01x26 - The Real Mount Sinai

[bunniefuu]

[music]

I'm going on an adventure.

There's only one way to figure it all out.

Unzip the archeology. Make it naked.

[music]

[FEMALE VOICE] Last time on the Naked Archeologist.

[SIMCHA] The search for the real Mount Sinai,

the Holy Mountain where Moses led his followers...

...at the time of the Exodus...

...after escaping from sl*very in Egypt.

It was on Mount Sinai that according to the Bible,

Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

The sacred laws the Israelites would take with them...

...to the Promised Land.

We picked up and dusted off the age-old search...

...for the missing holy mountain.

We assembled a true grit search posse.

We rounded up experts from across the globe.

And we narrowed our search to a few possible suspects.

Eliminating would be candidates...

...by nailing down the Sinai criteria.

: the mountain must have at its base...

...a huge plateau that accommodated...

...hundreds of thousands of Biblical Israelites.

: It must have a water source.

. It must be accessible and easy to climb.

. It must have symbols of worship.

Archaeological evidence...

...proving that the mountain was holy...

...even before the time of Moses.

And : it must be located somewhere...

...along the ancient route of the Exodus.

The chosen path across the central Sinai.

You know, what I find amazing?

That people actually don't read the text.

[SIMCHA] And most importantly,

our posse followed only the clues given in the Bible...

...and smoked out the secret coordinates...

...from the Sinai itinerary.

. It must be a days journey from a place called Elim.

. It must be eleven days journey from Kadesh Barnea.

And -

The little goat over here. The Midianite

[SIMCHA] .The secret third coordinate lies with the goats.

That's the clue where Mount Sinai is.

See the goat. That's the clue to where Mount Sinai is.

[SIMCHA] Yes that's right.

That's where we left off last time, with the goats.

Because Moses was leading the goats,

he was raising the goats.

You can only go that far with goats.

[SIMCHA] You see it says in the Bible...

...that Moses was out tending his father-in-laws flocks...

...when he encountered God in the burning bush,

at the foot of Mount Sinai.

Moses' father in law was a Midianite,

and you could only walk so far when shepherding flocks.

You get it . Nobody's looked at this.

Mount Sinai has to be within goat grazing distance...

...of Midianite territory.

And we know from modern Bedouin practices...

...what goat grazing distances is from a camp.

They never go, unless there is a drought,

they don't go further than - km.,

and then they will go a little bit further...

...if there is a drought.

but if we could locate those Midianites...

...we would have another coordinate.

But where are the Midianites?

Where are the Midianites?

Right, If you find the Midianites, you find Mount Sinai.

But it is a very mountainous region,

are there like hundreds of mountains?

That's a good question.

All the Midianites are Arabian and Saudi Arabia.

Oh Right.

And they are not at Sinai. They are here.

[SIMCHA] And here is where the Sinai posse...

...stumbles into some serious quicksand.

To look in Saudi Arabia for the mountain...

...would negate much of our Sinai itinerary.

It is too far from Egypt, Elim and Kadesh Barnea.

The distances the Israelites traveled...

...are specifically mentioned in the Bible,

and cannot be ignored.

We need to find a Midianite settlement in the Sinai.

So I deputized a new man into our posse.

Beno Rothenberg, an expert on all things Midianites.

The whole story started...

...when I discovered the Egyptian mining temple...

...in Timna in '-.

There was pottery,

and a type of which we had never seen around.

[SIMCHA] Beno conducted an archaeological survey...

...of the entire Sinai.

And surprisingly, he discovered Midianite pottery and art...

...in a place called Timna.

Very close to the central Sinai route of the Exodus.

[BENO] Near water north of Timna,

there were Midianite structures with Midianite pottery.

So there was a group of Midianites living there.

[SIMCHA] Incredibly, there are rock drawings in Timna...

...depicting flocks of animals shepherded by men with staffs.

We had lots of bones of sheep and goats...

...in the Timna working camps near the water.

They had to eat, they had to live...

...and their families must have been there,

and I'm quite sure lived there.

Yes, flocks were there and they had them.

We found the bones.

[SIMCHA] So, Timna is the only Midianite enclave in the Sinai.

It is the only settlement where Moses could have lived...

...with his Midianite wife.

Since Moses was tending his father in laws' goats...

...when he encountered God on Mount Sinai,

the holy mountain has to be...

...within goat grazing distance of Timna.

Around - km.

[singing] Out on the biblical plain, where the cactus-

[SIMCHA] I lead our posse a mere km to the west of Timna.

[singing] Where the cactus and buffalo roam.

Give me a home on the biblical plain.

Where the horse and the goat and his sheep roam.

[SIMCHA] And here, well within goat grazing distance,

we find a most interesting mountain.

When you are questing for Mount Sinai,

you can work up a real appetite.

Whenever I work up that appetite I stop at Yehuda's.

Anybody who's anybody goes to Yehuda's.

A mean falafel, amazing hummus and salads out of this world.

If Moses and the Israelites had a choice,

they would have passed on a couple of those manna dishes...

