Saint Catherine Area

Saint Catherine Area

The Orthodox Monastery of St Catherine stands at the foot of Mount Horeb where, the Old Testament records, Moses received the Tablets of the Law. The mountain is known and revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa. The entire area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The Monastery, founded in the 6th century, is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its initial function. Its walls and buildings of great significance to studies of Byzantine architecture and the Monastery houses outstanding collections of early Christian manuscripts and icons. The rugged mountainous landscape, containing numerous archaeological and religious sites and monuments, forms a perfect backdrop to the Monastery.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Zone Sainte-Catherine

Le monastère orthodoxe de Sainte-Catherine est situé au pied du mont Horeb où, dans l’Ancien Testament, Moïse aurait reçu les Tables de la Loi. La montagne est également connue et révérée par les musulmans qui l’appellent djebel Musa. La zone tout entière est sacrée pour trois grandes religions répandues dans le monde entier : christianisme, islam et judaïsme. Le monastère, fondé au VIe siècle, est le plus ancien monastère chrétien ayant conservé sa fonction initiale. Ses murs et ses bâtiments sont très importants pour l’étude de l’architecture byzantine. Le monastère abrite des collections extraordinaires d’anciens manuscrits chrétiens et d’icônes. Le paysage montagneux et sauvage qui l’entoure comprend de nombreux sites et monuments archéologiques et religieux, et forme un décor parfait autour du monastère.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

منطقة القديسة كاترين

يقع دير القديسة كاترين الأرثوذكسي عند قدم جبل حورب، المذكور في العهد القديم، حيث حصل موسى على لوحة الوصايا. والموقع يقدسه المسلمون أيضا ويدعونه جبل موسى. والمنطقة مقدّسة للديانات السماويّة الثلاث المنتشرة في العالم أجمع، أي المسيحيّة والإسلام واليهوديّة. وتأسس الدير في القرن السادس وهو الدير المسيحي الأقدم الذي حافظ على وظيفته الأساسيّة. فجدرانه ومبانيه ترتدي أهميّةً بالغةً لدراسة الهندسة البيزنطيّة. وفي الدير مجموعات كبيرة من مخطوطات وأيقونات مسيحيّة قديمة. وهو يقع في منطقة جبليّة متوحشة تضمّ العديد من المواقع والنصب التراثيّة والدينيّة ويُشكّل خير إطار جمالي يحيط بالدير.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

圣卡特琳娜地区

圣卡特琳娜正统修道院坐落在何烈山(Mount Horeb)脚下,就是基督教《旧约全书》记载摩西接受“律法石板”的地方。这座山以“杰别尔-穆萨”之名在穆斯林中非常著名、广受尊敬。这个地区是包括基督教、伊斯兰教和犹太教在内的世界三大宗教共同的圣地。修道院始建于公元6世纪,是世界上仍在使用的最古老修道院。修道院的墙体和房屋对拜占庭式建筑风格研究具有很重要的意义。修道院内有大量杰出的收藏,包括早期基督教手稿和圣像。修道院所在的地区,山峦高峻,蕴藏着无数的考古遗迹和宗教古迹,给修道院提供了完美的环境。

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Монастырь Св. Екатерины с окрестностями

Православный монастырь Св. Екатерины расположен у подножья горы Хорив, описанной в Ветхом Завете (именно здесь Моисей получил скрижали с заповедями). Этот район священен для трех мировых религий: христианства, ислама и иудаизма. Монастырь, основанный в VI в., является старейшим христианским монастырем, который и до сих пор остается действующим. Его крепостные стены и здания имеют большое значение для изучения византийской архитектуры, а внутри помещений монастыря хранятся выдающиеся коллекции раннехристианских манускриптов и икон. Пересеченный гористый ландшафт, где находится множество археологических и религиозных достопримечательностей и памятников, служит прекрасным фоном для монастыря.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Zona de Santa Catalina

