Saint Catherine Area

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 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, cantered 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 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, 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 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.

Links

• View photos from OUR PLACE the World Heritage collection
  
• Sinai Adventures - Places for a trekking adventure (Sinai Adventures Magazine)
  

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