Nature · South Sinai
Mount Catherine
Egypt's highest peak, rising above the town of Saint Catherine in South Sinai, known for sunrise and sunset views and a chapel on the summit.
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The story
Mount Catherine is the highest mountain in Egypt, near the town of Saint Catherine in South Sinai Governorate, at roughly 2,630 m above sea level (sources give figures between about 2,629 and 2,646 m). It is named for Saint Catherine of Alexandria, since Christian tradition holds that angels carried her body to its peak. At the summit stand a chapel built in 1905 and a meteorological station. Snow falls on the mountain in winter, as on the neighbouring peaks of the region.
Good to know
- It is the highest mountain in Egypt.
- Its height is about 2,630 m above sea level (2,629 to 2,646 m depending on the source).
- From the summit one can see both the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez.