Moses mountain - Moses-Berg

The Moses mountain (also Mount Sinai or Mount Sinai, Arabic:جبل موسَى‎, Ǧabal Mūsā) is a holy mountain for Jews, Christians and Muslims on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. The granite mountain is one of the highest peaks in the Sinai massif.

getting there

At the foot of the Mount of Moses that became 28.55606633.9759921 Catherine's Monastery built. How to get to this monastery is described in this article. Two paths lead from the monastery to the top of the mountain, which are described below.

fees

The Moses Mountain is part of the St. Catherine Conservation Area. For the sanctuary, fees of $ 3 are payable at the police checkpoint 10 kilometers north of St. Catherine's Monastery.

background

The 2,285 m high Moses Mountain (Gebel Mūsā) has been considered by Christians to be the holy mountain, the God's mountain Horeb, where Moses received the Ten Commandments of God since the 4th century (Ex 19,18–20,22 EU). However, one is not entirely sure. According to other theories, it is assumed that this was the 2,070 m high Gebel Serbāl, south of Farān.

The mountain is sacred to Muslims too. With his winged horse Burāq the Prophet Mohammed is said to have used the mountain as the last step to heaven on his journey into heaven.

Ascent and descent

To anticipate it - the journey is the goal. Hundreds of pilgrims climb the summit of this mountain every day, which is just under two kilometers south of the monastery as the crow flies. It is particularly popular to climb the mountain at night to experience the sunrise on Mount Moses. The Moses mountain is one of the highest elevations in Sinai. Few mountains like that Katharinenberg are even higher so that you can enjoy an undisturbed view in all directions.

Since it can get cold at night even in summer, take suitable warm clothing with you. In order not to miss the path, you should also have a flashlight with you at night, as accidents happen again and again.

You can take a bus or car to get to the Katharinenkloster at the foot of the Mosesberg (1,570 m).

The rest of the way has to be covered by camel or on foot. Camel drivers offer their service for around LE 100 at night and during the day for around LE 50 (as of 2013).

If you want to be on the mountain by sunrise, you should start the ascent around midnight, but not later than 3:00 a.m. Healthy people take about three hours to climb.

There are (at least) two paths that join about 200 meters southeast of Elias Chapel and then continue together to the summit.

The camel path laid out in a large arch to the east of the monastery in 1850 Sikkat el-Basha (the passover path) is not that steep and is ideal for the ascent. The path winds its way up the mountain slope in serpentines to make the ascent less. The path was made at the time of the Khedive (viceroy) ʿAbbās I. who wanted to build a villa for himself on the mountain. His untimely death in 1854 - he was strangled by two of his servants - prevented him from doing this. However, the path is not easy. If the ascent demands too much effort or if you have cardiovascular problems, you should rely on the help of others.

After about half an hour there is a branch to Gebel Monēga, on the top of which is the Chapel of the Virgin Mary (ascent time about an hour). About an hour after this junction you will reach the hermitage of St. Stefan, where the camel ride ends. The 70 elders, Moses and Aaron are said to have stayed at this hermitage.

From here you follow 734 steps to the mountain top, from which you have an excellent panoramic view. Many tourists try to arrive before sunrise to experience it here. The sunset is equally attractive.

There are one next to each other on the summit 28.53878433.9751932 mosque from the 12th century for the Prophet Ṣāliḥ, under which there is a grotto, and a small Greek Orthodox 28.53882633.9753243 Summit Churchwho were consecrated to Moses and the Holy Trinity. The church was built in 1934 from red granite blocks on the site of an older previous building, probably from the 6th century. Years ago, a service was held here around 5 a.m. Nowadays both the church and the mosque are locked.

The Bedouins can also show the place where the later Prophet Mohammed left a depression while riding a camel.

Of course you can also go back the same way. But there is a second path that is much more difficult and less knee-friendly, connecting the summit of the Mosesberg over 3,750 unevenly high steps almost directly with the St. Catherine's Monastery and for which you should plan about two hours of descent time: the Sikkat Saiyidnā Mūsā (Path of our lord moses), also called degrees of repentance. In fulfillment of a vow of penance, this path was laid out from granite stones by one of the local monks in the 6th or 7th century. This path should not be used in the dark to avoid accidents.

After a short time you reach an altitude of 2097 meters 28.54433333.9749624 House with two chapel rooms House with two chapel rooms, which the Prophet Elias (Elijah) and his successor Elisha are consecrated (Arabic:فرش النبي إاياس‎, Farsch an-Nabī Iliyās). In this chapel there is a cave-like depression in which Elias is said to have sought protection on his 40-day escape after he killed 450 Baal prophets at the Kishon brook in what is now northern Israel, whereupon a drought of several years ended (1 Kings 18,40 EU). But God ordered Elias to come out of the cave and stand on the mountain before the Lord (1 Kings 19,11–14 EU).

Then you put on a green plane with a cypress.

On the way one passes through two gates, the gate of faith and the gate of St. Stefan. St. Stefan watched at the gate that the pilgrims confessed their sins here so that they could then continue their ascent barefoot. The remains of St. Stefan are now in the ossuary of St. Catherine's Monastery. In addition, one meets the 28.54685633.9773825 Lady Chapel and a small spring, the Well of Moses, before reaching the St. Catherine's Monastery on its south side. Mass is only read once a year in the Marienkapelle.

The Lady Chapel was built to commemorate an apparition of Mary. The Baedeker travel guide from 1885 reports that the monks of St. Catherine's Monastery decided to leave the monastery because they were plagued by vermin. In a farewell procession, they climbed Mount Moses. At the very place of the chapel, Mary appeared to them and asked them to return to the monastery and assured them that the monks would be freed from their torment.^[1] The modern name Mosesquelle is said to go back to the idea that Moses is said to have tended the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro here (2 Mos 3,1 EU).

shop

Of course, there are also souvenir shops in el-Milga, two kilometers northwest of St. Catherine's Monastery, as well as vegetable shops and shops for everyday needs.

kitchen

For the ascent, you should bring drinks and food with you, even if you can come across food stalls along the way.

There are several restaurants and a bakery in the village of el-Milga.

accommodation

Accommodation can be found in the article on that Catherine's Monastery.

In addition, mattresses and blankets can be borrowed from the Bedouins on the mountain for a fee of around LE 10 to LE 20 in order to stay overnight.

climate

In the area of ​​the Moses Mountain there is a mild to warm climate all year round. At night, however, the temperatures drop considerably. The winters and the nights are quite cool, even by Egyptian standards.

values	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean highest air temperature in ° C	16	18	17	23	29	31	32	33	30	24	22	15	O	24.2
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C	2	4	5	8	14	16	18	20	18	12	10	8	O	11.3

trips

Many tourists combine the ascent to Mount Moses with a visit to the Catherine's Monastery the following morning. If you want a little more silence on the summit, go up on a Friday or Sunday night, as the monastery is closed on these days and there are fewer tourists. Further excursion possibilities are listed in the article on St. Catherine's Monastery.

Individual evidence