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Commanding a panoramic vista of valleys and jagged ridges, a small chapel marks the summit of Jebel Musa, 7,500 feet above sea level. Constructed in 1934 from remains of a sixth-century A.D. Byzantine church erected by Emperor Justinian, the chapel shares the summit with a nearby cave. Here, tradition holds, God placed Moses so that Moses would not see his face (Exodus 33:22). Another candidate for identification as this cave is pictured in “Has Mt. Sinai Been Found?”

Industrious monks built 3,750 rock steps (not visible in this photo) to allow an ascent to the chapel.