Holy Land 2019 ~ St Catherine Monastery and Out of Egypt (DAY 4 ~ EGYPT-ISRAEL)

DAY 4 - St Catherine Monastery

The St. Catherine Monastery (named after St Catherine, the martyr of Alexandria)  is an ancient
monastery founded about AD 330 by the Byzantine empress Helena.  She built a small chapel and a fortified refuge for local hermits built beside what was believed to be the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses. 

This monastery and its surrounding area is a Unesco World Heritage site.

The monastery was later on fortified. A fortress was constructed around the original chapel, to provide a secure home for the monastic community that had grown there, and as a refuge for the Christians of southern Sinai.

Within the monastery compound, you'll find the original Burning Bush, the Well of Moses and the Transfiguration Chapel.

Burning Bush (now surrounded by a fence to keep tourists from nipping and cutting off the bush for souvenir). 

The Well of Moses (where Moses met his wife Zipporah. It is said whoever drinks from the well, shall have marital happiness). 

The Church of the Transfiguration ~ an ornately decorated 6th-century church and is a sight to behold (Unfortunately picture taking inside the church is not allowed).

A picture with one of the locals...

Check out the picture of the Sinai Rock 

 A granite stone from the top area of Mount Sinai showing what seems to be a depiction of a bush.

St Catherine is our last stop in Egypt.  Alas, we had to leave early as travel from St Catherine to Israel will take about five (5) hours. 

Pharaoh's Island (also known as the Coral Island) a small granite atoll surrounded by coral reefs and amazing dive sites. The island is also known for its citadel, originally built by crusaders and later conquered and reconstructed by Saladin. The citadel is listed today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We are sad to leave Egypt, but equally eager to see Israel.   

At the Taba Border Crossing ~ is the international border crossing between Egypt and Israel.

Waiting after immigrations is Alex.  

He will be our guide as we continue our Holy Land adventure in Israel.

Follow our Holy Land Adventure:

• For Holy Land helpful Tips >>> Holy Land Tips
• DAY 1 - welcome to Cairo Egypt >>>> Day 1
• DAY 2 - touring the land of ancient monuments, pharaohs and great pyramids  >>>> Day 2
• DAY 3 - road to Mt Sinai >>>> Day 3
  

Please check also my separate post on all the hotels we've stayed at during our tour of the Holy Land.  

For questions and inquiries on our Tour Package with CITTI please visit their facebook page at CORPORATE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURS INC

Holy Land 2019 ~ The Road to Mt Sinai (DAY 3 ~ EGYPT)

DAY 3 - We left our Cairo hotel early for the 6 hours (450 kilometer) drive to Mt Sinai

As we cross Cairo's dessert, I imagine the hardships the Israelites faced during their plight out of Egypt to Canaan... it must have been extremely difficult.

It was a long drive, with just enough free time to admire the Red Sea and stop at the Moses Spring on the way.

Lunch was at Green Sudr Resort, a charming resort with a awesome vista of the Red Sea ~

Exodus 14:21 reads: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”

The Moses Spring (also known as Fountain of Moses) ~

In Exodus 15:22-26 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. 

During the exodus, Moses led the Israelites southward in Sinai. For three days they traveled without finding any place to replenish their water. At Marah they found a large spring but the water was undrinkable. Moses is said to have, upon the advice of God, thrown a special tree into the brackish water which made it drinkable.

Our final destination for the Day 3 is the Town of  St Catherine ~

Our accommodation is the Morgenland Village Hotel, which serves as jump off point to climbing Mt Sinai (where Moses received  the Ten Commandment) and visits to the St Catherine Monastery (site of the Burning Bush).

With an elevation of 1600 meters above sea level, temperature here drops easy.  Coming from a tropical country 3 degrees midway to Mt Sinai climb ~ was really numbing!  

TIP: If you plan to climb Mt Sinai, please come prepared to wear warm clothes and bring gloves and beanies.

Follow our Holy Land Adventure:

• For Holy Land helpful Tips >>> Holy Land Tips
• DAY 1 - welcome to Cairo Egypt >>>> Day 1
• DAY 2 - touring the land of ancient monuments, pharaohs and great pyramids  >>>> Day 2

Please check also my separate post on all the hotels we've stayed at during our tour of the Holy Land.  

For questions and inquiries on our Tour Package with CITTI please visit their facebook page at CORPORATE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURS INC