Mount Sinai
A History of Travellers and Pilgrims
Distributed for Haus Publishing
286 pages
|
15 halftones, 6 line drawings
|
4 1/4 x 8 1/4
|
© 2016
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents

Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Geography
Place Names
Geomorphology
Climate
Flora and Fauna
Chapter 1
People of the Desert
Anchorites
Uneasy Symbiosis
Early Buildings
Early Narrations
Holy Wilderness
Chapter 2
Justinian’s Project
The Fortress and Other Buildings in Wādī l-Dayr
The Basilica on Jabal Mūsā
The Monastic Ultimate
Imperial Landscape
Chapter 3
The Early Islamic Period
Sinai and Islam
Itinerant Monks
Conversion of the Laymen
Collapse of the Basilica
A Virgin Martyr
The Age of Pilgrimage
Passage to Heaven
Muslim Patronage
Early Medieval Pilgrimage
Late Medieval Pilgrimage
The Ottoman Period
Place of Devotion
Chapter 4
Sinai Questioned
Alternative Sinais
Orthodox Christianity
Rapacious Scholars
Sinai Represented
Intrepid Tourists
Object of Inquiry
Epilogue
Notes
List of Pilgrims and Travellers
Image Credits
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
Geography
Place Names
Geomorphology
Climate
Flora and Fauna
Chapter 1
People of the Desert
Anchorites
Uneasy Symbiosis
Early Buildings
Early Narrations
Holy Wilderness
Chapter 2
Justinian’s Project
The Fortress and Other Buildings in Wādī l-Dayr
The Basilica on Jabal Mūsā
The Monastic Ultimate
Imperial Landscape
Chapter 3
The Early Islamic Period
Sinai and Islam
Itinerant Monks
Conversion of the Laymen
Collapse of the Basilica
A Virgin Martyr
The Age of Pilgrimage
Passage to Heaven
Muslim Patronage
Early Medieval Pilgrimage
Late Medieval Pilgrimage
The Ottoman Period
Place of Devotion
Chapter 4
Sinai Questioned
Alternative Sinais
Orthodox Christianity
Rapacious Scholars
Sinai Represented
Intrepid Tourists
Object of Inquiry
Epilogue
Notes
List of Pilgrims and Travellers
Image Credits
Bibliography
Index
Review Quotes
Spectator
“Manginis, with a scholarly knowledge of Islamic history and experience of digging archaeologically on the dangerously electric summit of Mount Sinai, gives an engrossing account of the effect of the belief that this is indeed the Mountain of the Law.”
History Today
“Offers a different perspective and a fascinating story of the enduring appeal of Sinai over a period of nearly two millennia.”
Tablet (UK)
“Mount Sinai . . . is the memorable story, enlivened by visitors’ accounts, of the reputed spot where God came down to teach Moses. St Catherine’s Monastery has survived there from the days of desert hermits, through centuries of Muslim rule. Go, while you can.”
Choice
“A necessity for schools of theology and for collections covering religious history.”
Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds
"[Mount Sinai] is rich in detail, agile in narrative, and evocative in mood. It makes me want to go there."
Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads
"Lucid and original; a veritable feast of interesting stories about Mt Sinai’s extraordinary past."
Richard Chartres, Bishop of London
"As a traveller and pilgrim to Sinai on numerous occasions and now a Trustee of the St Catherine’s Foundation, I greatly enjoyed George Manginis’s Mount Sinai and learnt much from it. . . . The book is a learned and delightful compassion to God-trodden Sinai."
Vincent Nichols, Cardinal of Westminster
"This book is an absolute mine of riches, reflection, and information. . . . I would strongly encourage anyone to pay a visit to this remarkable place of history, holiness and tradition. I recommend this book highly."
Anthony Sattin, author of Young Lawrence
"George Manginis has trawled archives and published accounts to create the biography of the mountain, telling the story of the devout, the scholars, and the tourists who have helped shape its history. His book is likely to stand as the last word on one of the world’s most enduring places, unless an angel appears to tell the divine side of the story."
For more information, or to order this book, please visit https://press.uchicago.edu
Google preview here
History: General History
Travel and Tourism: Tourism and History
You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.