The draft path for the Jews to leave Sinai raises controversy in Egypt among scholars, sheikhs... and politicians
A statue of the head of King Ramses II during the opening ceremony of the “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” exhibition in Paris
In light of the impact of the war in Gaza, the flare-up of the region, the lack of prospects for political solutions, and the stifling economic crises that this imposes on its countries that force them to search for solutions, Egypt announced its intention to start an “ambitious” tourism project that would enhance its religious tourism activities.
The project, which comes under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and was announced by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, is related to reviving the path of the “Children of Israel” exodus from Sinai and developing the “Great Transfiguration” site (where God spoke to Moses) in the city of St. Catherine in South Sinai.
Amr El-Kady, head of the Tourism Promotion Authority in Egypt, said that the project is being coordinated with the United Media Services Company to promote religious and tourist attractions in the city of St. Catherine.
The Egyptian government's announcement, which did not specify the path of the "Bani Israel"'s exodus in Sinai, sparked internal controversy, specifically among archaeologists and clerics, as archaeologists considered this event to be untrue, given the lack of historical archaeological evidence to prove it.
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass confirmed that there is no scientific evidence of the presence of the Prophet Moses in Egypt, which was also confirmed by his counterpart Wassim El-Sisi, which prompted a response from the Grand Mufti of Egypt, saying that “lack of knowledge or access to traces that clarify the lives of some prophets does not indicate "It means they don't exist, or they don't happen."
Developing religious tourism
In this context, Magdy Shaker, chief archaeologist at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, considered in press statements that the project for the path of the Exodus of the Children of Israel comes as a continuation of the path of the Holy Family’s journey and a completion of the shrines of the Al-Bayt family, and that the path of the Exodus of the Children of Israel is a continuation of the triangle, so that Egypt will have religious tourism. Especially for Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Shaker added that Egypt seeks to enhance its religious tourism, Islamic, Christian and Jewish, to attract tourists.
Egypt reduced its expectations for the number of tourists during 2024 from 18 million tourists to 16.5 million, and the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, said that the government is seeking to attract more tourists through new projects, most notably the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is located close to the Pyramids of Giza.
“There are no documents proving the event of the Exodus... some archaeological evidence.”
For his part, Egyptian antiquities expert Magdy Shaker said in media statements, “There is no official written document yet in this regard, but there are many indications that confirm this (the exodus of the Children of Israel), such as the bramble tree in St. Catherine’s Monastery, and Mount Tur... There is a difference in the road and the path itself. Did they walk from the Horus Military Road or from the north, from the Nakhal Road, which is a narrow road and there is no water on it?
Former Secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, considered that “Egypt is currently interested in reviving religious trails in general within the framework of encouraging religious tourism, such as the Holy Family Trail, the Al-Bayt Trail, and the Exodus Trail.”
He stated, “There are a number of conflicting historical interpretations and connotations regarding the details of the story of the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, which remained without evidence for archaeologists... Aside from the religious aspect, there are still no historical relics or clear scientific evidence for the path of the Exodus,” and he pointed out that “ What has been confirmed so far is that the last point on this path was the place of the Transfiguration in Sinai, after which they headed to the Holy Land in Palestine and then completed the roads.”
Abdel Maqsoud added, “At the time the Israelis occupied Sinai, they sent many exploratory missions from various Israeli universities to survey Sinai in order to search for the exit route, and they did not find any evidence... The missions that came to survey Sinai were either searching for the exit route for the Children of Israel, Or the place of wandering, which is a stage that took 40 years, and that research was concentrated in South Sinai.
The expert explained, “Some of these missions concluded that everything related to the path of the Exodus does not exist and did not happen at all, or at least in this region, while others explained that the reason for the absence of any fingerprints or traces of the Children of Israel is because they were like travelers. They deliberately did not leave any traces behind because they were fleeing from the Pharaoh of Egypt at the time.”
He added, "What makes the matter more difficult is not knowing exactly which era the children of Israel belonged to at the time of this incident."
The most controversial topic in ancient Egyptology
The exodus of the children of Israel, or the Jews, from Egypt is considered one of the most researched topics in ancient Egyptian antiquities, as thousands of studies and research have been published on the subject, whether about the pharaoh who was at that time or the path that the Jews took, without any of them having Any tangible sensory evidence.
According to some historians, the Pharaoh of the Exodus was Ramesses II, but after his mummy was found and examined, it was found that he did not die from drowning, so the theory fell. Others indicated that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was Merneptah, citing what was stated on the “Merenptah Stela” that was discovered in 1896. However, as a result of scientific analysis and comparisons, it became clear that the period of Merneptah’s rule could not cover the entire stage concerned with the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
Source : websites