Wadi el-Arbain: the Rock of Moses

In the Bible

The LORD told Moses to strike the rock at Horeb with his staff, and water would come out of it for the people to drink.

Exod 17:5–6And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Tradition

Monks and Bedouin show a split boulder in this valley as the rock Moses struck — a tradition that sets Rephidim close to the mountain rather than at Feiran.

Here today

A valley west of Jebel Musa with the small Monastery of the Forty Martyrs and its olive garden; a path from here climbs Mount Catherine.

Before you travel, check your country’s travel advice. Opening hours and the rules of the sites change — see their official pages.

Land outlines: Natural Earth (public domain).