Sinai. Monastery of St. Catherine, Greek monks at the modern entrance American Colony, Jerusalem

Title based on captions for similar images (LC-M36-1024-[A] and LC-M36-1024-[B])
Title on negative sleeve misidentifies image as: Jerusalem in snow, 1921, men in robes.
Caption from list, Matson collection negative numbers 14565-15108: misidentifies image as: Jerusalem, new city.
On negative: 1552.
Photograph taken from in front of northwestern gate 'western gate for simplification' at the end of the middle alley, looking southeast and showing the outer door and its alley in the centre. (A. Shams, Sinai Peninsula Research, 2018)
An estimate of 530 to 600 monks lived in the monastic settlements across the mountain range at the height of monasticism in 4th-7th centuries CE, where less than 100 monks lived inside Saint Catherine Monastery on its construction between 530 and 545 CE by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565 CE) (Uzi Dahari, 2000). John Climax the Syrian hermit of Mount Sinai and later Igumen (Abbot) of Saint Catherine Monastery, also known as John of the Ladder and John Sinaites (525-March 30, 606 CE), wrote the 'Ladder of the Divine Ascent' of the 30 steps around 600 CE [580-603 CE (?)]. The number of monks ranged between 300 and 400 monks in 1000-1336 CE and has remained below 50 monks since 1700 CE (Joseph Hobbs), and is around 25 monks in early 21st century CE. The monks dress the full ceremonial garments in major feasts, e.g. Easter, Saint Catherine on November the 25th, etc. There had been another arched western gate which was blocked for security reasons in 1709 CE. It was known as the Archbishop's gate. The western gate was fortified by three small doors, each is reinforced by metal sheets and large iron nails fixed on thick wooden beams. Each door is 1.5 meters high and 1 meter wide. The outer door and its 2 meters alley were added in 1880 CE. (A. Shams, Sinai Peninsula Research, 2018)
Gift; Episcopal Home; 1978.