The Holy Summit of Sinai, also known as Jebel Mousa, is the place where Moses received the Law from God. Here are to be found the Chapel of God in the Highest, surrounded by the ruins of the larger Justinian basilica, and in addition, the Rock of Moses, and a mosque. The peak is at an altitude of 2,285 meters, and can be reached from the monastery by two different routes. The older is the Steps of Repentance, consisting of some 3,750 steps that ascend to the very summit, constructed in the 6^th century. In the middle of the 19^th century, Abbas Pasha I created the alternate Camel Trail, a more circuitous and more gradual ascent, that coincides with the Steps of Repentance for the last ascent of 750 steps.

The Cave of Prophet Elias

At a natural basin below the summit of Sinai there is a double chapel. The first chapel one enters is dedicated to the Prophet Elisseus (Elisha). From there, one enters into a second chapel, dedicated to the Prophet Elias (Elijah). This latter chapel is built at the site of a cave that is identified with the revelation of God to the holy Prophet, as it is recorded in III Kings 19:9-18 LXX (I Kings 19:9-18). “And, behold, a great and strong wind rending the mountains, and crushing the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire the voice of a gentle breeze.” There was already a chapel at this site in the 4^th century.