Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine/Chapter 6
CHAPTER VI.
MOUNT SINAI.
The next day, Tuesday, 20th November, was a memorable one to our party, for it was that on which we made the ascent of Jebel Mûsa, the traditionary seat of the giving of the Law by Jehovah to Israel. So much has been well and eloquently written upon the character, scenery, and surroundings of this moimtain that I shall content myself with a few personal observations.
I need scarcely say that the tradition above referred to has been almost universally accepted.[1] The late Professor Palmer arrived at the conclusion that the Lord descended on Jebel Mûsa (Mount Sinai) and there delivered the tables of the Law to Moses, who in turn delivered them to the people on descending from Rás Sufsàfeh.[2] This majestic cliff, rising nearly 2,000 feet at the head of an extensive valley well calculated to afford camping ground for the Israelitish host, from whence they could behold the display of Divine power, seems in all points to answer to the description given in the sacred text of the scene of these events. This view is also held by Sir C. W. Wilson, who points to the existence of the stream of Wâdy Sh'reich which descends from behind Râs Sufsàfeh as being in all probability that into which Moses cast the dust of the golden calf. The same writer, also, lays just stress upon the fact that the position of this rock answers well to the description of "the mountain that can be touched."[3] Leaving our camp early (for we knew that we had a long day's work before us), we marched up the wide plain of Wâdy es Sheikh, and, afterwards turning to the right, entered the Wâdy el Deir, when we came in front of the grand cliffs of Rás Sufsàfeh, rising abruptly from the plain, and intersected by several deep clefts. In front was a little hill crowned by the tomb of some celebrated Sheikh, and away to the right an incongruous square structure, built for a summer residence of Mohammed Ali. I felt satisfied that here was the camping ground of Israel, and in front the “Mount of the Law.” The spacious plain we had been passing through, covered with herbage, would have afforded ample space for the people with their flocks and herds, and the mountain masses in front, reverberating with the thunders of heaven, would have been well calculated to impress them with awe and reverence.
Turning again to the left the path leads up to, and past, the convent of St. Catherine, and thence, by an excessively steep and long ascent, to the base of the great wall of rock, upon the summit of which are perched the little chapel and mosque of Jebel Mûsa. To an ordinary pedestrian this wall would be inaccessible, as it rises as a sheer precipice before him; but on looking to the right along its base, one perceives that the rocks are cleft in twain, and that the path turns sharply to the right, and passes through this cleft, between vertical walls on either side. After this there is a climb of several hundred feet, round by a partially artificial flight of steps to the summit above the great precipice. I mention this cleft, because on entering it I exclaimed to myself, “Can this be the cleft of the rock in which the Lord placed His servant when He made His glory pass before Him?” Whether this be so or not, the cleft is remarkable as a natural feature, and from its wild and impressive surroundings.
Nothing can exceed the savage grandeur of the view from the summit of Mount Sinai. The infinite complication of jagged peaks and varied ridges, and their prevalent intensely red and greenish tints, have been noticed by Pococke, Stanley, and other writers.[4] The natural red tints of the granite and porphyry seem to have been deepened and intensified (as I believe) by the rays of the sun; while in some places the rocks are blackened through the natural process of weathering.[5] Everywhere they are rent, fissured, and crumbling into ruins; breaking off along steep walls, and traversed by dry ravines and almost waterless, therefore treeless, valleys;—destitute of verdure as seen from this elevation. The whole aspect of the surroundings impresses one with the conviction that he is here gazing on the face of Nature under one of her most savage forms, in view of which the ideas of solitude, of waste, and of desolation contend with those of awe and admiration. The summit on which you stand is over seven thousand feet above the sea, but some distance to the south is the still loftier height of Katarina.[6] Beyond, in the same direction, the eye wanders over a succession of rugged mountains and deep ravines, forming the Sinaitic peninsula, and bounded on either hand by the deep depressions in which lie the Gulfs of Suez and Akabah. Distant glimpses of the table-land of the Tîh to the north, and of the mountains of Edoni which bound the Wâdy el Arabah on the east, are also obtained. Having planted the theodolite on the flat roof of the mosque, Major Kitchener was able to take angles on several prominent points in the direction of our future line of march. The mosque and little Greek church are constructed from the materials of the ancient church supposed to have been erected by the Empress Helena. That it was a work of much beauty, and involving great labour and expense, is testified by the fragments of the ancient building in the form of the pedestal of a granite pillar, portions of a cornice, and other architectural fragments in white marble, or in red sandstone, which are strewn about; all of which must have been brought from long distances, and carried to the summit of the mountain only by great labour.[7]
