Mount Sinai, Egypt

Idea About: place

Country: Egypt
Mount Sinai, rest station on the way to the mountain top

Mount Sinai, rest station on the way to the mountain top
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Idea Description

General Information

Country: Egypt (3)
Location Info:  City: Saint Katherine  Province/State: Sinai Peninsula
Idea About: place (99)
Type of Travel: history (63) | outdoor and adventure (46)
Features: climbing (10) | heritage site (36) | landscape (51) | mountain (29) | mystery (28) | pilgrimage (24) | sacred place and sanctuary (40) | shrine (15)
Recommended for: family (60) | senior (53) | single (48) | student (49)
Budget: budget (80) | mainstream (85) | expensive (42)
Region: Africa (5)

Description

Mount Sinai, also known as Moses Mountain, is the name of a mountain in Saint Katherine city, on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. The mountain is surrounded by higher peaks of the mountain range the tallest of which is the Mount of St. Catherine 8625 feet (2,629 meters). According to the Judeo-Christian religion the Mount Sinai is one of the most sacred places where Moses, the founder of Judaism, received the Ten Commandments - the Tablets of the Law from God. Among barren and very peaceful landscape the Mount rises at the height of 7,497 feet (2285 meters). There are two paths leading to the summit. You can use the 3,750 "steps of penitence" (cut out of stone by monks of St. Catherine's Monastery) which start in the ravine behind the St. Catherine's Monastery or longer but gentler path, Siket El Bashait. It will take you about 2.5 hours on foot to reach the summit by easy way, or you can hire a camel to get there. The summit of the mountain has a Greek Orthodox chapel, the Chapel of the Holy Trinity (which was built in 1934 on the ruins of 16th century church). The Chapel is closed to the public There is also a mosque used by Muslims till nowadays. The Chapel of the Holy Trinity supposedly encloses the rock from which God made the Tablets of the Law. There is also a Moses Cave on the summit where Moses waited to receive the Ten Commandments.

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What Makes It Special

Mount Sinai is an ancient, biblical place which holds an overwhelming belief that did not yield for over fifteen centuries - the belief that this is the place where God spoke to Moses. This belief has draw pilgrims to the place for thousand years. Along the main route, called Sikket Saydna Musa ("The Path of Moses") there are ancient chapels and shrines, honoring saints and the Virgin Mary, which were built through the centuries. You can see the natural amphitheater where the 70 wise men waited while God spoke to Moses close to the top of the mountain. Mystery, spiritual expectations and admiration surround the place.
The Monastery of St. Catherine in Saint Katherine city is nearby at the elevation of around 4900 ft (1550 m). The monastery is Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It claims to be the oldest working Christian monastery in the world. The monastery was built by the order of Emperor Justinian I (527-565), enclosing the Chapel of the Burning Bush ordered to be built by Helena, the mother of Constantine I, at the site where Moses is supposed to have seen the burning bush.

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Directions To Destination

Mount Sinai is located 59 miles (100 km) inland from the Red Sea coast on Egypt Sinai Peninsular. It takes ten hours from Cairo, six hours from Sharm El Sheik and two Hours from Dahab to get there.
The closest to Mount Sinai city is Saint Katherine, the capital of Saint Katherine Markaz in Sinai, Egypt. The town is at the outskirts of El-Tur Mountains Province at an elevation of 5200 feet (1586 meters). Buses connect all the major cities in Egypt to Sharm El Sheik (a six-hour drive from the Mount Sinai), a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. From there you can take a bus to Saint Katherine, the closest town to the biblical mountain. Most resorts in Sinai also have direct transport services to the mountain which can be arranged through local hotels and travel agencies.

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Best Time To Go

All year round. Hot in summer. In winter there are more crowds because of the cool whether.

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Where To Stay

You can stay at one of the resorts, for example, Sharm El Sheik, and make a day trip to Mount Sinai. To stay closer to the destination we recommend:
- Daniela Village St. Katherine: rates are from $50 to $100 per night, located in Saint Katherine, 1.8 miles (3 km) from the famous St. Catherine’s Monastery and Mount Sinai.
- Bedouin Camp: starting from $9 per night, per room (single occupancy), located in Saint Katherine. Research and book hotels in or near Dahab, Egypt

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Activities

Hiking, climbing, camel riding, sightseeing.

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Useful Visitor Information and Tips

You can begin your ascend to the summit at 2 - 3 pm or 2 - 3 am depending on the time of year - to see the dusk or a dawn. A lot of people prefer climbing to the top at night (up to 1000 each night). Following a candle-lit line of pilgrims under stars is rewarding and inspiring. Besides you escape the heat of the day.

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Additional Information

Tags: bible; biblical place; burning bush; Chapel of the Burning Bush; Chapel of the Holy Trinity; climbing (9); Constantine I; Egypt (3); Justinian I; Landscape (17); Moses; Moses Mountain; Mountain (16); Mount Sinai; Mystery (5); Path of Moses; Pilgrimage (14); Sacred place and sanctuary (20); Saint Katherine; Shrine (10); Sikket Saydna Musa; Sinai Peninsula; St. Catherine's Monastery; Tablets of the Law; Ten Commandments; UNESCO World Heritage Site (19)

Web Sites:   Egypt Tourism Authority
  St. Katherine, South Sinai, Egypt, information site

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