Mount Mousa (Mount Sinai) – Hiking the Sacred Mountain

Few mountains in the world carry as much weight as Mount Mousa, known globally as Mount Sinai. Rising above the rocky highlands of South Sinai at 2,285 meters, it is not just a peak—it is a pilgrimage, a journey woven with history, spirituality, and breathtaking natural beauty.

Why Hike Mount Mousa?

For thousands of years, travelers, monks, and pilgrims have made the ascent to this mountain. According to Abrahamic traditions, it is where the Prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments. Today, hikers come for two reasons:

• To retrace the footsteps of history and faith.
• To witness one of the most remarkable sunrises or sunsets in the Middle East, with golden light spilling across endless ridges of the Sinai desert.

But for the local Bedouin communities, the mountain is more than a holy site. It is part of their ancestral land, their stories, and their way of life.

Best Times to Go

Sunrise Hike: The most popular option. Begin around 2:00 AM, reach the summit by 4:30–5:00 AM, and watch the desert awaken under the rising sun.

Sunset Hike: Less crowded and equally stunning. Start mid-afternoon, summit before dusk, and descend under moonlight.

Both options require good shoes, warm layers (temperatures at the summit can drop close to freezing, even in spring), and a headlamp for night hikes.

Why It’s Worth It

Standing at the summit as the desert stretches endlessly below, it is hard not to feel humbled. The view is not just of mountains and valleys, but of history layered into stone—a place where legend, faith, and nature converge.

Hiking Mount Mousa is more than a physical climb. It is an experience of silence, reflection, and connection—with the land, with the people who preserve it, and with the timeless stories that echo from its summit.