Exploring the Real Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia
Not many people have yet had the chance to see or climb the Real Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia. But that is about to change. Individuals and small groups have made their way to northwest Saudi Arabia for that reason over the last few years.
Pastor Jamie Brown with Abundant Life Church in Greenville, South Carolina, was one of those few. He partnered with Exodus Paths Travel to visit the mountain twice since 2023. Then he brought a group from his congregation in October 2025 as part of an Israel tour for his church.
“What initially drew me to the Real Mount Sinai was the desire to stand where Scripture actually unfolded—not just where tradition eventually pointed,” Pastor Brown shared. “As a pastor, I wanted to bring biblical geography and history into alignment with the text itself. The more I studied the Exodus account, the more compelling the evidence became that the traditional site didn’t fully match the biblical description, while the site in northwest Saudi Arabia did in remarkable ways.”
He continued, “Bringing people from my congregation completely changed the dynamic of the trip. It moved us from being observers of Scripture to participants in the story…deepened faith in a way that sermons alone simply can’t.”
Dr. Gayle Timberlake, founder and chief executive officer of Simka Foundation and biblical scholar, joined through Exodus Paths Travel. “I’ve always been drawn to the raw moments where heaven touches earth—like where Moses stood face-to-face with the King of Kings,” she said. “That’s what pulled me to the ancient land of Midian. A friend challenged me, ‘Why not take a group yourself?’ That lit the fire.”
Nothing prepared her for the impact. She said, “Nothing could have prepared me for the raw, electric presence at the base of the Split Rock. These weren’t dusty history. They were living encounters turning knowledge into heart-deep reverence.”
She now plans to lead blended journeys, saying, “After walking the wild desert paths, I’m excited about blending Saudi Arabia into the bigger picture. Saudi brings the raw, open expanse—the vast desert sky where the Exodus unfolded in solitude and fire. It’s like adding wide horizon to Israel’s warm hearth. History feels bigger, faith feels bolder.”
Such a trip was not possible a few years ago. In fact, most people still do not know that a new and likely candidate for the Real Mount Sinai has been discovered and that there is compelling evidence for it that matches the biblical narrative.
The modern story of this Mount Sinai candidate begins with adventurer and biblical archeologist Ron Wyatt. He first discovered the mountain in 1984, but he had entered Saudi Arabia illegally and most of the evidence he collected was discarded by authorities.
A few years later, explorers Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams also made their way into Saudi Arabia and collected more evidence about the site, including details about the “Moses Altar” and the possible “Golden Calf Altar Site.”
In the 90s, Jim and Penny Caldwell explored the mountain with their children. Jim worked legally in Saudi Arabia in the oil industry, so they were able to visit many times and were the first to discover “Split Rock of Moses” in 1992.
Later, they collaborated with Bob and Larry and created a documentary film called “Mountain of Fire: The Search for the True Mount Sinai,” which they released in 2002. Still, all this time, Saudi Arabia remained closed to Western tourists, and the area continued to remain largely untouched as it had been for centuries.
In September 2019, Saudi Arabia opened wide for tourism. Under the leadership of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia has been taking great strides to diversify their economy and modernize their culture. A big part of that effort is opening up to western tourism.
As a result, Christian tourists began to visit the site and climb the mountain, and more people are being persuaded that this mountain is the Real Mount Sinai. Christian author and adventurer Joel Richardson wrote Mount Sinai in Arabia, which succinctly laid out the case.
In 2022, Tim Mahoney released two documentary movies that released in theaters, which methodically compared every prominent Mount Sinai candidate and concluded that only this mountain in Saudi Arabia fits every biblical requirement for being the Real Mount Sinai.
Even though the Saudi’s opened tourism to the west in 2019, Christian tourism to the Real Mount Sinai was almost immediately set back after COVID in 2020. Tourism also slowed back down after the start of the Gaza war in 2023. In fact, tourism to the entire region slowed down dramatically.
However, with the recent defeat of Hamas, the release of the Israeli hostages in October and the expansion of the Abraham Accords on the horizon, the region is expecting a season of peace and a tourism boom. Saudi Arabia is eager to participate in that tourism boom. In fact, the Saudi government is investing heavily into their NEOM project, which happens to be precisely where the Real Mount Sinai is located.
Just north of the mountain, they are building Trojena, a fancy ski resort set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games (though potentially postponed amid phased development and delays). They are building state-of-the-art hotels along the coast of the Sea of Aqaba. South of the mountain in ancient Midian, they are building the ambitious and futuristic city called “The Line,” a city stretching 170km long, which will house up to 9 million people, have no cars and run on 100% renewable energy—progressing on initial 2–5 km segments (structurally by late 2026), with new airport and high-speed rail enhancing access.
This means that churches like Abundant Life Church can safely visit biblical Exodus sites in Saudi Arabia or add them to Israel trips as nearby extensions.
In partnership with top-rated Israel tour operators, Exodus Paths Travel has released three curated Israel itineraries for churches: the Holy Land Highlights Tour, the Classic Israel Tour and the Israel Immersive Tour. To each of these Israel itineraries signature extensions to the Exodus Sites in Saudi Arabia can be added for all or part of your group. Other extensions to biblical sites in Jordan are available, as well. Their partners in Saudi Arabia are licensed professionals who know the Exodus story and why these sites matter.
These journeys renew Scripture’s reliability and forge lasting bonds. As Pastor Brown noted, the greatest benefit is “renewed confidence in the reliability of Scripture. The Bible went from something they believed by faith to something they could now visualize and trust with fresh conviction.”
If you’re a pastor or church executive considering a Holy Land trip, adding these sites could inspire your congregation like never before.
Visit Exodus Paths online at www.exoduspaths.com to explore custom itineraries, view upcoming tours, and connect with them — your next group adventure might trace Moses’ path in ways that transform lives.
