Mount Sinai [Hardcover]

Joseph J. Hobbs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1995

Amid the high mountains of Egypt's southern Sinai Peninsula stands Jebel Musa, "Mount Moses, " revered by most Christians and Muslims as Mount Sinai, the place where God made the covenant with His people. In this study, Joseph Hobbs draws on geography and archaeology, biblical and Quranic accounts, and the experiences of people ranging from Christian monks to Bedouin shepherds to casual tourists to explore why this mountain came to be revered as a sacred place and how that very perception now threatens its fragile ecology and its sense of holy solitude. Hobbs concludes his account with the recent international debate over whether to build a cable car on Mount Sinai and with a description of the negative impact of tourism on the delicate desert environment.

Editorial Reviews

From 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.

Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

It is anthropology, geography, history, botany, detective story, Bible study and religious tract, biography, autobiography, travel guide, and finally propaganda for environmental protection. . . . [and] it succeeds effortlessly in combining all of them smoothly, interestingly, and readably into a neat package. (Colbert C. Held, Baylor University )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 377 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; 1 edition (1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292730918
• ISBN-13: 978-0292730915
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,019,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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