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. (June)