El monasterio ortodoxo de Santa Catalina está situado al pie del Monte Horeb, donde Moisés recibió las Tablas de la Ley según el Antiguo Testamento. Los musulmanes veneran también esta montaña con el nombre de Jebel Musa. La región es sagrada para tres grandes religiones del mundo: el cristianismo, el Islam y el judaísmo. El monasterio fue fundado en el siglo V de nuestra era y es el más antiguo de la cristiandad que ha conservado su función primigenia. Encierra colecciones extraordinarias de manuscritos cristianos e iconos antiguos. El escabroso paisaje montañoso circundante, que enmarca a la perfección el monasterio, alberga numerosos sitios arqueológicos y religiosos.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

聖カトリーナ修道院地域
エジプト北東部,シナイ半島南部,アラビア語で”モーゼの山”を意味するムーサ山(別称シナイ山,標高2285m)北麓にあるギリシア正教修道院。モーゼが十戒を授けられたこの荒涼たる地を中心に,ユダヤ教徒,キリスト教徒,イスラム教徒にとって宗教的に重要な意味を有する聖地が散在する。4世紀にモーゼが目撃したという”燃える柴”の周辺に聖堂が築かれ,6世紀にはビザンチン帝ユスティアヌスが現在の修道院の基礎を築いた。修道院として使われている最も古いキリスト教の建造物である。

source: NFUAJ

Sint Catharina klooster

Het orthodoxe Sint Catharina klooster ligt aan de voet van de berg Horeb, waar Mozes de Tabletten van de Wet (de stenen tafelen) ontving volgens het Oude Testament. De berg is bekend bij moslims en wordt vereerd als Jebel Musa. Het hele gebied is heilig vanwege drie wereldgodsdiensten: het christendom, de islam en het Jodendom. Het klooster werd in de 6e eeuw gesticht en is het oudste christelijke klooster nog steeds in gebruik voor zijn oorspronkelijke functie. De muren en gebouwen zijn van groot belang voor de bestudering van de Byzantijnse architectuur en het kloostercomplex huisvest bijzondere collecties van vroegchristelijke manuscripten en iconen.

Source: unesco.nl

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

The Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine stands at the foot of Mount Horeb where, the Old Testament records, Moses received the Tablets of the Law. The mountain is known and revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa. The entire area is sacred to three Monotheistic religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The Monastery, founded in the 6th century, is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its initial function. Its walls and buildings are of great significance to studies of Byzantine architecture and the Monastery houses outstanding collections of early Christian manuscripts and icons. The rugged mountainous landscape around, containing numerous archaeological and religious sites and monuments, forms a perfect backdrop for the Monastery. Along the Path of Moses (Sikket Sayidna Musa), leading to the summit of Mount Moses, there are two arches, the Gate of Stephen and the Gate of the Law and the remains of chapels, while the Holy Summit itself is an important archaeological site with a mosque and chapel.

Saint Catherine Area is of immense spiritual significance to three world monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Saint Catherine’s is one of the very early outstanding Christian monasteries in the world, and has retained its monastic function without a break from its foundation in the 6th century. The Byzantine walls protect a group of buildings of great importance both for the study of Byzantine and architecture and in Christian spiritual terms. The complex also contains some exceptional examples of Byzantine art and houses outstanding collections of manuscripts and icons. Its siting demonstrates a deliberate attempt to establish an intimate bond between natural beauty and remoteness on the one hand and human spiritual commitment on the other.

Criterion (i): The architecture of Saint Catherine's Monastery, the artistic treasures that it houses, and its domestic integration into a rugged landscape, combine to make it an outstanding example of human creative genius.

Criterion (iii): Saint Catherine's Monastery is one of the very early outstanding examples in Eastern tradition of a Christian monastic settlement located in a remote area, demonstrating an intimate relationship between natural grandeur and spiritual commitment. It is the oldest Christian monastery retaining its function without break from its foundation until today.

Criterion (iv): Ascetic monasticism in remote areas prevailed in the early Christian church and resulted in the establishment of monastic communities in remote places. Saint Catherine's Monastery is one of the earliest of these and the oldest to have survived intact, being used for its initial function without interruption since the 6th century.

Criterion (vi): Saint Catherine’s Area, centered on the holy mountain of Mount Sinaï (Jebel Musa, Mount Horeb), like the Old City of Jerusalem, is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It is thought to be the place where Moses received the Tablets of the Law.

