Mount Catherine

Gebel Katrina reaches 2,629 metres and is the highest point in Egypt, a granite mass south of the monastery in the heart of the Saint Catherine Protectorate, which is itself inscribed as a World Heritage Site. The climb takes five or six hours up a stepped and switchbacked path and is markedly harder than the neighbouring Mount Sinai, with a long approach through Wadi el-Arbain past a small monastery and a stand of ancient cypress. At the summit stand a small chapel of 1905 and a weather station, and the view on a clear morning takes in the whole southern Sinai, both gulfs and, in the right conditions, the mountains of Saudi Arabia and mainland Egypt. Snow lies on the top in winter. High-altitude endemic plants grow in the wadis on the way.

History

The mountain takes its name from the Christian tradition that angels carried the body of the martyred Saint Catherine of Alexandria here, and the chapel on its summit was built in 1905, beside a meteorological station. In January 2020 archaeologists found a cave on its north side with paintings of people and animals in red pigment, dated to the Chalcolithic period of the 5th-4th millennium BC, though a figure resembling a camel shows that some of the images are no older than the first millennium BC, and the cave filled with graffiti from many later periods (Wikipedia, Mount Catherine).

What's there

• The highest summit in Egypt - 2,629 metres of granite.
• The summit chapel - a small stone building on the top.
• Wadi el-Arbain - the approach valley with its garden and old cypress.
• Endemic mountain plants - species restricted to the high Sinai.

When to go

April to October for the climb, though spring and autumn are best; winter brings ice and snow on the upper section. Many parties start at night to reach the summit at dawn. A full day, ten to twelve hours round trip.

Practical notes

This is a long, steep climb at altitude and considerably harder than Mount Sinai; fitness matters. A Bedouin guide is required by the protectorate and is genuinely necessary. There is no water on the route. Nights on the summit are extremely cold at any season and shelter is minimal.

Nearby

Saint Catherine's Monastery is in the valley below; Mount Sinai stands beside it.

Key facts