The Egyptian Establishment for Marketing and Distribution (EMDCO) published a book titled "Saint Catherine's Monastery..the Lighthouse of Tolerance" by archaeologist Dr. Abdel Rahim Rehan.

The recently-published book promotes the idea of the religious compound project that was proposed by late president Mohamed Anwar el Sadat.

In statements to MENA on Wednesday, Dr. Rehan said the book's publication falls within the framework of a three-day conference on monotheistic religions that will kick off in South Sinai on Thursday. 

The Monastery of St. Catherine is the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the World and its library has the largest religious collection next to the Vatican only. 

It was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD, although there was already a church at the site of the Burning Bush erected by the Empress Helena in 330 AD. 

Byzantine Orthodox monasticism has even earlier roots, and the area is sacred to all three monotheistic religions; Islam, Christianity and Judaism. 

The monastery was under the protection of the Prophet Muhammad, Arab and Turkish leaders and Napoleon, which helped to preserve it virtually undamaged. In the walled compound there is a Fatimid mosque built next to the Orthodox church, a rare coexistence of religions in today’s World.