The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-07-11
MOUNT SINAI.



routes to Mount Sinai, one by Wady es She'll
and the other by Nukb Howy. The latter
is very preciptous and rocky, and impass
able to loaded camels; so we took it, and
sent the pack camels around by Wady es
Sheik, the route which the children o.
Israel are thought to have taken. Soor
after entering this " Windy Pass as the
name signifies, we were obliged to dismount
could exceed the wildness of the mount
aims, rising to the height of a thousand
feet on either side. Such great heights in
Switzerland would be covered with some
sort of verdure, but here all was bare as
stone could be, and yet with coloring, an
iron darkness, imparting look of firm
ness truly sublime. The granite region
was now fairly entered. l observed the
same order of rock formation in the wilder.
ness as OH the Nile-going up from Cairo
you have first the limestone, then the sand,
stone, and last the granite at Assowan and
Phyloe. So here leaving Suez and going
and granite in succession, showing that
these great layers follow the same order
from the Nile across the Gulf of Suez and
Gulf of Akabah. Trickling along here
and there, is little stream, which in the
stormy season is swollen to a torrent,
sweeping great boulders before it. l OBJ
served few palm trees and some modest
flowers amid the waste.
comparatively easy, especially as tho ex-
pectation is on the tip-toe to see the great
mountain. We enter first Wady Aboo
Salah. This merged into the Err Rahah, or
Desert of Sinai, broad, open plain, rising
midway its length and then sweeping down
plumb to the very base of Mount Sinai.
AS we strobe down the plain, so suited by
its gradual descent to be an audience room,
ing to Palmer, of accommodating two mil
lions of people, with square yard to each
one from the water shed-half its length
to the foot of Mount Small said involun-
Mount Sinai. Here all conditions are fully
satisfied" This was the opinion of us all.
Subsequent observation served but to con-
firm this first judgment. At length we
the wady at the foot of Jebel Musa, which
with its human inmates, its garden Of
green, fruits and flowers, gave promise of
rest.
Alighting and gathering under the high
projecting window of the convent, our dra-
groman set up the usual cry of Yea Musa!
yea Musa ~ and soon the Arab servant
Musa poked his head out-a little confab,
and down came an iron hook at the end of
rope big enough to pull up a ton weight,
and on 1t our letter of introduction from
the branch convent at Cairo was hauled up.
Very speedily the broad side gate at the
new entrance was opened for us-we en-
tered and were welcomed by fat, sleek
monk, and following series of winding
passages, yards and stair-ways, were finally
landed on a balcony looking interiorly, off
which were sets of rooms for sitting, din
ing and sleeping. We were permitted to
use the kitchen and dining-room for lunch.
hot cup Of coffee was served us by the
monks Immediately on being seated with
true Eastern hospitality. My thoughts
and my eyes were not for the convent,
though it was SO nigh and SO unique, but
of the mountain; and SO 7 found myself
straining towards its lofty hoisht and awed
by its immediate proximity. l seemed as
first stood under its shadow, as though l
had come into Gods own mighty temple,
before which not only St. Peters, but even
that at Karnak was small.
That night we slept in our tents, pitched
near the we'll of Jethro and in the morning
were bright and early at the convent to
begin the ascent Of Jebel Musa and Ras
Sufsafeh. Brother Jacobus was our guide.
All travellers are expected to take the
monks as guides. The foot of the noun
tain is 5000 feet above the level of the sea
there remained 1000 feet for US to climb.
We took the path back of the convent
which leads US through the gorge between
Ell Berrell and Mount Musa. We soon
reached rough steps, made by clearing
away boulders and laying them in some
order: this greatly facilitating the ascent,
which is hard enough at best. Fortunately
for us the atmosphere was very COOL Some
of our party made the summit in about
fxrn nfh I, Io;,
so. l, with two others, took ample time
to it, feasting, as we went up, on the rich
incidents by the way. The utter barren
ness, rugged and massive grandeur of the
turrets on both sides, must be seen to be
appreciated. The only verdure is a few
tufts of thistle or n sage-like plant clinging
On the crevices of the rocks. When about
to one of the confessional gates-a neat
little arched gateway between the boulders
at which it was formerly customary to
confess the pilgrims in their ascent. A
little further up was another; and then we
came to an open basin-lik area of about
two acres in size, in the midst of which is
spring, garden, and tall cypress, and
near by the chapel of Elijah and Elisha.
From this point the climb was very steep.
The top reached, the view amply repaid
our toil-such wilderness of rocks, gray,
speckled, red-which way the eye turns,
mountains, mountains; it seemed that ma
ture had done her utmost to body forth here
the greatest desolation; nowhere animal OF
vegetable life to be seen. The summit is
crowned by the little Greek chapel of the
TRANSPORTATION, standing on the rock into
a cleft of which Moses was put when the
Divine glory passed before him-a small
mosque, fallen to decay, also on a rock
claimed by Mahommetans as the ono in
which Moses was hid. A little south of
west is Jubel Katharine, the highest noun
tain of the Sinaitic range, and just in front,
toward the north, is Ras Sufsafeh, which
is part of this same mountain. On the
south side is deep abyss of about 1000
feet, the head Of the Wady 81 Ejah, in
,,,b;ob &c tho daca vad convapt Of na;r al