So
begins one of the Bible's most memorable sagas, the 40-year wanderings
of Moses and the Israelites through the vast and barren prison of Sinai.
No story has done more to put Sinai on the map than Exodus, and for
many, a visit to the land where manna fell from heaven and Moses
received the Ten Commandments is nothing short of a pilgrimage.
Most of the places mentioned in Exodus are unknown. Where the Israelites
crossed the Red Sea, where they first set foot in Sinai, and even the
location of biblical Mt. Sinai itself is the subject of relentless
argument among scholars, historians, and theologians. Exodus may have
put Sinai on the map, but putting Exodus back into a geographical
context is an unfinished labor that often involves sifting through
desert sands and Old Testament manuscripts for minute clues.
There are three main theories as to
the route the Israelites used when they crossed into Sinai. The first
has Moses and his tribes moving out of Egypt past modern-day Suez, then
crossing into Sinai near Ain Musa. The second places the crossing
further south, near a place called Ain Sukna. The third and most popular
theory focuses on the north and the Nile Delta region. This region is
far richer in pastures, water, and manna-producing tamarisk trees, and
it also would have been the safest: the southern routes would have taken
the Israelites dangerously close to Pharaoh's
turquoise and copper mines,
which were heavily garrisoned.
However the Israelites entered Sinai,
the mystery of where they roamed once they got there is even greater.
Central to the story of the wanderings is the location of Mt. Sinai, the
sacred height where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The variety of
mountain theories is practically endless. One theory even says that Mt.
Sinai is really a low mount in southern Israel, another that it's a
highland in Saudi Arabia. Within the Sinai Peninsula itself, there are
so many possibilities that a rigorous study could only narrow the search
to 20 peaks. Wherever the "real Mt. Sinai" is, it is indisputable that
Southern Sinai's
Gebel Musa
("Mountain of Moses") carries enormous spiritual and historical
significance for Christians, Jews, and Muslims. In the 4th century AD,
Coptic Christians came to the mountain and founded a small church at the
spot where it was believed God spoke to Moses in the form of the burning
bush. Later on, the site evolved into
St. Catherine's Monastery,
revered by many as one of the most sacred places on Earth.
It may take years before any
solid, physical traces of Exodus can be found. Moses and the Israelites
were wanderers here, not builders of cities. But if they were in Sinai
for four decades then they undoubtedly saw quite a bit of it. They
passed through the wadis and drank from the desert wells. The ancient
trails they must have walked are the same ones denizens of the Sinai
have been walking for eons. The physical evidence may be long gone, but
the landscape - and the story - are eternal and inseparable.
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Oasis of Feiran...
An introduction to the place
where Moses drew water from the rock, and where the Israelites fought
the battle of Raphadim.
St. Catherine Monastery...
An in-depth look at what's
behind the walls of Sinai's greatest pilgrimage point, including the
Fountain of Moses and the legendary Burning Bush.
Mount Sinai...
For the true believers, this is
"the one and only" mountain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments
and the laws of Israel.
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