Mount Sinai, a 7,500 foot peak in the south of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, is venerated as the mountain on which Moses spoke with God and received the Ten Commandments. No one knows for sure where Mt. Sinai is located, and there are over 20 mountains believed to be the “real” Mt. Sinai.
This particular mountain is one of a collection of peaks in a red-granite mountain range that rises steeply from the plain, with spectacular slopes and deep valleys. It has attracted pilgrims since the 4th century AD. In Arabic it is called Jebel Musa (“mountain of Moses”).
Near the foot of the mountain is St. Catherine’s Monastery, built over the traditional site of the burning bush from which God called Moses to lead his people out of Egypt. In the immediate area are several other sites associated with events in the book of Exodus, including the place where Moses struck the rock to produce water, and the Plain of Al-Raha where the Israelites camped and Aaron made the golden calf.
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