...and would come here to Yehuda's.

Yehuda's is out of business.

Not a lot of people have been...

...searching for Mount Sinai lately,

so he didn't have a lot of customers.

We came a little bit too late to save Yehuda.

Do you have another place?

[SIMCHA] The Sinai posse has ridden km west...

...of the Midianite settlement of Timna...

...to find Mount "Shani".

It is well within flock grazing distance...

...for Moses and his goats.

It is accessible, easily climbed and on the ancient route.

There is a large plateau and evidence of ancient streams.

And most compelling is Mount "Shani's" symbols of worship.

But to interpret these, we've got to deputize a new man.

Moti Shem-Tov.

There is an open shrine at the top of the mountain...

...and some , , in the other side.

It seems to be that it's a kind of junction...

...between ancient roads that nomads,

when they travelling, they used to stop here...

...and it used to be a kind of sacred ground for them.

[SIMCHA] Moti shows us the archaeological evidence...

...proving that Mount Shani was a holy mountain...

...for thousands of years.

We are now in the most important part of the shrine.

So called the holy of Hollis, which is the altar.

This is amazing. This place is amazing.

Inside the altar here there is a group of standing stones...

...that represent deities.

According to carbon test,

It's dated for more than years old.

So this is a , year old altar?

Yes.

[SIMCHA] These rock arrangements...

...define , year old holy spaces.

Complete with altars, standing stones and sacred animals.

It all adds up to proof...

...that Mount Shani has had a history of holiness...

...for thousands of years.

But as tempting as it is to declare Shani...

...as the holy Mount Sinai,

there is a glaring disconnect...

...that sticks out like a blizzard in Georgia.

Once again it comes down to our Sinai itinerary.

According to the Bible,

Moses and his followers traveled for several days...

...before arriving at the water springs of Elim,

where they camped for several more days...

...in what the Bible calls Sukkot: palm covered huts.

But most importantly in our search...

...is the biblical clue that it took the Israelites...

...exactly weeks to travel from Elim to Mount Sinai.

Two weeks to get to Mt Sinai.

That gives you a geographical coordinate.

So if you figure a mass of people...

...can only walk about km a day,

then you could put your compass point down on Elim...

...and figure out km a day for days,

and then you can draw an arc...

...and figure out that's where it is.

[SIMCHA] So even though Mount Shani...

...is within goat grazing distance...

...from the Midianite settlement in Timna,

it is simply too far away from Elim.

So we've crossed Shani off the list.

But we now have three compass points decoded...

..from the bible and can isolate a small area in the desert.

According to the book of Exodus,

Moses walked with his followers for days...

...from Elim to Mount Sinai.

That puts us approx. km along the ancient route.

Deuteronomy through states...

...it was an eleven days journey from Kadesh Barnea.

That's km,

and based on modern Bedouin goat herding practices,

the maximum distance...

...that Moses could have lead his goats is km.

This is the area where Mount Sinai must be hiding.

And in this area there is only one mountain...

...surrounded by outdoor sanctuaries.

The symbols of worship that define a holy mountain.

[SIMCHA] Whenever I am searching for the real Mt Sinai,

I work up a real appetite.

And when you got a real appetite,

there's no better restaurant this side of Sinai than Babruka.

Where is Babruka? I'm hungry.

I have a really good sense of direction.

Oh, sorry.

How can I guy with no sense of direction...

...dream about finding Mount Sinai.

I can't find a restaurant.

[SIMCHA] Well, we haven't had much luck...

...rounding up some grub,

but our posse has mapped out compass points...

...directing us to a small area in the desert...

...where we've tracked down a Sinai candidate...

...that so far is checking out with all our Sinai criteria.

Today, the mountain is called Hashem El Tarif,

and I've asked U*i Avner to rejoin the posse...

...to explain to us the significance...

...of this mountain's sanctuaries.

Its symbols of worship.

This is the largest concentration of open-air sanctuaries...

...in the Negevian Sinai ever found.

We have other concentrations near holy mountains,

but this is the largest one.

In Sinai alone it was something like if I remember correctly.

You found open air sanctuaries?

In eastern Sinai only-

-and half of them are here?

right here at this mountain?

Yes this is true.

That is pretty amazing no?

This is true.

What does that tell you about this mountain?

The mountain is holy mountain, no doubt.

Not only because of the open air sanctuaries...

...around at the foot of the mountain,

but also there is another point here...

...which you might be interested in.

Look at the sanctuary like this.

This one is about x meters.

Let's say that something like people can stand inside it.

The other one, the neighboring one is larger,

altogether here and here,

let's say people can stand here.

You have such-

such open sanctuaries.

How many people can stand here?

Thousands of them.

It means that a lot more people were here...

...than archaeologist believed there were. Right?

Okay. I am in favour of the theory...

...that maybe the desert was never empty of people.

It was always inhabited but not in mass numbers.

But the fact is that these cult sites suggest...

...that they were built not for five guys,

they were built for thousands of people.

