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Rare biblical sites in Saudi Arabia now open to group tours

More tourists will soon see for themselves the actual site of Mt. Sinai, the mountain where God was said to have given the Ten Commandments to Moses.

The site, which is known as Jebel al-Lawz mountain in the ancient land of Midian, is in Saudi Arabia.

According to a Fox News report, the controversial theory of the mountain’s location contests the traditional location in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.

Early Jewish, Christian, and Bedouin traditions, the report says, have long attested this site to be the real Mount Sinai.

Remember the rock that Moses struck from which water flowed out?

It is believed to be the Split Rock of Horeb. Located on the north-west side of the mountain, the massive stone stands several stories tall, split down the middle, with evidence of water erosion at its base.

This is just among the sites that a group of 25 tourists will visit in Saudi Arabia.

The tour, organized by Living Passages, will also take tourists to the town that has an ancient well, believed to be where Moses met his wife Zipporah after fleeing Egypt.

Other areas that the group will explore include the ruins of Dedan, Wadi Tayyib – along the Red Sea coast – and Tayma, where Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar may have occasionally stayed.

The opening of these sites in Saudi Arabia for tourists is part an effort by the country to increase international tourism.

They are also looking at attracting more visitors through the establishments of new museums and first-class hotels including a smart city in the northwest part of the country called Neom, set to be fully functional by 2025.

The group’s visit is the second delegation of evangelical leaders from America that were given tourist visas and hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year and earlier this year.

Staff Report

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