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Saint Catherine's Monastery

By : Nada Yahia | 21 July 2020

At the foot of Mount Sinai is the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine. It is considered the oldest Christian monastery in the world, where communities of monks have lived since its foundation. Discover more about Saint Catherine Monastery with Magic Life Tours agency.

1. History

This ancient monastery traces its founding to about AD 330, when Byzantine empress Helena had a small chapel and a fortified refuge for local hermits built beside what was believed to be the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses. Plan your visit now with Magic Life Tours agency. The monastery is controlled by the autonomous Church of Sinai, part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church and Built between 548 and 565. Up to a thousand visitors come to visit St. Katherine’s Monastery, the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the World built on the site where Moses (Prophet 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 has received the Ten Commandments. 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 and Napoleon, which helped to preserve it virtually undamaged. In the walled compound there is a Fatimid mosque built next to the Orthodox church, a rare coexistence of religions in today’s World.

2. The Monastery's Library

The Monastery's Library consists of the largest and most important of its type in the world, the library contains a rich collection of 4,500 manuscripts, mainly Greek, but also Arabic, Coptic, Syriac, Slavonic and others.In addition to the manuscripts, the Library contains a considerable number of printed books. About 5,000 of these are old editions, some of which date from the earlier days of the art pf printing. Inside the church there is El-Mouta church (the church of the dead). Ther are also 6 wells, 4 springs and a large garden rich in fruit trees of different kinds and two mills According to the old beliefs, angels took her remain to Mount Sinai, and then around the year 800, monks from the Sinai Monastery found her remains. Whatever your travel dreams, with Magic Life Tours agency we can custom-design the perfect itinerary with highly personalized services just for you

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