Mount Catherine (; ), is the highest mountain in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. It is located near the town of Saint Catherine in the

South Sinai Governorate South Sinai ( ') is the least populated Subdivisions of Egypt, governorate of Egypt. It is located in the east of the country, encompassing the southern half of the Sinai Peninsula. Saint Catherine's Monastery, an Eastern Orthodox Church monaste ...

The name is derived from the Christian tradition that angels transported to this mountain the body of the martyred Saint

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian saint and Virginity, virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a ...

. At the summit of the mountain, there is a chapel built in 1905 and a meteorological station.

History

Archaeology

On the north of Mount Catherine, archaeologists uncovered a cave with paintings of people and animals in red pigment dates back to the

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

Period,–4th millennium BC in January of 2020. According to John Darnell, red painted images are not as common as engraved images and text. The painting resembling a camel shows that at least some of the graffiti are not older than the first millennium BC and may belong to a later period. The cave was filled with graffiti from different periods over time.

Geology

Mount Catherine is a large horst that rose in a vertical movement along the length of the Wadi Sabia fault in the Catherine Plateau during the

Neogene The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...

period. The Catherine Plateau consists of different volcanic rocks that were formed at different times in the

Precambrian The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...

era. These rocks include, among others:

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...

agglomerate Agglomerate (from the Latin ''agglomerare'' meaning "to form into a ball") is a coarse accumulation of large blocks of volcanic material that contains at least 75% bombs. Volcanic bombs differ from volcanic blocks in that their shape records flui ...

, volcanic bombs and lava flows. The volcanic rocks in this area have experienced significant cracking and weathering, leading to the formation of extensive screes, leading to increased water infiltration and subsequently impacting the local water regime.

Climate

Precipitation is infrequent and sporadic with occasional snowfall occurring on the summit. During the winter season, at the mountain's uppermost reaches, typical conditions include an average maximum temperature of and an average minimum temperature of . In summer, the average maximum temperature is and the average minimum temperature is . The average daily amplitude between temperatures is about .

Vegetation

The snowfall on the mountain summits primarily infiltrates the screes, making it contribute minimally to the available water supply. Consequently, the mountain's vegetation is dominated by plants adapted to arid conditions. Within the mountainous region, various plant species thrive, including ''

Artemisia herba-alba ''Artemisia herba-alba'', the white wormwood, is a perennial shrub in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia'' that grows commonly on the dry steppes of the Mediterranean regions in Northern Africa (Saharan Maghreb), Western Asia (Arabian Pen ...

'' (mainly in the wadis), Zilla and '' Atraphaxis''. '' Agathophora'' grows on the exposed, windswept slopes, while '' Tanacetum santolinoides'' is commonly found in proximity to rocky surfaces. In Wadi Shaq Musa, which descends from the mountain, there is a concentration of

Primula ''Primula'' () is a genus of herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the family (biology), family Primulaceae. They include the primrose (''Primula vulgaris, P. vulgaris''), a familiar wildflower of banks and verges. Other common specie ...

Christian tradition

According to Christian tradition, Saint Catherine was tortured and killed in Alexandria by the Roman emperor

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius ( 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized as a legitimate ...

, at the beginning of the third century. She was executed because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. According to one legend angels placed her body on top of the mountain, where it was discovered by a monk.

Notes

References

External links

"Gebel Katherîna, Egypt" on Peakbagger

"Jabal-Katherina" on Snow-forecast.com

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

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