St. Catherine Monastery
At the Foot of the Holy Mountain
At the base of Mount Sinai, where tradition says Moses received the Ten Commandments, stands one of the oldest working monasteries in the world: St. Catherine’s Monastery. Its thick stone walls have sheltered monks, pilgrims, and treasures of faith for nearly 1,500 years, making it a living link between desert, scripture, and history.
The monastery was founded in the 6th century by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, enclosing the site of the Burning Bush within its walls. Built like a fortress to withstand both time and invasion, it has never ceased to function as a place of worship. Inside, chapels, gardens, and ancient manuscripts continue to be cared for by the monks who live here.
Experience It
Within the monastery lies a collection of icons and texts unmatched anywhere in the Christian world. The library of St. Catherine’s is second only to the Vatican in importance, preserving manuscripts in Greek, Arabic, Syriac, Georgian, and more. Its chapel glows with mosaics, paintings, and the living traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy, still vibrant after centuries.
For generations, pilgrims have climbed to St. Catherine’s to pray at the Burning Bush and ascend Mount Sinai at dawn, watching the first light spill across the desert. Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike have revered this place, where faiths converge at the foot of a mountain.
Surrounded by jagged peaks and desert stillness, the monastery feels timeless. Its walls tell of resilience, devotion, and a continuity rare in this world. St. Catherine’s is not just a monument—it is a sanctuary, where the sacred has been guarded in stone and silence for a millennium and a half.
Visit a place born from history and spirituality itself.
