Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa)


Mt. Sinai and Ras Safsafa form a single granite massif with several peaks. Ras Safsafa rises dramatically above the broad plain of Wadi al-Raha, traditionally believed to be the gathering place of the Israelites, while the peak of Jabal Musa crowns the opposite end of the range above Saint Catherine’s Monastery. Tucked between the rugged cliffs and ridges near the summit are secluded basins that once served as retreats for monks and hermits. These hidden pockets preserve chapels, hermit cells, gardens, wells, and ancient reservoirs, and from various viewpoints you can see areas not visible from the peak.

Around Mt. Sinai: Wadi Raha (Encampment); Nabi Harun (Chapel of Aaron); Golden Calf; The Steps of Repentance (Sillum); Elijah’s Basin (Farsh Eliya); Farsh Aramziya (Chapel of St John the Baptist); Farsh Loza (Chapel of St Gregory of Sinai); Farsh Safsafa (Chapel of the Holy Girdle of the Virgin Mary); Ras Safsafa (peak); Kinist el-Hmar (Chapel of St Panteleimon); Monastery of the Forty Martyrs (Deir al-Arbain); Rock of Moses (Hajar Musa) & Chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. 

More info and map: Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa) and Trek 1

Photos were taken in 2006.

Views of the Mt. Sinai-Ras Safsafa massif from different angles.





Views of the summit of Mt. Sinai from different angles.







The summit of Mt. Sinai with the Chapel of the Holy Trinity and a Muslim praying room.











Views from the summit of Mt. Sinai.






More photos coming.


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