Mount Sinai
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- £9.99
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
This study of the Egyptian mountain widely believed to be Mount Sinai examines its geographical features, sacred sites, and the effects of rising tourism.
Amid the high mountains of Egypt's southern Sinai Peninsula stands Jebel Musa, "Mount Moses," which many Christians and Muslims revere as Mount Sinai. In this fascinating study, Joseph Hobbs draws on geography and archaeology, Biblical and Quranic accounts, and a wide array of personal experiences—from Christian monks to Bedouin shepherds, medieval Europeans, and casual tourists—to explore why this mountain came to be considered a sacred place. He also shows how that very perception now threatens its fragile ecology and inspiring solitude.
After discussing the physical and geographic characteristics of Jebel Musa that suggest it as the most probable Mount Sinai, Hobbs fully describes all Christian and Muslim sacred sites around the mountain. He also views Mount Sinai from the perspectives of the Jabaliya Bedouins and the monks of the St. Katherine Monastery, both of whom have inhabited in the region for centuries.
Hobbs concludes his account with the international debate over whether to build a cable car on Mount Sinai and with an unflinching description of the negative impact of tourism on the delicate desert environment. His book raises important, troubling questions for everyone concerned about the fate of the earth's wild and sacred places.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
No one has ever verified the location of the holy mountain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. For Jews, it is not the mountain but the message that is important, and the mountain remains unlocatable. For Muslims as well, there is no tradition indicating the mountain's whereabouts. However, since the third century A.D., popular Christian belief has identified Jebel Musa (Bedouin for Mount Moses), in Egypt's mountainous southern Sinai Peninsula, as the biblical site. Hobbs, an associate professor of geography, draws on a wealth of sources-tourists and pilgrims, from medieval Europeans to U.S. Congressman Les Aspin-for a leisurely history of Mount Sinai up to the present controversy, wherein Egyptian authorities, seeking to garner more tourist dollars, plan to erect a host of tourist amenities, including not only a casino but also a tramway to take tourists to the summit. Hobbs begins with a full description of Sinai's geographical features, flora and fauna. With biblical quotations, he retells Moses' story, the exodus from Egypt and journey across the desert to the holy mountain. Hobbs describes the sacred sites, including the monastery of St. Katherine, that attract visitors. The negative impact of those visitors, who now come by the thousands, has not only intruded on the monks' solitude, but raised serious concerns about the desert environment. Hobbs's book faithfully evokes the natural beauty and religious impact of this exotic locale. Photos not seen by PW.