We came down from the mount by the Pilgrims’ Road, more direct and precipitous than the former, and accompanied by a monk of the convent. Our eyes were gladdened in this dry and barren land by an actual running stream, descending along the gorge of granite cliffs from a little reservoir constructed in a natural basin close to “Elijah's Cave,” and a remarkably tall cypress, which all travellers have noticed.[8] No one, who has not a firm step and a good eye, should try this path, as a sprained ankle, or possibly a broken leg, may follow a false step. Just as we came in view of the convent and gardens, we had a good illustration of the deceptive appearance, as regards size and distance, which all objects in this region assume, owing to the wonderful transparency of the air. It may be said, with truth, that, generally speaking, all objects in the landscape are twice the distance and twice the size they actually appear. So now, on coming into view of the convent and its surroundings, in the valley below us, though these objects looked so close as to be only within two or three hundred yards off, they were all miniature representations, and so reduced in size that it seemed as though we were beholding a model of the reality. The effect was extremely pretty. We could see over the whole exterior of the building, with its high massive walls, loopholed turrets, and the church rising above the flat roof of the building. Behind were the fruitful gardens, with the neat vine-yards, beds of vegetables, and fruit trees, amongst which several tall cypresses rose high into the air. All this we could see as if so close that a few strides would place us in their midst; but it took us a good half hour to clamber down the cliff, and cross the slopes to the walls of the building, which is capable of affording accommodation for 200 inmates.
We remained three nights in the camp of the Wâdy es Sheikh. Never shall I forget the discomfort of these nights. I was attacked by a small insect,[9] almost invisible to the eye, which covered the body with little pimples of the most irritating kind, making sleep impossible, and life a burden. The warmth of the bed rendered these bites almost intolerable; and I had frequently to rise in order to sponge myself with cold water, or with diluted carbolic acid, which gave only temporary relief. For some time I could discover no cause for this irritation, but the insect was at length discovered by the dragoman.[9] Though loth to do so, I naturally attributed the presence of this insect to my Arab, whom I had allowed to ride on my camel while I was walking; and orders were issued that the camel drivers were not, for the future, to ride on the camels of the travellers. This gave much dissatisfaction, but the comfort of the travellers was considered of more importance than the convenience of the Arabs. Some time afterwards, when referring to the matter, I discovered who the real offender was. It appears that during the first night of our camping a vagabond Arab arrived, and, the nights being cold, he took possession of my camel-saddle, with which he wrapped himself round, and thus passed the night, no doubt, comfortably to himself. The legacy he left behind next morning was the insect. My Arab was therefore really not to blame, and he was naturally indignant when the dragoman hinted that he was the offender, and exclaimed, “If you find one of these on my body or in my hair you may kill me!” All this I did not ascertain until Sala and I had parted for ever. I mention the matter here, in order that other travellers may avoid a similar fate by having their camel-saddles deposited within the tents at night.
We had now reached Jebel Mûsa, the most southern point of our proposed route, and henceforth our course took a north-easterly direction. In order to explore the district lying between the head of the Gulf of Akabah and the eastern margin of the Tîh, and connect the topographical and geological features with those of the Sinaitic peninsula, which had been so well worked out by Captains Wilson and Palmer, we took a course towards Akabah seldom traversed by travellers hitherto. We retraced our steps for some distance by the Wâdy es Sheikh, passed again through the gorge of El Watiyeh, and emerged on an extensive undulating plain, Elwi ’l’ Ajramiyeh, which we traversed nearly due north to the head of the Wâdy Zelegah. Major Kitchener took a course more to the left, in order to determine the position of an important spring called “Ain el Akhdar,” and rejoined us late in the evening at our camp, some distance down the Zelegah Valley. It is probable that a large portion of the plain we traversed during this day had formerly been the bed of a lake. It was covered with fine gravel, through which bosses of granite or basalt sometimes protruded. This lake may have been connected with that of the Wâdy es Sheikh previously referred to.
The upper part of the Wâdy Zelegah is remarkable for its geological features. The valley itself is excavated through beds of brown, red, and variegated sandstone, which are but slightly removed from the horizontal position, having a dip towards the N.E. of two or three degrees. These sandstone beds are sometimes deeply channelled; and form terraces, flat- topped tables, and sometimes isolated tors. The cliffs rise on either hand; those on the south of the valley giving origin to a scarped ridge called Jebel es Zerf. Through these sandstone beds the old foundation rocks, consisting of granite, porphyry, or greenstone, occasionally protrude; showing that the rocky floor, on which the sandy strata were originally deposited, was exceedingly uneven in form, rising into ridges or solitary peaks, or hollowed into furrows. An instance of this kind was observed about four miles below the head of the valley.
