The gold of Exodus
Subtitle: the discovery of the true Mount Sinai
By: Howard Blum
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 1998
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 364
Subjects: Politics and government; Antiquities; Espionage; Defenses
Description: Howard Blum tells the account of two modern-day adventurers - Larry Williams, a two-time Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Montana and a self-made millionaire, and his friend Bob Cornuke, a retired policemen and former SWAT team member. Lured by the prospect of finding the fabled fortune in gold that the ancient Hebrews took with them when they fled from Egypt, the two men set out to find the true site of Mount Sinai - with only the Old Testament as a guide.

Eminent biblical scholars at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have argued that Mount Sinai is not in the Sinai peninsula at all, but rather in northwestern Saudi Arabia. However, they were never allowed into the kingdom to prove their argument. When Cornuke and Williams are also denied entry, they daringly sneak into Saudi Arabia. And what they discover at the mountain known as Jabal al Lawz will astonish the world - and inspire readers to rethink the role of the Bible in history.

They find the remains of the stone altar at which the Golden Calf was worshiped, the twelve pillars that Moses ordered to be erected, the cave where Moses slept, and, most sensationally, the unnaturally scorched spot on the mountaintop where God gave Moses the two stone tablets. They also explain, in a fascinating account, the truth about the parting of the Red Sea waters. And not the least of their discoveries is the fact that one of the most sacred spots on earth is now a top secret Saudi military base.

As these two adventurers follow in Moses' footsteps, they become pawns in a dangerous game of international power politics and intrigue.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [351]-362).