There are several important monasteries and churches in this area, one of the most important being St Catherine's Monastery, located at 1,500 metres above sea level, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Greek Orthodox Monastery has been a refuge for Christians and Muslims during history and houses beautiful frescoes and manuscripts. Other highlights of the area include ruins of Byzantine monastic settlements, the highest mountains in Egypt, amazing rock formations and fantastic desert landscape.