St Katherine's Protectorate encompasses a rugged landscape of high-altitude desert. Amid this national park, enclosed within stark mountains, is a wealth of historical sites sacred to the world’s three main monotheistic religions, including St Catherine's Monastery and Mt Sinai at its core. The central area around the monastery has been declared a Unesco World Heritage site.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.44 MILES
This ancient monastery traces its founding to about AD 330, when Byzantine empress Helena had a small chapel and a fortified refuge for local hermits…
17.42 MILES
Known locally as Gebel Musa, Mt Sinai is revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, all of whom believe that God delivered his Ten Commandments to Moses at…
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18.31 MILES
The alternative path to Mt Sinai's summit comprises the taxing 3750 Steps of Repentance, which begin outside the southeastern corner of St Catherine's…
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18.45 MILES
Above the Well of Moses in St Catherine's Monastery is the superb Monastery Museum, which has been magnificently restored. It has displays (labelled in…
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19.75 MILES
Thirty-five kilometres north of Sharm El Sheikh, Nabq is the largest coastal protectorate on the Gulf of Aqaba. Named after an oasis that lies within its…
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18.45 MILES
Inside St Catherine's Monastery, this ornately decorated 6th-century church has a nave flanked by marble columns and walls covered in richly gilded icons…
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19.97 MILES
This dive 25km south of Dahab features a dramatic seascape highlighted by a 60m wall cut by numerous chasms, faults and sandy ravines. If you access the…
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20.93 MILES
An impressive entrance through a wide corridor carved into a steeply sloping reef is a highlight of this dive site 15km south of Dahab. Further down you…
Nearby Sinai attractions
17.42 MILES
Known locally as Gebel Musa, Mt Sinai is revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, all of whom believe that God delivered his Ten Commandments to Moses at…
18.31 MILES
The alternative path to Mt Sinai's summit comprises the taxing 3750 Steps of Repentance, which begin outside the southeastern corner of St Catherine's…
18.43 MILES
It’s possible to see what is thought to be a descendant of the original burning bush in the St Catherine's Monastery compound; however, because of…
18.44 MILES
This ancient monastery traces its founding to about AD 330, when Byzantine empress Helena had a small chapel and a fortified refuge for local hermits…
5. Church of the Transfiguration
18.45 MILES
Inside St Catherine's Monastery, this ornately decorated 6th-century church has a nave flanked by marble columns and walls covered in richly gilded icons…
18.45 MILES
Above the Well of Moses in St Catherine's Monastery is the superb Monastery Museum, which has been magnificently restored. It has displays (labelled in…
19.75 MILES
Thirty-five kilometres north of Sharm El Sheikh, Nabq is the largest coastal protectorate on the Gulf of Aqaba. Named after an oasis that lies within its…
19.97 MILES
This dive 25km south of Dahab features a dramatic seascape highlighted by a 60m wall cut by numerous chasms, faults and sandy ravines. If you access the…