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
What sprang up during the 1960’s as a hippie hangout along the Red Sea has grown into a thriving beach community that offers easy access to some of the best diving location in the world. Dahab, a coastal village in the middle of the eastern shore of Sinai, is now a booming diving community. It offers a range of accommodations from hostels for budget travelers to luxurious full service resorts. All of this is located right on the water, tucked between the purple mountains of Sinai’s interior and the crystal waters of the Gulf of Aqaba with the shadowy mountains of Saudi Arabia visible across the water in the distance. In the central part of Dahab there is a well-established strip of restaurants and hotels the allow travelers to lounge by the water while enjoying the full restaurant service. Further north the vibe is more relaxed and less developed and a few miles out of town in either direction are resorts offering more exclusive privacy. All of these places organize trips to the many impressive diving and snorkeling locations nearby. Through any of the hotels or countless tourism shops, it is easy to organized diving trips or safari trips into Sinai’s interior. Quad bike excursions, camel rides, and day trips to St. Katherine and Mount Sinai deep in the middle of the peninsula are all popular. About 60 kilometers north of Dahab is the town of Nuweiba, which is even more low-key. Most of the accommodations here consist of simple huts on the beach with a restaurant nearby. They provide the ultimate in relaxation and also the easiest access to excursions to Sinai’s interior. There is also ferry that leaves from Nuweiba twice daily making the trip across to Aqaba in Jordan and back.
This was the best tour we had in Sharm. A really nice and well spoken guide who took the time to explain the history of St. Catherine and the surrounding areas. Also had a great lunch in Dahab right by the sea. We also had a great and safe driver adding to the mix.
Wonderful experience from start to finish. Engi the tour guide, driver and security taking us to St Catherine’s. Engi shared her knowledge and enthusiasm on the Bedouin people and customs and all details on the history of st Catherine’s. Before we arrived. She took pictures for us and supported throughout the tour. Lunch in Dahab overlooking Saudi was beautiful and peaceful with crashing waves and viewing a few very experienced wind surfers
Great day, well organized and a very friendly and professional guide! I recommand!
We were a group of 5 and all of us felt the trip was well worth it. Engy was a great guide, very informative, explaining what we were visiting, and fun at the same time. Would recommend it highly
lifelong dream to visit here, and it did not disappoint. Engy was a fabulous guide and friend. So glad we did this today!!
This is the first time I have written a review, but after the amazing day spent with our tour guide, Mahmoud Elbelbisi, I have decided to do so. He is a must have if visiting St. Catharine Monastery and the Colored Canyon , he explained all the details with good storytelling style and is a very knowledgeable guide. We could not have asked for anyone better to make this trip unforgettable. Thank you and for Memphis Tours for doing a great job organizing everything.
Had a great day out with our lovely Guide Engy, she was very knowledgable and friendly and took us up to the monastery. Do not be put off by the extra security on the trip, it didn’t interfere or spoil the day, I’m sure it’s just there to cover insurance etc. At know point did we feel uneasy. Thoroughly recommend a tour with her
Monastery set against amazing mountain landscape. Its history, significance & Unesco status makes the long journey worthwhile. Hanfy the guide was lively & knowledgeable, sharing so many facts & anecdotes about the site that kept us entertained. His passion for the monastery was infectious. Lunch at Dahab was generous & scrumptious. As we were tired but wanted to pick some stones from the rocky plains, he stopped & helped picked up some for us.
Our tour was perfect. The drive was pleasant throughout the whole tour, and our guide was amazing! Mahmoud knows a lot about History and his explanations were always super complete and interesting. Visiting the Monastery was a dream come true for us, if you visit, don’t miss out the icons gallery, with some of the most important arts in the world. It was an incredible and unforgettable tour, thank you Memphis team!
We enjoyed our tour so much with Memphis Tours! We had a blast and learned so much about the history of the monastery and even its surroundings. Our tour guide, Engy, is amazing, kind, and so knowledgeable. She not only told us about St. Katherine’s history, but also about Sharm El Sheikh and Egypt in general (from the pharaohs until now). 100% recommend!!! 🙌🏽
Our tour was excellent! We had Engy she was very helpful and informative about everything the whole way. The whole team was polite and professional We highly recommend.
The history and beauty of St. Catherine's Monastery was worth the trip. My guide Engy Samir, was great, she was very knowledgeable about the area and knew her way around the monastery. She was great at pointing out different aspects that I might have missed if I was touring on my own.
