The Mountains of Moses

A cautionary remark in archaeology is

"If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is."

The two Mountains of Moses are first, the historical one on Sinai where there is the Saint Catherine Monastery, then there is another mountain in Saudi Arabia with similar more recent claims.  On Sinai at the Saint Catherine Monastery there is a document call the Ashtiname of Muhammad which is alleged to be a covenant granted by Muhammad protecting the Christian monks of the monastery from pillage by Muslims.  This raises a number of questions.  If there was a real mountain of Moses in Saudi Arabia why would Muhammad acknowledge this place on Sinai?

Ashtiname of Muhammad

Above is the Muslim Masjid (mosque) on Sinai claiming their part of history.  This is typical of Islam.  They laid claim to the temple mount in Jerusalem as well by building the Dome of the Rock on the foundation of the ancient Jewish temple.  They have also built shrines over many biblical burial sites in Israel and throughout the Middle East.

The place in Saudi Arabia has been getting more recent attention because of the likes of Ron Wyatt and his followers. Wyatt made some very wild claims in his day.  He supposedly found chariot wheels under the Red Sea, the arch of the covenant, Noah's arch, and even some of the blood of Jesus left behind in Jerusalem.  The Red Sea crossing that many point to is actually in the Gulf of Aqaba at Nuweiba where they point to what they refer to as a shallow bridge.  This bridge however is still a whopping 2,509 feet deep.  About 100 miles southeast of the Gulf of Aqaba crossing there is a mountain called Jabal al-Lawz (mountain of almonds 8,460 ft.).  Like most of the mountains in the area it is composed of alkaline granite but it differs slightly from others because it has a darker volcanic dike (likely basalt) covering the top.  This has led some to believe it was burnt by God during a visit by Moses.  There are actually numerous ancient volcanoes in Saudi Arabia so this is not an uncommon occurrence.  Much of this area is fenced off due to numerous archaeological sites.  Among these sites are petroglyphs of various animals carved in the rocks.  These type of artifacts are rather common in Arabia and can be seen on videos of other ancient sites but those who are eager to find easy solutions to biblical stories are quick to apply them to biblical history.  One should be cautioned against believing stories of Bedouins who have been brainwashed by hundreds of years of Muslim propaganda. Many pre-Islamic cultures were known to sacrifice animals and worship idols and that is what Muhammad set out to destroy.  It is said by some that the Saudi government simply wants to protect this prize from the outside world or from becoming a place of worship.  Well, Mecca has become a place of worship where Abraham supposedly built an altar.  I would think that the Muslims would want to capitalize on this prize possession and make it a pilgrimage site as well considering how often Moses is mentioned in the Quran.  There is some rumors of plans to build a major city in the area so maybe that is what they have up their sleeve.  Saudis have a plan to reduce dependence on oil by including tourism and recreation in a project called Saudi Vision 2030.  So they appear to be trying to revise the previously ruling of the Hejaz region and the entire Red Sea coast which did not allow non-Muslims.  Underwater diving could bring in lots of cash to the Muslim coffers if they could simply be polite to us kaffirs.  Some of the sites around Tabuk that are related to those of Petra and the ancient Nabataeans could bring in lots of tourist kafir cash as well.

Saint Catherine Monastery

www.saudi-archaeology.com