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St. Katherine
AWAY AWAY
Mt Sinai |
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Until now biblical scholars are having lively discussions, but have not yet been able to agree on the route the Israelites took when fleeing Egypt, in which area this people roamed for 40 years and on which mountain Moses received the Ten Commandments. Several mountains or hills have been mentioned in and even outside the Sinai but Mount Sinai has remained the place where pilgrims throughout the centuries have come to, partly due to the monastery that was built at the foot of the mountain in the 7th century AD. There are two ways to reach the top of Mount Sinai: |
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The Stairway of Repentance:Early monks believed that Mount Sinai should be ascended only by those with a proper ritual preparation. One way to ensure this right was to endure climbing it via the Stairway of Repentance, 3750 steps of irregular height, including the final 750 steps from Elijah's basin to the summit. According to monastery tradition the stairway was laid in a 50 year period in the 6th century AD. Monks used the stairway to test pilgrims piety and determine if they were worthy to continue. |
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 Half way up stands a Byzantine chapel, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Storehouse, which is dedicated to a miraculous event which was reported in the 6th century:The monastery had at one time become so infested with fleas, flies and ants that the corn that was in storage could not be preserved. All but two monks fled the monastery. These two monks finally decided to abandon the monastery but not after climbing mount Sinai for a final prayer. On their ascent they encountered an apparition of the Virgin Mary on the spot where the chapel now stands. She told them to return and that from now on they would not lack what they need for a living and and that neither fleas nor flies nor ants would torment them nor destroy their corn. Descending from the mountain they saw a caravan of camels arriving laden with supplies. |
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 Two-thirds of the way up are two stone arches. According to ancient tradition Elijah built the upper one and Moses the lower. At the lower, or Shrive Gate, the 6th century St. Stephen took pilgrims confessions and their knowledge of the Bible. Only the pure and knowledgeable were allowed to continue. |
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The camel path :Most visitors today climb up the camel path which is less strenuous, taking the stairway on the way down. The camel path was made by labourers of Ibrahim Abbas Pasha (see also Gebel Abbas Pasha), ruler of Egypt from 1849 - 1853, who wanted to build a palace on Mount Sinai summit. His plans were deterred and he starting building the palace on the mountain that was named after him: Gebel Abbas Pasha. The camel path meets the stairway at Elijah's Basin . |
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 The basin of Elijah, also known as the Amphitheatre of the 70 Wise Men of Israel - the 70 wise men who accompanied Moses on his climb stopped here because only Moses himself could present himself to the presence of God -,a flat bowl at 2000 meter creates a welcome break before starting the final steep ascent to the summit. An olive tree, six smaller cyprus trees and a giant cyprus tree of more than 500 years old stand proudly in the basin. At the foot of the trees is a cistern, 6 meters deep, the bedouins call Bir Sayyidna Musa (the well of our lord Moses) which collects rainfall and snow melt. Below the well, overlooking the Stairway of Repentance is a dam built in Byzantine time, repaired recently, to prevent flood damage to the monastery and recharge springs below. |
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Except for the spiritual, mystical experience one gets from standing on the summit with sometimes hundreds of pilgrims, one also gets an amazing view over the mountainous area, "an ocean of petrified waves", and on clear days the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba can be seen. |
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On the summit (2285 m) stands a chapel and a mosque. The chapel many times rebuilt, is built over the rock from which God hewed the tablets of law. The first chapel many times bigger than the one standing now, was built by emperor Justinian in the 7th century. This chapel was destroyed in the 11th century along with other churches by the Fatimid ruler al-Hakim. Next to the chapel stands the mosque built in the 12th century. Under the mosque is a small grotto with a prayer niche, also supposedly the cave where Moses spent 40 days.
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For more information contact us at: katherine@awayaway-sinai.net or call 00 20 122270443 |