Mount Tur
God Almighty mentioned Mount Al-Tur in the Holy Qur’an and said: (And Tur Sinin, and this honest country) [Al-Tin: 3], hence this great mountain had great religious importance. Mount Al-Tur, mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, is known by different names, such as Mount Sinai or Mount Moses.
Mount Tur site
Mount Al-Tur is located in Palestine, specifically in the southern part of Galilee, and in the north of Marj Ibn Amer. The height of Mount Al-Tur reaches approximately 588 meters above sea level, and on the slopes of this mountain there are three villages: the village of Dabouriya, which is located on the western part of the foot of the mountain, and the village of Umm Al-Ghanam, which is located on the southeastern part of the foot of the mountain, and also the village of Al-Shibli is located on the eastern part of the foothills, and the village of Dabouriya is considered the largest village among these three villages. This mountain has a peak that anyone looking at from afar can see easily and clearly.
Naming Mount Al-Tur
This mountain has several names other than its common name among the Arabs as Mount Al-Tur, and among these names are: Mount Tabor; This name is Greek and means high, and the other name is Mount Tabor. In this name, researchers believe that it came from a language called Ugarit, which was known in the Ras Shamra region in Syria, and its meaning is splendor and light. Where the god of light, called Tabor, was worshiped. In the Christian religion, Christians called this mountain the Mountain of Transfiguration. This is in reference to the transfiguration of Christ, peace be upon him, when he ascended with some of his disciples to the top of the mountain, and among his disciples who witnessed that were John, James, and Peter.
Read also:Mount Adam in Sri LankaBuilding Mount Al-Tur
Mount Al-Tur was built on the top of this mountain two churches, including the Church of the Transfiguration. It is a Catholic church. This church was built on what remained of a previous Byzantine church and a second church belonging to the Franciscan monks. It is a Byzantine church that was built for the Prince of the Mountain, called Tancred. The engineer who planned its construction was the engineer Antonio Barluzzi. This church has a monastery for monks located near it. It was built of three courtyards separated from each other in two rows of columns, and it has arches for the bell tower located at the entrance to the church on both sides. There are also two chapels, one on the northern side, which is dedicated to the Prophet of God Moses, peace be upon him, where he appears. He receives the tablets of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, and the chapel on the southern side is dedicated to the Prophet Elijah. As for the upper part of the church, specifically above the altar, there is a mosaic panel that talks about the Transfiguration, and the Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated on the sixth day of the month of August.
A very simple Orthodox church was built with the money of some people in the Romania region, and this church was the first church and religious building. It was built by Romanian Christians in the Holy Land. This church was dedicated to the Prophet Elijah, and in the northwestern part of the church there is a cave called Melchizedek’s Cave. According to some Christian accounts, the meeting took place between the Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, and Melchizedek, and it is known to Christian pilgrims.
Read also:Where is Mount Moab located?
