My travel diary entry - Mt. Sinai, Egypt

We set off from Cairo to one of most sacred sites for all Abrahamic religions including Judaism, Christianity, Islam – Mt. Sinai or Mt. Horeb or Jabal Musa.

We were reminiscing about the route taken by the Israelites as they were fleeing Egypt to the ‘Promised Land’. Neither our guide nor any one of us knew that route of the Exodus. We heard the story for the ‘n^th’ time anyway with the visuals from the movie ‘The Ten Commandments’ guiding us -

“The Israelites fleeing Egypt after about 400 years of slavery starting at Rameses, meeting at Sukkoth and then Etham at the edge of the Desert and then instead of taking the shorter coastal route, camping at Pi Hahiroth near Baal Zephon between Migdol and the Red Sea as directed by God who was with them every day in the form of a pillar of cloud and every night in the form of a pillar of fire. The Pharaoh and his men were close on the heels when Moses held his staff and lo behold the Red Sea parted and the Israelites almost six hundred thousand people crossed over. When the mighty Egyptians tried to capture them, the Red Sea started closing in on them trapping them with their chariots under the water. The Israelites meanwhile went through the desert of Shur into Marah and Elim and then to Sin where the people were fed ‘manna’ from heaven and clear water from a rock at Rephidim even when they complained and even contemplated going back to Egypt. They had to even fight with the Amalekites here; they won only because Moses kept his hand raised all the time. When they reached Mt. Horeb or Mt. Sinai, they set camp at the base of the mountain. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God and declared the mountain holy”.

I would have loved to take the above route but considering our ignorance, we crossed the Suez Canal – the artificial sea waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea through the Ahmed Hamdi tunnel over to the Sinai Peninsula. The Suez Canal opened in 1869 to reduce the journey time from Europe to India by almost 7000 km. and as per the Convention of Constantinople, it can be used by any type of ship without distinction of flag during war or peace.

As we came nearer to the base of Mt. Sinai, I felt strongly that if God wills, the most insignificant can become a cornerstone. Mt. Sinai is testimony to that because had it not been for the belief that God gave Moses the 10 commandments here, probably it would been a very ordinary mountain. Of course, there is no conclusive proof that this is indeed the true Mt. Sinai but until some conclusive proof turns up, I wanted to relive the biblical history of this mountain.

First we went to Saint Catherine’ monastery which is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries of the world. Obviously, my question was how it survived and the answer was that it received protection of Prophet Mohammad and his followers. Saint Catherine was a martyr who was ordered to be put to death on a spiked wheel by the pagan Emperor Maxentius. Following which, he had her beheaded and legend has it that she was carried by the angels to Mt. Sinai. The Monastery was built by King Justinian I enclosing the Chapel of the Burning Bush which had been built by Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine. as described in the Bible burns but the bush is not consumed by its flames and this is how God appeared to Moses to ask him to get the Israelites out of Egypt. Now this monastery also houses amazing Byzantine art and its library is known to contain the sacred texts in languages – Greek, Roman, Latin, Aramaic.
There are two ways to go up the mountain – 1. A shallower route (Siket El Bashait) which can be travelled atop a camel or by foot and 2. A climb of 3750 steps (‘Steps of Penance’ or Siket Sayidna Musa) through the ravines behind the monastery.

We took the first route; my father and I travelled on foot but my mother decided to take a camel ride.

First you reach Elijah’ Basin where Elijah communed with God for 40 days and nights. Also, there is a rock where Aaron, the brother of Moses and the elders stood while Moses went up to receive the Ten Commandments.

Tips: Many people start early and walk to Elijah’s Basin to watch the sunrise before climbing the last 750 steps to the summit and descend through the 3750 steps down to the monastery. I would want to try this because it gives you some magnificent views. Wear very comfortable walking shoes, carry water and if you have allergic to sun like me then wear a good pair of shades, cover your head with a cotton scarf and don’t be stingy with the sunscreen.

The top of the summit has a mosque that is still used by Muslims and a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity which is not open to the public but it is said to house the stone from which the tablets containing the Ten Commandments were made.

On our way back we recalled how Moses got the tablets of the Ten Commandments and the dimensions of the Ark of the Covenant back to the Israelites were camped at what is called the Plain of Ar Raaha. The Book of Exodus says that Moses created an altar at the foot of the mountain and erected 12 stones one for each of the tribes of Israel.

Again, none of us including our guide knew the exact location of the Ark of the Covenant. The description as per the book of Exodus 25:10-22, 37:1-9 and the miracles surrounding it – Jordan river stopped flowing when the Ark bearers stepped into the water and the win of Jericho etc., makes it such a great mystery yet undiscovered.