The Monastery of Saint Catherine

At the foot of Mount Sinai, in the heart of the Sinai Peninsula, stands one of the oldest and most revered Christian monasteries in the world—the Monastery of Saint Catherine. Enclosed within ancient stone walls and surrounded by rugged desert mountains, this sacred site has endured for over fifteen centuries, bearing witness to generations of Christian devotion, pilgrimage, and scholarship. Built between 548 and 565 under the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, the monastery was erected at the site traditionally believed to be where Moses encountered the burning bush, as described in the Book of Exodus. This association with the biblical Mount Sinai gave the monastery a spiritual prominence that would be recognized and respected by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike throughout history.