St.Cathrine Monastery - The Holy Monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai, Saint Catherines Monastery

Justification for Inscription

Criterion (i). The architecture of St 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). St Catherine's Monastery is one of the very early outstanding examples in Eastern tradition of a Christian monastic settlement located in a remote area. It demonstrates an intimate relationship between natural grandeur and spiritual commitment.

Criterion (iv). Ascetic monasticism in remote areas prevailed in the early Christian church and resulted in the establishment of monastic communities in remote places. St 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 6^th century.

Criterion (vi). The St Catherine's area, centred on the holy mountain of Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa, Mount Horeb), like the Old City of Jerusalem, is sacred to three world religions Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.