Olubunmi Odejimi
Apart from the great pyramids of Giza one of the seven wonders of the world , Africa also plays home to one of the oldest ancient libraries in the world, the saint Catherine monastery library, Egypt which is situated at Mount Sinai, the location where Moses received the ten commandment from God, how amazing this sounds!
This historic relic in Africa happens to be one of the continents oldest, bridging a gap between religious, empires and kingdoms. For christians the site where this historic library is located serves as a holy ground. Mount Sinai, for the Christians, is the site where God appeared to Moses through a burning bush and handed him the ten commandments.
The Saint Catherine Monastery Library is the oldest in Egypt dating back to the 17th century with unique or extremely rare works, such as the Codex Sinaiticus and the Syriac Sinaiticus, as well as possibly the largest collection of early Christian icons, including the earliest known depiction of Jesus as Christ Pantocrator.
One striking architecture that gives the monastery its distinct Greek atmosphere is the fortress wall erected around the sanctuary under the orders of the Roman emperor Justinian.
Many world leaders and religious rulers claim the monastery holds significant religious knowledge lost to man ranging from books, manuscripts, pre-historic literature, and so on. It has been dubbed and celebrated as one of the greatest sanctuaries because of its spiritual and cultural significance in the religious space .
The monastery was recently listed as one of the UNESCO heritage sites for its place in the culture and religious significance of the people.
Till date many religious researchers fall on the monastery library which consists of over 4000 manuscripts, which are written in Greek, Slavonic, Arabic, Polish, and Hebrew, among others. Some of the manuscripts are used to regulate and provide guidance to monks in the discharge of their religious duties.
The Saint Catherine library remains one of the oldest libraries in Africa and is situated at the historic mount Sinai, traditionally known as Jabal Musa, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt that receives thousands of pilgrims and researchers yearly.
