Travel
Moses and the holy land – Mount Sinai/Gebel Musa
It is believed that Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. The mountain is also called Gebel Musa, Jebel Musa and Mount Horeb.
Moses was a prophet living during the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs. At the time of the exodus reigned Ramses II.
Painting from Gérome Léon, Moses on Mount Sinai
The dates of birth and death or Moses are not certain but we believe he lived during the 13th century B.C.
It is said that when he was 80 years old God appeared to him through a bush, called the burning bush. The bush burned without killing the tree.
Dirk Boots, 1450-1475, Moses and the Burning Bush
The location of the bush is inside of the fortifications of the monastery of Saint Catherine today.
The Burning bush inside of Saint Catherine fortifications
Moses wanted to leave Egypt to help the Israelites flee as they were enslaved there. It is called the Exodus. When Moses reached the Red Sea, God opened the sea for him and his people and closed it so that the Pharoh’s army following them would be left behind.
Then, Moses climbed on top of Mount Sinai where God gave him the Tablets of Law, the Ten Commandments, he had written for him. Moses hide in the mountains for 40 days in a cave where the chapel is today.
Mount Sinai mountain with white cross at the top
On his way down, Moses was so upset that he broke the Tablets of Law. He had to climb once more to receive a second one from God. He spent again 40 more days in the mountains.
Today hikers can see the mose’s well, North of the monastery and also the spring of Elijah when walking along the Sinai paths.
The story of Moses was recorded in the old Testament and the Jewish Thorah.
Copy of a painting of Moses’ well in Sainte Catherine
One excellent animation film retracing this period and the time of Moses in the Sinai is the 1998 film, “The Prince of Egypt” (produced by Penney Finkelman Cox). If you have children or if you love this kind of movies, I highly recommend it.
