Page 119 - Travels in Arabia (Vol 2)_Neat

100 SHERM TO SINAI. [CH.

CHAPTER VI.

Burckhardt's hypothesis—Author's arguments iti favour of Jebel
Musa—Justinian—Descent towards Mount Horeb—ElEraibein
—Rock of Horeb—Moses' Kettle.

Burckhardt’s opinion that Jebel Serbal, a
mountain to the westward of Jebel Musa, pos­
sessed at least rival claims to be the Sinai of
Scripture, has given rise to some controversy.
His objections are briefly, that inscriptions are

found on Serbal, and not on Mount Sinai: and
he thence concludes it to be the chief place of
pilgrimage in the peninsula, and the mountain
where Moses received the tables of the law.
But surely, with these premises only, he has
jumped to a conclusion somewhat hastily.
The origin and purport of the inscriptions
still remain involved in obscurity. Whether
they have been executed by pilgrims to record
names and dates, or were inscribed to com­
memorate other events, is wholly unknown.