The Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai: History and Guide

The Monastery of Saint Catherine in SinaiHistory and GuideAt the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Law, sits oneof the oldest Christian monasteries in the world-the Monastery ofSaint Catherine. A haven of tranquility for the community of GreekOrthodox monks who live, work, and pray within its walls, it alsohouses magnificent collections of icons, scripts, and books, somefrom the very earliest centuries of the Christian era. The monastery'slong existence and its priceless and virtually intact collections canalmost certainly be attributed to its location, tucked away in thebarren rocky landscape of south Sinai-land of Biblical history andlegend, of hermits and pilgrims.Besides providing a visitor's guide to the monastery and itsmarvelous treasures, Jill Kamil traces the history of the monasteryand the region from the Old Testament story of the exodus to themartyrdom of Saint Catherine, and through centuries of politicalstrife to the present day, when improved communications andtourism have introduced a threat to the quiet life of the monasteryand the ecological balance of south Sinai. Jill Kamil is the author of Coptic Egypt.- History and Guide, Aswanand Abu Sinibel; History and Guide, and The Ancient Egyptians;Life in the Old Kingdom, all published by the American Universityin Cairo Press, as well as her well-known series of guides to Luxor,Sakkara and Memphis, and Upper Egypt."Jill Kamil's guidebooks are very well written and easy to peruse. . .. The freshness and highly informative approach has long madethem favorites among English-language books for travelers."-Bemard V. Bothmer in Archaeology - A Scarce book, excellent background history plus it's arguably the best guidebook available.