Saint Catherine's monastery tour was exceptional, with a short stop in Dahab. One regret : I visited it on a Friday (when the monastery is only open during one hour instead of 2.5 the rest of the week). A global remark : the price of the tour is quite expensive for a family but there is less possibilities to do it by your self.
Amazing guide, super passionate about what he does thank you Mamoud!! Unbelievable scenery and nice transport car…having a private van and guide what an amazing luxury! We loved it thank you Memphis Tours!!
The visit to St Catherine´s was very interesting. A place with a lot of history and very spiritual. The Mahmoud guide is very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The included food is very good in an incredible place. The tour is highly recommended.
Mohamed, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable, professional and efficient. Had lots of good stories and a vernacular English. Thank you. The tour is exactly what it proposes. The trip is tiring but worth it. The churches were unfortunately closed because of covid. We had some time in Dahab on the way back. Lovely row of unpretentious restaurants and lounges by the sea. Very agreeable. Had a very appropriate lunch , tasty and well served, in a very cozy restaurant by the sea. Decorated with a lot of odds and ends, which gives it a certain personality. Very nice, recommendable trip, nice organization and trustworthy agency.
The trip to St. Catherine’s was great! It was a very spiritual experience and our guide Mohamed was very knowledgeable and tied in great history to our tour. We also did a short hike of a slot canyon nearby which I highly recommend.
The favorite part of this experience was when we were coming down the Mount Sinai. And the advice to other travelers would be to hydrate and eat as soon as they get down the Mountain.
We went from Sharm el Sheikh to the Monastery of Santa Catarina, a must-see for history lovers, as well as the amazing landscapes we found along the way. The Memphis Tours agency was super punctual and our guide Mahmoud Elbelbisi demonstrated a lot of knowledge, very inquisitive and friendly answering all our questions.
We had an exceptional holiday to say the least. Both my wife Veronica and I were EXTREMELY pleased with our experience which greatly exceeded our expectations. I think it is only right to make some special mentions. We would like to thank our driver Abdul for taking us around , our guide Mr. Amr for the wonderful day in Santa Caterina and the colorful canyon. But above all we would like to thank Mr. Fathy, our tour operator, for the immense passion he puts into his work. He assisted us practically h24 always with a smile and never miss anything. He instantly solved a problem caused by our hotel despite it being night and treated us like friends and not just customers. People like him should be rewarded for the great commitment they put into their work. Very good keep it up! We will definitely recommend your agency! We hope to return soon. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Lorenzo and Veronica ☺️❤️
We were yesterday, as a family at the Monastery of Saint Catherine, what a beautiful place! We took the opportunity to visit the canyons and then end the day with a lunch by the sea. We would like to thank our guide Engy for his professionalism, his listening skills and his kindness. A nice excursion that I strongly recommend. Gypsy
Une guide merveilleuse avec laquelle nous avons passé un excellent moment. Culture, paysages, anecdotes, tout était rassemblé pour une visite au top. Quelques échanges avec des enfants bédouins. Je recommande.
Very interesting excursion to the monastery of Santa Catalina! Our guide Mahmoud very nice and very complete and intetent all your explanation!
Visiting Sharm el Sheikh is a new stop, it was exciting to go to Mount Sinai to meet the Saint Catherine Monastery where there is a unique peace and spirituality as well as much history! Also in Sharm el Sheik we did the Royal Seascope submarine tour and parasailing 🪂 very entertaining! Our leader Ahmed Kassem from Memphis tour was really the best, always attentive so we had the best experience. Plus our guide Mahmoud a great person with a lot of knowledge! Fully recommended to go and know this place that keeps many more activities that we hope to go again to perform 😍 Atte. Macarena and Francisco de Chile 🇨🇱
All wonderful super attentive agency and super gentle guide mohamedd recommend to menphis tours ! Beautiful tour 👏👏👏
We were greeted by the Memphis Tour at the airport. In those days we took a walk to the Monastery of Santa Catarina, in another we were taken by Memphis to the boat to spend the day in the dives, and finally, we were taken to the airport for the flight back by them. Always accompanied by the excellent and attentive guide Mahmoud. We recommend!
Excellent st catalina and safari excursion and Snorkl, Mount Sinai and desert tour. Excellent work of Mahmoud always answering my doubts via WhatsApp. Very punctual when picking us up at the hotel. Excellent guides. I booked the tours a week earlier and it was an excellent choice. I recommend them 100%. I'd hire sharm wonder again. Samy.
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