Monday 05/January/2026 – 08:07 AM
The city of St. Catherine in South Sinai Governorate received, at dawn on Monday, a large number of Egyptian tourists and visitors, to climb Mount Moses to watch the sunrise from above. A mountain peak, a visit to the Monastery of St. Catherine, historical places, colorful valleys, the St. Catherine Reserve, and a resting place for the late President Anwar Sadat, despite the winter weather and the wave of frost that the city is exposed to during the night hours.
Ibrahim Abdel Halim, Director General of Public Relations and Media in the City of St. Catherine, told Cairo 24 that the city of St. Catherine received today, Monday, hours before the celebration of Christmas, delegations of tourists from several countries of different nationalities, to climb Mount Moses to watch the sunrise and enjoy the spiritual atmosphere, visit the Monastery of St. Catherine and its religious sanctities, visit the colorful valleys and enjoy the beauty of nature.
834 tourists and visitors
Abdel Halim confirmed that the city received 834 tourists and visitors today, including 180 Egyptians, and 654 tourists representing the countries of Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Brazil, Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Russia, Germany, and Norway.
Abdel Halim revealed that the total number of tourists who climbed Mount Moses reached 500, including 161 Egyptians, while the number of those who visited St. Catherine Monastery reached 343, including 19 Egyptians.
Abdel Halim pointed out that tourists flock to the city of St. Catherine every day after midnight to prepare to climb Mount Moses to watch the sunrise. After finishing, they go to the monastery to visit the religious and historical sanctities and perform many prayers, and visit the church, library and museum of the monastery to view hundreds of rare manuscripts every day except Sunday, which is the day designated for the monastery’s holiday to perform prayers for the monastery’s monks.
Frost at night and temperatures reach one degree Celsius
Abdel Halim revealed that the city today has a drop in daytime temperatures reaching 16°, while it reaches the point of frost at night, reaching 1°. Despite this, the number of tourists to the city is increasing, and everyone is racing to climb the mountain and enjoy sunrise trips, whether on foot or by riding camels.
He pointed out that the city of St. Catherine is preparing for the monastery’s Christmas celebrations, corresponding to January 7, and the city is also witnessing a tourism boom during the coming period, after the return of tourism to some countries that for years stopped sending tourists to the cities of South Sinai, especially with the beginning of the winter tourist season.
Visit colorful and protected valleys
After finishing climbing Mount Moses, watching the sunrise, enjoying yoga exercises, and eating breakfast, tourists visit the colorful valleys, visit the rest house of the late President Anwar Sadat, learn about his residence, Bedouin camping areas, and undertake marketing tours to buy medicinal herbs, and Sinai and Bedouin crafts.
