Antiquities minister to inaugurate St. Catherine's' library on Saturday

CAIRO - 11 December 2017: Antiquities Minister Khaled el Anani will open on Saturday the library of St. Catherine Monastery and the renovation work of the famous mosaic of the Transfiguration in Church of the Transfiguration, St. Catharine’s largest church.

Director General of Research and Archaeological Studies and Scientific Publications in Lower Egypt and Sinai Abdul Rahim Rayhan told MENA that the library contains six thousand manuscripts, including 2,319 in Greek, 284 in Latin, 600 in Arabic in addition to Coptic, Syriac, Ethiopian, Armenian, English and French manuscripts as well as other religious, historical, geographical and philosophical ones.

The oldest manuscripts date back to the 4th century, Rayhan noted.

He pointed out that mosaic of the Transfiguration depicts the Christ's transfiguration and is considered among the oldest and most beautiful mosaics in the East, it dates back to the sixth century.

Christ is portrayed in an oval halo between Moses and Elijah and at the sides three apostles, John, James and Peter, pictured in different poses