Integrity

The boundaries of the property are of sufficient size to contain the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value. The integrity of the property and its surrounding landscape has been maintained to a large degree, due to the hostile nature of the setting. The integrity has been kept through the careful maintenance of buildings, with their monastic and desert character that allows them to convey a sense of respect and piety. They present a harmonious whole that brings inspiration and serenity of heart to pilgrims and visitors alike. However, these conditions are vulnerable to the large amount of well-intentioned tourists who not only threaten its peace, but, it is feared, its identity and its integrity. Rock-slides constitute a risk that needs to be managed because of people’s incessant treading, rainfall, and winter snow-melt, as well as slight earthquakes from time to time. Flash floods, of a one per century occurrence, are also probable risks. The only discordant feature is the town of Saint Catherine, created as a centre for government agencies, and also for the growing tourism in the area.

Authenticity

For hundreds of years the Monastery has survived in comparative isolation from the world. Because of its remarkable history, the Monastery has undergone a number of modifications over fifteen centuries. It has retained its overall form and design to a high degree as well as its spirit because of its continued use and function. Its location and setting remain entirely authentic. Having been in continuous use for its original function as a Christian monastery, Saint Catherine's has been carefully maintained so as to provide adequate housing for the monastic community and for pilgrims in a hostile environment. Its internal layout is still identical with that when it was founded. It preserves the authenticity of its different components to a considerable extent because of the reliance on local materials in successive buildings and restorations. There are repairs that date back to the Middle Ages, made by both the monks and the local Bedouin.

Protection and management requirements

Saint Catherine Area occupies 60,100 ha including a Nature Protectorate Reserve, which was declared by Prime Ministerial Decree no.613 in 1988 under the provisions of Law No 102/1983. The Nature Protectorate Reserve constituted 4,300 km2 from the total area of the property (601 km2) by Decree in 1994. It was designated because of its rich endemic flora and abundant wildlife, its fertile agricultural area, with a large Bedouin population, and its importance to three monotheistic world religions. It is under the management of the Nature Protection Sector of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), of The Ministry of Environment. The Protectorate, based in the town of Saint Catherine, is responsible for preserving and managing the natural landscape and its biotic components, as well as for some socio-economic activities related to sustainable development of the Bedouin community. Its legal overseer is the Egyptian Legal Autonomous Religious Institution of the Greek Orthodox Church, recognized as such by a specific Egyptian Presidential Decree. Antiquities within the Saint Catherine Area are protected by a comprehensive system of statutory control operating under the provisions of Protection of Antiquities Law No. 117 of 1983 as amended by the Law No. 3 of 2010 and No. 91 of 2018 and No 20 of 2020 for the protection of monuments, the Law of Environment No. 4 of 1994, Urban harmony Law No. 114 of 2006 and Building Law No. 119 of 2008. The property is managed by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, working through the South Sinaï Regional Office of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization (EAO) at El-Tor.

The Monastery is the property of the Greek Orthodox Church and belongs to the Archdiocese of Sinaï. Under the hierarchical system of the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is self-governed and independent, under the administration of the Abbot, who has the rank of Archbishop. Any intervention for the maintenance of the buildings is very carefully evaluated by both the Monastery authorities and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Nothing is permitted that may risk the slightest obliteration of the original character of the buildings. Moreover, not only are the buildings protected as such, but more importantly, the monastic life within the walls of the Monastery is under protection, while life in the whole area is also as far as possible developed through a rigorous management plan.

A Master Plan for the City of Saint Catherine, in order to protect its special character, has been drafted in 2020 and many of its components are already implemented. Conservation efforts are in place to prevent rock-slides from the sides of the surrounding mountains on to the Monastery’s buildings, and to repair the fragile protecting walls. Moreover, a new circuit for the entry of visitors into the Monastery has been put in place, from within a new entrance in a side wall, to manage better the effects of visitation especially to the main church and its icons, due to overcrowding. An inner museum is being built within the Monastery, which should allow better preservation of these valuable items, while at the same time permitting the public to enjoy and appreciate them.

The Burning Bush was about to die away because of continuous picking of its leaves and branches by visitors wishing to acquire its blessing. About 20 years ago, it was surrounded by a protective wall higher than a man’s height.