ZECO TRAVEL TALK

So far our Petra to the Pyramids journey through Jordan and now Egypt has been one highlight after another. In Aqaba, we boarded our private sailing ship, The Aladdin, for the hour and a half sailing to Egypt. We had beautiful weather and sailed south through the gulf with Israel and Egypt visible on our starboard side and the coasts of Jordan and Saudi Arabia off the port side — four countries in an hour and a half! We disembarked in Taba at a tiny dock and quickly proceeded through customs as the officials checked us into Egypt. From Taba it was an impressive drive through the Sinai Peninsula desert to our hotel conveniently located just a half mile from the 6th century Byzantine Monastery of St. Catherine, at the base of Mount Sinai. We arrived as the sun was setting and made our way to the restaurant for a cocktail party with a very special guest. One of the monks, Father Justin, had been corresponding with our accompanying lecturer, Hector Williams of the Archaeological Institute of America, by email for the past few months. When Hector learned that we would be staying overnight near the Monastery he invited Father Justin to “come down from the hill” and join us for dinner. Not only did he join us, but Father Justin also gave a very interesting talk about his work to preserve ALL of the manuscripts in the extensive library at St. Catherine. He even invited us to stop by the library for a private tour the next day!

We gathered after breakfast for the short drive or walk up the hill for our tour of the Monastery. We had anticipated some crowds as Sunday would mark the beginning of Holy Week before the Greek Orthodox Easter and Father Justin had told us that he already had 500 “pilgrims” joining the regular 5:30 am service! Everything our Egyptian guides had arranged for us was first class. We obtained special permission to drive right up to the side door of the Monastery where we entered through a private passageway. Next we were taken through the stunning church and Museum, with its fabled collection of illuminated manuscripts, before we convened beneath a shady arbor which is said to have come from root stock of the original “burning bush.” From our meeting place beneath this famous shrubbery we were led up a back staircase clearly marked “no entrance” to the fascinating and extensive St. Catherine Library. We listened as Father Justin described the valuable contents of the room—the only library in the world to harbor so many original books from as far back as the Byzantine era. Father Justin showed us the computer room, where along with an assistant, he is photographing every page of every tome to preserve these pieces of history before the fragile paper disintegrates over time. Thrilled with our visit, we knew that the Monastery was closing to the public and that Father Justin had to go to prayer, so we thanked him profusely and bid him a fond farewell before returning to our hotel—feeling very fortunate to have had such a memorable visit.