We’re at about 1,000 meters elevation, in the Hisma desert. We stayed in a desert camp, off road a couple kilometers. Still another kind of wilderness.
Driving through the wilderness to the highway to get to the bus.
I went out at sunrise for photos.
We saw a lot today. This is Shiprock.
Jabal Maqla
The locals call it Jabal Musa, or mountain of Moses. Maqla can mean quarry in Arabic. Some have said the mountain appears burnt. The peak is formed of basalt, a volcanic rock, not the granite of other peaks in the Lawz range.
The slightly lower peak next to Maqla has a cave. It is known locally as Elijah’s cave.
Petroglyph of dancing people.
These marble pieces are from a tiny quarry on Maqla. The quarry is not large enough to have been a commercial enterprise. It must have been for a few special-purpose pieces. I wonder what kind of stone tablets Moses brought down the mountain.
Next to the marble seats (that’s how we used them) are these stone structures that could have been cattle chutes.
The chutes have a bend so animals entering couldn’t see the other end. They ended at some large boulders.
A broom tree, or bush, makes a hot fire.
It’s wonderful that the area is now accessible. This fence used to block entry.
Saudi’s Acacias are bigger than those in Israel.
The “high place” is officially recognized as an archeological site. That’s why it has a fence.
Petroglyphs with Egyptian influence. Age estimates vary considerably but include late Bronze Age.
Highlight of today, the split rock Horeb. Exodus 17, Psalm 78