Sinai

It's been a while since I've updated due to the fact that internet access has been sketchy at best. Fortunately, I'm now in a swank hotel in Jerusalem, so I'll do my best to catch up; unfortunately, the connection is too slow your pictures, so those will have to wait.

After Cairo we went to the Sinai Peninsula. The day started with a very long drive to the Suez Canal (we drove under it in a tunnel), and then a series of stops at biblical oases inhabited by semi-settled Bedouins. Osama gave an excellent talk on the possible routes and timing of the exodus, which I may post on in more detail later. The Bedu are amazing people, and they have great tea- very strong and very hot. After several such stops we arrived in the tiny town of St. Catherine's, near the base of Mount Sinai.

The biblical Mount Sinai is of uncertain location, but it has traditionally been identified with Nabi Musa, or Mount Moses, as it is known by the local Muslim Bedouin who have guarded the mountain and its Christian pilgrims for a thousand years.

The climb up the mountain began with the 1:30 am wake up call. By 2 we were at the site, and by 2:30 we were mounted on camels heading up the mountain. There are two possible routes up the mountain- the camel or snake path, a winding series of switchbacks, and the Steps of Penance, which are grueling. Both paths meet higher up on the mountain, where camels cannot go, and the 750 steps to the top begin. Along the way, the Bedouins offered us lodging in warm booths they have set up to protect pilgrims from the sub-freezing temperatures.

We made it to the top before sunrise. Alongside our group was a traveling circus of 400 very excited Nigerian pilgrims. Sadly, one of them, an elderly man, died of a heart attack on the climb up. And yet from the summit, all you could hear was their songs of praise, a beautiful mix of somber liturgical music and traditional African tunes. The stone chapel at the top was gorgeous, though it was closed so I'll have to see the interior when I go back. And the sunrise from the top: you can see for a hundred miles in all directions, and the shadow of the mountain looms over the rest of the range. It's breathtaking, and you can't help falling to your knees in prayer.

And thus I saw the first sunrise of the new year from atop Mount Sinai.

After the walk back down we saw St. Catherine's Monastery. The monastery was originally built by the mother of Constantine, Helena, and reconstructed by the Emperor Justinian. Inside, it's icons and mosaics survived the iconoclasm and are some of the only remaining examples of early Christian art. Contained inside is a large bush, said to be the burning bush (somehow I doubt it, but as an object of meditation it serves its purpose), and the well of Jethro. In any case, I can't wait to go back.

With very little sleep we headed toward Taba. Taba, Egypt, Eilat, Israel, and Aqaba, Jordan, are all port cities in their respective countries, and we crossed through them all. After that four hour process, we said a very sad goodbye to Osama. He was such a wonderful guide, and a genuinely good man. From there it was on to Petra.