More than 2,000 years ago, a man named Moses received two stone tablets with some rules at the top of Mount Sinai. This gives trekking to the summit a special historical background – but the trek also offers many other rewarding experiences.
Our journey to Mount Sinai began in an overcrowded minibus from Dahab on the Red Sea coast late in the evening, and we arrived at the base of the mountain shortly after midnight.
There are two good reasons to climb the mountain in the middle of the night. One is to witness the sunrise over the Sinai mountain range; the other is that temperatures rise drastically during the day.
There are two routes you can take to reach the top of Mount Sinai. One follows good and clearly marked trails. The other route is much more famous. It consists of 3,000 steps carved out by a repentant monk (He must really have done something terribly wrong!).
The Ascent
Half-asleep, we began our ascent from St. Catherine’s Monastery via the easier route. The trail is well-maintained, though it’s wise to occasionally check your bearings in the dark. Don’t forget a flashlight!
On the way up, the mountains around us appeared as large, colorless shadows – a sight that changed dramatically once the sun began to peek over the horizon.
It’s a good idea to stock up on drinks before you start the climb. There are several small stalls along the path that stay open all night, but their prices reflect the lack of competition.
The trek to the summit isn’t particularly strenuous and can easily be completed in a few hours at a moderate pace.
At the Top of Mount Sinai
We didn’t exactly expect to have the summit to ourselves, but we were still a bit surprised to find more than 20 people already up there.
The summit itself isn’t particularly remarkable. There’s a Greek Orthodox chapel with paintings, ornaments, and a small mosque. And then we experienced something for the first time in Egypt – we were cold. It might be hot at sea level during the day, but at 2,285 meters in the middle of the night, it’s freezing. So we did the only sensible thing: found a spacious spot, rented a blanket, set our alarm for 20 minutes before sunrise, and fell asleep.
When we woke up, it might as well have been downtown Cairo – there were people everywhere. We found a good spot and sat down to wait for the sunrise.
Sunrise Over Sinai
Slowly, the sky began to brighten, and the sun rose above the mountains on the horizon. The peaks, which had only appeared as black shadows during our ascent, now revealed themselves in shades of red, yellow, and brown. It was an incredibly beautiful sight – one that can neither be described properly nor captured in photos. But this view alone makes the trek to the summit worth it, and suddenly any trace of sleep deprivation vanished like dew in the morning sun.
Down the “Steps of Repentance”
On the way down from Mount Sinai, we were both grateful that our ascent had taken place during the cold night. It was hot – very hot. But it was absolutely worth it.
For some reason, most people chose to descend via the easier route, so we had the famous steps almost to ourselves. The further down we went, the more impressed we became by the monk’s achievement. The 3,000 steps are beautifully carved into the rock and occasionally framed by impressive stone gateways.
During the final part of the descent, you can look down at St. Catherine’s Monastery, which you can visit once you reach the base of the trek. Along the path, a sea of souvenir stalls had sprung up, offering all kinds of trinkets and clutter.
After the trek, we relaxed in the shade before being crammed back into the minibus for the ride to Dahab – hopefully to catch a little sleep.
Memory Lane
The article is based on experiences from 1998 and was originally written in 2002 together with Kenneth Karl Nielsen.
