherine's because the holy relics of Saint Catherine are located here. Along with its holy relics and services, the house also displays a lot of ancient artwork as well, especially of the Crusader movement of art. Even if you are not a great believer of the biblical myths around the place, the area is still beautiful and mysterious and will capture your emotions endlessly when exploring. 

Saint Catherine's Monastery is a confluence of history, religion, and mythology. Located at the foot of Mount Sinai, the monastery is one of the oldest in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated at an altitude of over 5000 ft., the visitor is overcome with awe and reverence at the sight of the monastery which was built in the sixth century AD. One of the most important objects in the monastery is the Burning Bush. According to Christian mythology, God called out to Moses through the bush. You can delve into the monastery's storied past with a visit to the famous library, said to be the world's oldest continually operating library, which contains several rare pieces of art and religious manuscripts in Greek, Arabic Turkish and more or you can just walk around and take in the sights. St. Catherine Monastery is a perfect place to rekindle your spiritual side and calm your mind.
 

Must See

  • Burning Bush
  • Library
  • Manuscipts
  • Mount Sinai
  • Sinai My Love
  • Egypt Sandboarding
  • Mt Sinai Sunrise Tour from Dahab
  • Moses' Mountain at Sunrise
  • Mount Sinai Climb Tour from Sharm el Sheikh

How to reach

As St. Catherine’s Monastery is located in the heart of the Sinai Desert, the best is a self-drive of about 131 miles (211 kilometers) north from Sharm el-sheik. As there is effectively no public transport, so almost all travelers visit as part of an organized tour.

There is a bus from Cairo to St Catherine's at 11.00 am every day. It arrives at around 6 pm. 

If you hire a taxi, the trip to Saint Catherine's Monastery will take around 3 hours.

Tips

  • Make sure you wear suncream, a hat, sunglasses, and comfortable walking shoes.
  • Try to start your day as early as possible to beat the crowd and heat
  • Wear comfortable shoes, appropriate clothes
  • Carry enough water as it is a long drive of 3-4 hours
  • Entry to the monastery is free, but there is an entrance fee for the library.
  • One of the oldest working monasteries globally.
  • Wear comfortable shoes to climb stairs up to the monastery.
  • The basement displays parchments from worlds oldest Bible.
  • The monastery holds one of the worlds largest collection of religious manuscripts.
  • Make sure you will be spending an entire day here or probably could stay back to explore the other attractions 
  • Try and combine your package for economical reasons 
  • Carry some packed snacks.

Visit Time

Sunday:             Closed
Monday:           8:45 am.to 11:30 pm.
Tuesday:          8:45 am.to 11:30 pm.
Wednesday:     8:45 am.to 11:30 pm.
Thursday:         8:45 am.to 11:30 pm.
Friday:              10:45 pm.to 11:30 pm.
Saturday:          8:45 am.to 11:30 pm.

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Waiting Time

No wait time

 

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Entrance Fee

No

 

Time you can spend Icon

Time you can spend

1 hour to 2 hours

 

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Weather

Broken Clouds 19.04°C

 

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