2W4D Following the Pilgrims to the top of Mt. Sinai

A failed attempt to control my flailing head and prevent it from hitting the window as we were speeding on the bumpy and dusty road on the way to Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night left me with a scrambled and confused brain as I exited the car and prepared to climb to the peak where God handed Moses the Law. I was joined by massive amounts of other “pilgrims” (and camels) preparing to climb this peak which interestingly enough has no archeological evidence that it is actually the Mt Sinai of the Old Testament. The lack of sleep was also of no help but as soon as I set foot on the first elevation change on the path to the top, all those feelings were erased.

Because a local Bedouin guide is required by law in order to climb up Mt. Sinai, I could not wander off, as I always seem to do.

The moderately easy two hour hike began with a slow ascent in the dirt with camels carrying weary eyed tourists which seemed to outnumber the rocks and camouflaged camel droppings. These camel and rock obstacles along with the darkness made it quite difficult to navigate the switchbacks up the mountain. The trek up was illuminated by moonlight and the occasional flashlight waving about. Each breath of fresh air and each step forward reminded me of how much I have missed hiking and being in the outdoors. Our guide took a break every 15-20 min to let others catch up and to stop at every Bedouin café shop selling teas, coffees, juices, etc along the way, but it allowed me to take in the scenery and move up the mountain in a leisurely pace. Once we got near to the top, we had to climb another 700 grueling steps to actually reach the top of Mt Sinai. At the top, the wind started to make the hike less enjoyable, but after pulling out a blanket I had brought along and scouting out a semi hidden spot partially sheltered from the wind away from the noisy tourists, I took a short nap while waiting for the sun to peer through the clouds.

With the first glimpse of the sunrise, the mountain top was filled with sounds of awe and prayers in different languages. Not surprisingly, the Korean tourists were the most noticeable to me with the gortex, walking sticks, and decked out hiking gear. It reminded me of the times I went hiking in Korea minus the soju and macali (rice wine).

I also visited Saint Catherine’s Monastery (A UNESCO world heritage site) and mosque at the base of Mt Sinai. The monastery has been called the oldest working Christian monastery in the world (year 527). Most probably know Mt Sinai, which has importance in three major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as the mountain where God spoke to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments.

It seems very strange to me that there is a mosque right next to the church so I found out why this was. Because of a document signed by the Prophet Muhammad which exempted the Christian monks of St. Catherine’s from the usual taxes and military service and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help, the monks permitted the conversion of a small chapel within the monastery around 1105, but is not in use because of its incorrect orientation towards Mecca.

Freedom.