Mt. Sinai, also called Mt. Horeb and Jebel Musa, the ‘Mountain of Moses’ is a much visited pilgrimage destination which includes the Monastery of St.Catherine, the Burning Bush and Elijah’s Plateau. Moses, the traditional founder of Judaism, was born in Egypt, the son of a Hebrew slave. Raised by the daughter of a pharaoh, he was later educated in the esoteric and magical traditions of the Egyptian mystery schools. At the age of forty, enraged at the Egyptian treatment of the Hebrews, he went into exile in the Sinai wilderness. Forty years later while grazing his flocks on Mt. Sinai, Moses came upon a burning bush and heard a voice commanding him to lead his people out of bondage in Egypt and return with them to the mountain. Following his bringing of the Hebrews from Egypt, Moses twice climbed the mountain to commune with god. During his second ascent, lasting 40 days and nights, Moses received two tablets upon which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments, as well as precise dimensions for the Arc of the Covenant, a portable box-like shrine that would contain the tablets. Soon thereafter, the Arc of the Covenant was constructed and Moses and his people departed from Mt. Sinai.

Early pilgrims to the mountain included Helena, the 4th century Byzantine Empress who constructed the first church, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I who built a fortress around the church in 542 AD, and the Prophet Mohammed who gave his personal pledge of protection, thereby ensuring the continued existence of the church. St. Catherine's Monastery is named after the 4th century Christian martyr, Catherine of Alexandria. During the 12th - 14th centuries thousands of pilgrims came annually to Mt. Sinai and the journey from Cairo took eight days by foot and camel. Greek Orthodox monks tend the monastery and its collection of Byzantine art. Currently there is no archaeological evidence that the 7507 foot peak of Jebel Musa is the actual Mt. Sinai of the Old Testament and scholars have proposed alternative locations in the Sinai Peninsula.

Photo: St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai

More about Mount Sinai from Sacred Sites.

Written by  Martin Gray.

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