Saint Catherine’s monastery – the guardian of thousands-of –years-old stories about Moses and the burning bush (the Egyptians believe that the only green bush growing on the grounds of the monastery, that never dies, is Moses’ burning bush) carries the heavy burden of touristic exploitation.
However, this is a “must see” before you escape the crowd on the back of a camel, climbing Mount Sinai with your Bedouin guide. Although the real Mount Sinai is said to be across the Red Sea on the Saudi Arabia side, one cannot escape the feeling of surrounding holiness while you wander back down the mountain towards the lights of St. Catherine village, with only the stars to guide you and a pot of Egyptian tea calling your name. I have not done a sleep-over on the mountain, but this can be arranged with the Bedouins as your hosts.
Not too many know about the existence of the most famous Coptic Christian church in Cairo, the Hanging Church. The Hanging Church (built in 690-92) is located above a gatehouse, called Babylon Fortress, in Old Cairo (also called Coptic Cairo). This Roman fortress was known to be the boundary between Lower and Middle Egypt – the Nile River’s “toll gate”. Christians believe that the Holy Family visited this area, and stayed at the site of Abu Serga, not far from the Hanging Church. Visiting the Hanging Church feels like walking back into the 3rd century.