St. Catherine Monastery

Location: It lies in the foothills of Moses Mountain 5012 feet above sea level. Set beneath the mountain where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments.

Who built it? It is built by Emperor Justinian for himself and his wife.

Overview: The Monastery was named after St. Catherine (the daughter of Kistery) who was tortured to death by her father for she succeed in converting 50 of his followers to Christianity in 307 AD. Saint Catherine's Monastery has been one of the world's great centers of religious pilgrimage for over 15 centuries. Within its imposing wall resets a citadel like no other, incredibly rich in important religious and historical structure. Among its treasures is a library of ancient manuscripts and icons second only to the Vatican's itself, and a 6th century church reputed to lie directly on the side of the Burning Bush. Quite simply, the monastery is a defining feature of the Holy Land. 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.
Reference: (Egypt Tourist Guide) 16th edition (Best of Egypt) Volume III