The Wâdy Zelegah was first explored by Laborde; afterwards by Palmer. It is about 20 miles in length, and its general direction is northeast to its junction with the Wâdy Biyar, when it bends to the east for several miles, and expands sometimes to upwards of a mile in breadth. The scenery along its course is striking. It is bounded by cliffs of coloured sandstone rising from 1,000 feet to 1,200 feet above the bed of the valley. The sides are often covered by enormous landslips, and by masses of rock brought down by the torrents; while small terraces of more ancient date, formed of alluvial material, are found in sheltered spots. The Cretaceous limestone, with numerous fossils, is continuous amongst the cliffs on either side; and as the dip of the formation corresponds very nearly with the fall of the valley, the same strata continue for long distances to form the boundary walls.
The floor of the W. Zelegah is decorated with dwarf shrubs and plants; and little groups of tamarisk are occasionally to be found, the tender fronds of which were eagerly devoured by our camels. Sometimes the ground is perfectly flat from side to side; and where sandy is covered by the circular or ear-shaped hills of the large black ant, and under many of the bushes the jerboa has its burrow-holes. These burrowings in the ground are dangerous both for horses and camels; and the camel of my son having placed his foot on one of these concealed holes it gave way, and the rider was sent flying over the camel’s head in my sight. I was much relieved when he got up, and pronounced himself unhurt.
The Wâdy el Biyar descends from the escarpment of the Tîh, and uniting with the Zelegah Valley they both change their name, and at a bend towards the north are known as the Wâdy el Ain, so called from the fine perennial spring which bursts forth near its head. The terraces of alluvial materials which rise about 50 feet above the present bed, both in the valleys of Zelegah and Biyar, indicate the existence at a former period of rivers and floods far more extensive in their operation than those of the present day. On Friday evening we camped at the entrance to the W. el Ain, having made 21 miles during the day. Our camp, near the entrnce to the Wâdy Mugrah, was about 3,000 feet above the waters of the Gulf of Akabah.
At about ten o’clock on Saturday morning, on turning a bend of the wide valley towards the east, we came in sight of the Jebel el Berg, a fine mountain, solitary and of quadrangular form, rising in our front to a height of about 2,000 feet above the plain. It is formed of horizontal courses of sandstone, and is accompanied by several minor heights of similar formation in outline, somewhat like the Egyptian Pyramids. The beds of sandstone are planted on a foundation of granite and porphyry. Another mountain—Jebel el Ain—somewhat similar in form and structure, is a conspicuous object from the valley of this name, and lies several miles further to the east. In this neighbourhood the beds of sandstone sometimes assume tabular and castellated forms, illustrating the process of atmospheric weathering, and offering many a tempting subject for the pencil of the artist; but little time was at our disposal for indulging in essays with the pen or pencil.
- ↑ The only exception, perhaps, is that of Dr. Beke, who supposed one of the mountains at the head of the Gulf of Akahah to be Mount Sinai, and Mr. Baker Greene, Quarterly Statement, October, 1884.
- ↑ A good engraving of this mountain is given in Palmer's work, supra cit. p. 35, and also in "Picturesque Palestine." The grand cliff, however, in this latter appears somewhat more isolated from the mountain to the left than is really the case.
- ↑ "Ordnance Survey of the Peninsula of Sinai." p. 146.
- ↑ “Sinai and Palestine,” Edit. 1873, p. 12.
- ↑ It is well known that the rays of the sun have the effect of deepening the colour of the felspar crystals of which the rocks are largely composed.
- ↑ Climbed on the same day by Mr. Hart, after the ascent of J. Mûsa.
- ↑ While here we saw for the first time the little animal (Hyrax syriacus) called “the coney” in the Bible; for a description of which the reader is referred to Tristram’s “Fauna and Flora of Palestine,” p. 1. The district also contains the ibex (Capra bede), or “wild goat” of Scripture, illustrating the passage, “The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and the stony rocks for the conies.”
- ↑ A view of this cypress is given in “Picturesque Palestine,” p. 113; some years ago, when Niebuhr visited the spot, there were two.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Called “Arab lice.” Not having preserved specimens for examination, I am unable to give the scientific name; but I cannot doubt it was that which produced one of the plagues of Egypt.