The Blackened Summit of Jabal Maqla

The dark peak said to be scorched when YHVH descended in fire

Egypt & the Exodus · city / site · Disputed · found 1984

Desert mountain with a black upper peak above pale rock — Photo: Wikkiwooki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Found 1984 — Ron Wyatt (1984); Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams (1988); the Caldwells; the Doubting Thomas Research Foundation

Where Jabal Maqla, a peak in the Jabal al-Lawz range, Tabuk Province (Saudi Arabia)

Dates from Rock hundreds of millions of years old; claim c. 1446 BCE · Natural geology (Precambrian granite with dark cap rock) · The theophany at Sinai (claimed)

Now at Site (Saudi Arabia)

How The Blackened Summit of Jabal Maqla was found

Explorers approaching from the west saw a peak whose upper third is strikingly dark against pale granite and read it as burn evidence from Exodus 19:18.

What it is

Jabal Maqla ('burnt mountain' in Arabic) is a granite peak of about 2,300 m whose summit is capped by dark, black-brown rock. Pieces broken open by visitors are said to be lighter inside. The name Jabal al-Lawz properly belongs to the higher peak to the north; the dark peak is Maqla.

Why it matters for the Bible

Exodus 19 says the mountain smoked because YHVH came down on it in fire, and proponents present the dark cap as that scorching. Geologists describe the cap as a naturally dark rock unit, variously called metamorphic hornfels or a basaltic/volcanic layer, sitting on lighter granite, a pattern seen on other peaks in the region. Fire hot enough to blacken a mountain would not leave a neat cap on one summit. The name 'burnt' likely reflects the appearance, not memory of an event. Readers should know the dark colour is real but explained by geology.

Disputed: The dark cap is a natural rock unit; no geological or archaeological study supports a burn event.

The Hebrew word: ah-SHAHN

עָשָׁן

עָשָׁן is pronounced ah-SHAHN and means smoke (Strong's H6227).

Places

Mount Sinai — הַר סִינַי (hahr see-NAI) — mountain of Sinai

Events

YHVH descends on the mountain in fire (claimed location)

The Blackened Summit of Jabal Maqla in Scripture

Exodus 16:1 First mention of Sinai in Scripture.

Exodus 19:18 'Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke because YHVH descended upon it in fire'; the blackened summit is cited as physical trace.

Deuteronomy 4:11 'The mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven'; the other verse used for the claim.

Questions people ask

What is The Blackened Summit of Jabal Maqla?
Jabal Maqla ('burnt mountain' in Arabic) is a granite peak of about 2,300 m whose summit is capped by dark, black-brown rock. Pieces broken open by visitors are said to be lighter inside. The name Jabal al-Lawz properly belongs to the higher peak to the north; the dark peak is Maqla.

When was The Blackened Summit of Jabal Maqla discovered?
It was found in 1984 by Ron Wyatt (1984); Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams (1988); the Caldwells; the Doubting Thomas Research Foundation, at Jabal Maqla, a peak in the Jabal al-Lawz range, Tabuk Province.

Where is The Blackened Summit of Jabal Maqla today?
Site (Saudi Arabia).

Which Bible verses does The Blackened Summit of Jabal Maqla relate to?
Exodus 16:1, Exodus 19:18, Deuteronomy 4:11.

Is The Blackened Summit of Jabal Maqla authentic?
The dark cap is a natural rock unit; no geological or archaeological study supports a burn event.

Related discoveries

Sources

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