Sinai Desert

The Sinai Desert is a fragment of the desert belt surrounding the northern hemisphere. It is all that remains where the belt is torn by the parting of Asia from Africa. Its northern bulk is limestone, but the southern corner – never touched by ancient seas – consists of granite mountains. It is in Sinai that the Bible places the sojourn of the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. No other sources directly witness to these events, but there is evidence confirming the background conditions, including the construction of cities for Pharaoh, the role of the Midianites, and even a "land of Yahweh." Our article focuses on this evidence, reconstructing the route from Egypt to Canaan.