Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa)

Mt. Sinai is part of a range, forming a single granite massif with Jebel Safsafa and other 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: a wide big plain in front of Jebel Safsafa and Wadi el Deir, believed to be the Biblical Encampment.
Nabi Harun: in the mouth of Wadi el-Deir, on a small hill stands the Chapel of Aaron, next to a Muslim shrine also dedicated to Nabi Harun, Prophet Aaron.
Golden Calf: at the base of Jebel Safsafa, just across from Nabi Harun, is a rock formation believed to be the mould of the Golden Calf, el Bagara in Arabic.
Mt. Sinai summit: a church and a mosque stand on top of the holy peak.
Steps of Repentance: one of the main tourist routes to/from the summit, in a steep gully connecting Elijah’s Basin and the Monastery. The other tourist route is the Camel Path.
Elijah’s Basin (Farsh Eliya): a big basin below the summit, with Byzantine ruins and tall cypress trees in a walled courtyard.
Farsh Loza: a little basin on the way to Farsh Safsafa, with the Chapel of St Gregory of Sinai, a well and an almond tree.
Farsh Arimziya: also known as Farsh Abu Deesa, this little basin is hidden near Farsh Loza. There is the Chapel of St John the Baptist in the basin and a couple of shady trees, as well as a look-out point with birds-eye view on the Monastery and a big dam nearby.
Jebel Safsafa: a dramatic granite double-peak towering above the town of St. Katherine, part of the Mt. Sinai range.
Farsh Safsafa: a secluded basin below the peaks of Jebel Safsafa with a garden and the Chapel of the Holy Girdle of the Virgin Mary, and a look-out point nearby in Wadi Shaby offering views on the Nabu Harun area .
Kinist el-Hmar: the Chapel of St Panteleimon standing on the edge of the massif in a shallow basin, with a steep route connecting it to Wadi Farah and Wadi Arbain below.
Wadi Arbain: an alternative route to Mt. Sinai, with the Rock of Moses (Hajar Musa) and the Monastery of the Forty Martyrs.