The area around Mount Sinai is the spot believed to be where Moses escaped from Egypt and lived for forty years with his father-in-law Jethro.  Here God revealed himself in the burning bush and commissioned Moses to lead his people to freedom and to bring them to Mount Horeb in order to serve Him.  Fifty days afer their departure from Egypt, they reached this sacred spot where Moses ascended to receive God's law. 

Pilgrims have made their way to Mount Sinai since at least the fourth century to visit the Monastery and to ascend the heights of the mountain believed to be the place where God revealed himself to Moses and made a covenant with the Chosen People.  Monks have lived near Mount Horeb since the third century. In 330 AD Constantine's mother, the Empress Helena, built a church at the site of the burning bush.  The emperor Justinian had a church and walled fortress built in 527. 

Monastery of St. Catherine stands at the base of Mount Sinai 

See Also | Sunrise at Mountain | Monastery | Pilgrimage |