Tuesday 06/January/2026 – 09:37 AM
On Tuesday morning, the city of St. Catherine witnessed the influx of large numbers of Egyptian tourists and visitors, coinciding with St. Catherine’s Monastery’s celebrations of the birth of Christ, climbing Mount Moses to watch the sunrise from the highest mountain peak, visiting historical places, colorful valleys, St. Catherine’s Reserve, and the rest house of the late President Anwar Sadat, despite the winter weather and the cold wave 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 witnessed today, Tuesday, a large turnout of tourists and visitors, hours before the celebration of the birth of Christ, and the influx of tourists from the Greek Orthodox sect from various countries, to climb Mount Moses to watch the sunrise and enjoy the spiritual atmosphere, visit the Monastery of St. Catherine and its religious sanctities, celebrate inside the monastery and hold prayers. Visit colorful valleys and enjoy the beauty of nature.
970 tourists and visitors
Abdel Halim confirmed that the city received 970 tourists and visitors today, including 214 Egyptians, and 756 tourists representing the countries: Greece, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, France, Czechia, Denmark, Serbia, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Abdel Halim revealed that the total number of tourists who climbed Mount Moses reached 670, including 191 Egyptians, while the number of those who visited St. Catherine Monastery reached 300 visitors, including 23 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 head to the monastery to visit the religious and historical sanctities, perform many prayers, and visit the church, library, and museum of the monastery to see hundreds of rare manuscripts. This happens every day except Sunday, which is the day designated for the monastery’s leave to perform prayers for its monks.
Frost at night and temperatures reach 1°
Abdel Halim revealed that today the city is witnessing a drop in daytime temperatures reaching 16°C, while it reaches frost at night at 1°C. 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 prepared for the monastery’s celebrations to hold the great sunset prayer and the Divine Mass to celebrate the birth of Christ, which falls on Wednesday, January 7. The city is also witnessing a tourism boom during the coming period after the return of tourism from 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 make marketing tours to buy medicinal herbs and Sinai and Bedouin crafts.