Yes it is quite amazing.

I believe that according to the number of people...

...that these open-air sanctuaries could contain,

that many people arrived here as pilgrims...

...and actually these sites give us...

... the first possible indication for pilgrimage to the desert.

Sounds like the bible doesn't it?

Sounds resembling the bible, certainly.

[SIMCHA] The sanctuaries provide strong evidence...

...that people numbering in the thousands...

...could have camped and worshipped here,

at the base of this mountain.

U*i shows me something else.

Ok what we see here is a group of nine animals...

...made by small stone slabs...

...stuck vertically into the ground.

-What is the significance of this place?

We have very few of these stone drawings.

The animal drawings are one of the things...

...that make the site and the mountain special.

In this case, the animals are enigmatic...

...or mythical, and are clearly identified as leopards.

And they are using special stones for?

For the eye. -For the eye?

Right. They were obviously made for cult purpose.

I do not know exactly what,

because we were never managed to interview anyone...

...who made them some years ago.

But in any case,

this is an outpiece dated years before present.

It's incredible.

It is very incredible.

It is very rare in the desert.

Many religious ideas that we hold today actually began here.

Right here. Literally here.

At least, yes.

So basically you can say that there is a direct line...

...between modern say western religion...

...and these rocks that we are standing among,

right here in the desert.

-I believe yes.

These single rocks here represent a very complex...

...and a very rich religion of the prehistoric people...

...of the desert, some years ago.

[SIMCHA] The incredible number of sanctuaries...

...that surround Hashem El Tarif,

and their very old age,

proves that this was a holy mountain...

...even before the time of Moses.

This is the largest cluster of open-air sanctuaries...

...next to a mountain, and also very important,

to a road junction which is just east of us.

central roads pass right by here?

Yes.

From Egypt. If you were Moses,

you'd be crazy to go through southern Sinai,

you'd come right by here.

This is the shortest road.

This is the best road.

Of course.

And you'd come right to this mountain.

You've got a road junction.

Yes.

You've got animals. -Yes.

You've got drawings of animals.

Yes.

You've got largest concentration...

...of open-air sanctuaries in the desert next to a mountain.

All this together make this mountain important.

Doesn't this all point to this mountain as being Mount Sinai?

I need evidence.

I think we should climb the mountain.

Ok, let's climb the mountain.

[SIMCHA] After months of searching,

have we finally found our holy mountain?

There's one more piece of evidence we need...

...to prove that this is Mt Sinai.

But for that we will have to climb Mount Hashem El Tarif.

Ok let's try this again.

Whenever I go questing for Mount Sinai,

I can work up a real appetite.

And when I do,

there is no better little restaurant this side of Sinai...

...then Shikudaya Ezra.

Shikudaya Ezra has got hummus, falafel, and lots of salads.

I see it! I see it! There it is! Shikudaya Ezra.

There it is. There's the big red sign. You see it?

I can smell the hummus now.

So where do we park?

Now this is lunch. You know what?

It was worth it. Look at this bread.

Can you believe it?

This is for you.

It's no joke. This place is delicious.

Shikudaya Ezra in Beer-Sheva,

this is the place to go when you go looking for Mount Sinai.

No question about it.

[SIMCHA] Yes, we filled our bellies...

...and with climbing spirits set up camp...

...at the base of the holy mountain,

now called Hashem El Tarif.

So far, it matches all of our Sinai criteria.

It has a large plateau at its base,

it has many symbols of worship,

it's easily accessible...

...and on the ancient route of the Exodus,

and it is weeks walking distance from Elim,

days from Kadesh Barnea,

and within goat grazing distance from Timna.

There's one more characteristic...

...that this mountain must have...

...in order for us to be convinced...

...that this is the place where Moses...

...received the commandments from God.

The good book states that Mount Sinai had...

...a fresh water spring at the top of the mountain,

an extremely rare characteristic...

...that the Bible says sets Sinai apart from other mountains.

Is Hashem El Tarif hiding evidence of a water source?

There's only one way to find out.

We've got to climb to the top.

[music]

The view is amazing.

I want to try the acoustics here and see if they carry.

[SIMCHA] And once on top,

U*i finds more unique holy drawings.

Look at this. I love it. How nice it is.

See the circle? Surrounded by more rock stones.

This is an amazing place.

It is special because this is the only one I know of this type.

Really? -Yes.

Nowhere else in the desert?

No.

[SIMCHA] And there is something more.

Something incredibly rare.

Look at this. You See the white stuff?

[SIMCHA] It appears there was an ancient spring...

...at the top of the mount.

This is a travertine.

Which means an accumulation of calcium under wet conditions.

It indicates an actual spring.

Finding it at a mountaintop is quite unusual.

The remains of a real ancient spring, yeah.

This is quite unique. Yes.

[SIMCHA] Travertine, the calcified evidence...

...of a water source at the top of the mountain.

Can it be?

Can our search for the holy mountain be over?

All the evidence points to this mountain...

...as the place where God's words were put to stone.