|
1-The Enclosure Wall:
The monastery is similar to
the fortresses of the middle ages, and it
was built with an enclosure wall of granite
stones, including towers at its corners, and
inner buildings surrounding it. The height
of the wall is between 12m and 15m, while
its 4 sides measure 117m, 80m, 77m, and 76m.
The Original Gate:
The original gate is actually
located on the western side, but it is now
blocked! To its left is the gate that is
used at present, which was made in 1801.
2-The Main Church (The
Great Church):
It was built on the northern side of the
monastery. It takes the shape of a
basilica and it consists of a central nave
and two aisles that lead to small chapels.
The central nave ends with the altar at its
eastern side, and the aisles end with 2
rooms. Near to the altar on the right there
is a reliquary of marble, which contains the
relics of St. Catherine. A wonderful
Byzantine mosaic covers the apse. The
visitors to this church must take off their
shoes outside before they enter, imitating
Moses when he approached this Holyplace.
*The monastery contains about
2000 icons, which is considered as one of
the most important collections of icons
in the world. Some of them date back to the
5th and 8th centuries.
You can see some of them hanging on the
walls of the vestibule, which leads to the
entrance of the main church.
3-The Mosque
It was built during
the Caliphate of Al-Amer Be Ahkam Allah in
500 A.H (1106 A.D) to be a resting place for
the pilgrims who pass by the monastery on
their way to Mecca (or Makkah), and is
situated on the southwest of the main
church. It is a small Mosque, rectangular in
shape, and measures 11m long by 7m wide,
with walls built of granite mortared with
loam clay, covered with loam clay plaster.
The Mosque consists of 3 riwaqs; the middle
one being the biggest, with a main mihrab flanked
by 2 others. The floor of the Mosque is
covered with hip tiles, but not the original
ones! The roof is covered with wood and
reed, tiled with hip tiles, standing on
circular arches, supported on 2 piers.
The minaret is
12m in height, ending with a balcony
projecting 50cm and bearing a semi-ball
shaped dome at the top.
The minbar
(pulpit) is made of cedar wood decorated
with floral decorations of a Fatimid style,
which is one of the 3 famous minbars built
in this style.
The Mosque contained 2 silver
candlesticks, still preserved in good
condition. There is a chair on which 4 lines
of inscription were written in Floral Kufic
mentioning that the Prince Anoshteken Al-Amer
built the Mosque during the reign of the
Caliph Al-Amer Be Ahkam Allah in 500 A.H
(1106 A.D).
4-The Library
The monastery has one of the
most important religious libraries in the
world, containing a great number of very
rare and old manuscripts. This library also
has a large number of decrees of the Caliphs
and the rulers. In recent years it has
received a lot of attention by
many scholars, as Alexandria University, and
the Congress Library in Washington, has
microfilmed most of the manuscripts.
5-The Wells
There are many wells inside the monastery;
the most important are “the Well of Moses”,
north of the main church, and “The Burning
Bush Well” and “Saint Stephen's Well”, which
are south of the main church.
6-The Oil Press
It is situated below the
Mosque’s courtyard, and is used for
squeezing olives to extract the oil. Its
ceiling is roofed by wooden beams, and reed
ties, resting on granite arches. The floor
of the yard is provided with lanterns, to
lighten the oil press.
7-The Garden
In the front
of the monastery there is a garden,
including a cemetery, for the monks, with a
“skull house” beside it. The monks used to
bury their dead, leave the bodies for a
certain period, and then collect their bones
and deposit them in the “skull house”.
8-The Guests Dwellings
(or the Guest House)
Inside the enclosure wall
there is a small building that was
constructed in 1863 during the reign of
Khedive Ishmael. It is dedicated for the
dwelling of the visitors, and the guests of
the monastery. |
