Sunrise over the Red Sea, morning light breaking on the shore

Judaism

יַם סוּף

Red Sea (Crossing)

“A path of dry ground laid open between the parted waters”

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Photo: Jorge Láscar · CC BY 2.0

Scenes

The Sinai coast where red rock mountains fall to a turquoise seaVyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0
An old boat on an empty shore, the morning open to the seaMarc Ryckaert · CC BY 3.0

Meaning

Red rock mountains fall straight into a turquoise sea, and the sea wind draws long over the ripples reaching the shore.

Exodus tradition holds that Israel crossed the Red Sea by a path where the waters parted, leaving Egypt behind. The Hebrew Yam Suph is also rendered 'Sea of Reeds,' and various traditions honor the coasts of the Sinai Peninsula as the place of the crossing.

Field notes

Location
Sinai Coast · Red Sea · N29.0° · E34.7°
Best time
Early morning and dusk, when the sea's colour is clearest
Getting there
Along the Red Sea coast of the Sinai Peninsula, by the bays toward Nuweiba and Taba.
Etiquette
Respect the protected shoreline and the life of local communities.

Sources

  • · Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • · Hebrew Bible, Book of Exodus
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Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.