Day 126 Thursday 4/19/2018 Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM

On the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt’s seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is often called the “City of Peace” for the number of international peace conferences held here.  It is located where major bodies of water meet and this transformed it from a modest fishing village into a major port.  “Sharm”, as it is known by locals, is renowned for its unrivaled scuba diving among vibrant coral, dramatic rock formations and underwater cliffs.  The surrounding desert exudes its own beauty and ancient mystery.

Today, I was up at 4:00 and prepared to leave at 5:15, but we never left the port area until 6:00 AM.  Aggravating.  

Another amazing day started in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula.

We rode up the Sinai Peninsula for close to four hours through desert and rock mountains to get to St. Catherine's Monastery.  St. Catherine's Monastery may have survived all these years because it is in such a remote location.   We went through more checkpoints today and were told not to take any photos at these checkpoints. 

Tour was entitled "Walk in the Footsteps of Moses at Mt. Sinai".  Explored historic religious sites associated with Moses during a one and a half hour visit to St. Catherine’s Monastery, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.   It is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world and is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

In the 4th century, the Byzantine Empress Helena erected a chapel here next to what is believed to be the same Burning Bush from which God spoke to Moses.  She dedicated the chapel to the martyr St. Catherine.  In the 6th century, Emperor Justinian ordered the building of a fortified monastery here. The walls that surround the monastery were built in the 6th century of two-meter thick granite stone for security.  Inside, we saw what is believed to be the same Burning Bush from which God spoke to Moses. Also, the Well of Moses where he met his future wife Zipporah is still the monastery's main water source.  Explored an icon-filled chapel, the oldest continually operating library in the world and the museum.  To think, I may have stepped where Moses walked.  An amazing experience.  

Burning Bush is in the center of this picture.  This plant does no bear fruit or flowers.  St. Catherine's Monastery was built to enclose the Chapel of the Burning Bush.  No photography was allowed in the buildings, but pictures could be taken in the courtyard areas.  

Walls were built for protection in the 6th century of two to three meter thick granite blocks.  The larger wooden structure on the left side of the picture houses a lift.  At one time, the lift was the only way to enter the monastery.  

Courtyard in St. Catherine's Monastery.  Picture on the left is Moses as a baby. Moses means "drawn from the water".  He was named that by the Pharaoh's daughter when she rescued him from the reeds in the Nile River.  She raised him as an adopted son.  Moses was hidden in the reeds as the Pharaoh had ordered all male Hebrew babies be drowned in the Nile in an effort to reduce the Hebrew's population.  

Ten Commandment Tablets

Moses and the Burning Bush.  Moses saw the Burning Bush as he tended the flock on Horeb Mountain/Mt. Sinai.  The bush burned but did not turn to ash.  A voice told him he was chosen to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and to tell them to worship only one God.  

Many miracles were performed during the Exodus such as "Parting the Red Sea" to escape their pursuers.

Passageway inside the monastery.  

St Catherine was Catherine of Alexandria, a Christian Martyr.  She was sentenced to die on "the breaking wheel".  When the wheel did not kill her, she was beheaded.  It is said that angels brought her remains to Mount Sinai.  

St. Catherine's Monastery's bell tower.  The bell tower was constructed in 1871.  It houses nine bells of different sizes that were a gift of the Czars of Russia.  

 

Egyptian Desert near St. Catherine's Monastery.

St. Catherine's Monastery's Bell Tower

St. Catherine's Monastery, the people at the center bottom of the picture are entering the gate.  Each night, three iron bound doors are secured to close the gate.  The wall of the monastery have remained unchanged for fourteen centuries.  

Egyptian Desert

Found this picture on line.  It is one of the chapels in St. Catherine's Monastery.  

Mosque in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

Moses' Well where he met his future wife Zipporah, the daughter of the man that owned the flocks he tended.

Bell Tower

Lots of information on line about St. Catherine's Monastery - Google it to learn more.

FACEBOOK post - Another amazing day started in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula. We passed through miles of desert on our way to St. Catherine's Monastery, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world and is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments. Inside, we saw what is believed to be the same Burning Bush from which God spoke to Moses. Also, the Well of Moses where he met his future wife Zipporah is still the monastery's main water source. There was an icon-filled chapel and the oldest continually operating library in the world. The walls that surround the monastery were built in the 6th century of two-meter thick granite stone. What an experience!