Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai consists of a group of peaks, often known as the Holy Mountains. However, it is also the biblical name of the peak on which Moses received the 10 Commandments. Mount Moses is considered to be where Prophet Mohammed's horse ascended to heaven, giving it religious significance to Islamic believers. The peak can be reached by climbing the steps leading up to the top, or by following a winding path that runs east from the monastery. The steps pass the Fountain of Moses.
St. Catherine Monastery
Situated approximately 1,570 feet above sea level at the foot of Mountain Moses, the center of a significantly valued pilgrimage, St. Catherine is considered one of the four most sacred monasteries in the Middle East. In 342 A.D., Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, formerly known as the Virgin, built a monastery at the site of the Burning Bush where it is believed that Moses received the 10 commandments. In the 6th century AD, Emperor Justinian I ordered the construction of the church of Transfiguration, in addition to a high enclosure wall with towers armed with Roman Soldiers to protect the monastery from Bedouins. Both the monastery and the church were later called St. Catherine. In the monastery lies a diversity of picturesque sights to visit; the enclosure wall surrounding the monastery was built from granite stones at an approximate height of 15 meters. On the northern side of the monastery rests the Great Church encompassing two aisles and a central nave. The nave ends with an altar near a reliquary of marble that contains the relics of St. Catherine. The monastery incorporates one of the most significant religious libraries in the world containing a massive number of rare historical manuscripts and decrees of various Caliphs and rulers. It also includes the Well of Moses north of the Great Church, in addition to the Burning Bush Well and St. Stephen’s Well to its south.