The Burning Bush

The Burning Bush

The Burning Bush that currently exists in St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt, is the tree at which the Prophet Moses called his Lord, and this type of blackberry plant is not found anywhere else except in Sinai, and it is a strange tree that has no fruits and is green all year round, and attempts to replant it anywhere in the world have failed.

The Church of the Burning Bush

in the monastery has its origin inside the Holy Blackberry Church and its branches outside it, and no one enters this church without removing his slippers outside its door, following the example of God’s prophet Moses, peace be upon him, who answered the call of his Lord and removed his slippers.

Burning Bush of Saint Catherine Monastery

and Mount Moses in Sinai represents a value for all religions from Judaism and Christianity as well as Islam, as the story of God’s Prophet Moses and the Children of Israel is mentioned in several suras in the Holy Quran, and God Almighty has honored Mount Al-Tur and made it in the status of Mecca and Jerusalem, as God said: “And the Tin and the Zaytoun and the Tower of Sinin and this safe land,” Surat Al-Tin verses 1-3.

The Unique Nature of the Holy Bramble Bush

The Holy Bramble Bush, currently located at St. Catherine’s Monastery, is the tree through which God spoke to Moses, because this species of bramble bush is found nowhere else in Sinai. It is a unique tree that bears no fruit and remains green throughout the year; attempts to propagate it elsewhere in the world have failed.

The Church of the Holy Bush and Its History

St. Catherine’s Monastery contains a church known as the Church of the Holy Bush, built by Empress Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, in the 4th century AD near the Holy Bush. When Emperor Justinian built the Monastery of Mount Sinai in the 6th century AD, he incorporated it into the monastery’s main church, and the monastery was named St. Catherine’s Monastery in the 9th century AD, in reference to the famous story of Saint Catherine.

Architecture and Sacred Traditions

The floor of the Church of the Burning Bush is 70 cm lower than that of the Church of the Transfiguration; it measures 5 m in length and 3 m in width and contains a small circular altar set on marble columns above a marble slab marking the tree’s actual location. It is said that its roots still remain at this site.

The current fig tree in the monastery has its roots inside the church and its branches outside; no one enters this church without removing their shoes outside.