1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Can we find evidence of the story of Moses and Exodus? 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,000 Here at this side, we have the tomb of Moses. 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:09,000 There's a tomb here? Yeah. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,000 Of Moses? Yes. 5 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,000 Can we see it? 6 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:18,000 Were Israelites ever driven out of Egypt from inside its borders? 7 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:19,000 It's happened. 8 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,000 It did happen? Yes. 9 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,000 All right. It's hammer time. 10 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,000 Kids, ask your parents what that means. 11 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,000 A little bit of a drop off. What did you find? 12 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,000 Oh, a word. Fire! 13 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,000 And this is the burning bush. 14 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,000 Wait, you mean the burning bush? This is the burning bush? 15 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:39,000 We are seeing a huge mass of stones down here. 16 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,000 Oh, holy Moses! 17 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Look at this place. 18 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:59,000 Let my people go. 19 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,000 This unapologetic demand for justice echoes across the millennia 20 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,000 from the story of Moses. 21 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,000 Prophet, law giver, freedom fighter, 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,000 his resume is in the hands of the Lord. 23 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Prophet, law giver, freedom fighter, his resume is legendary. 24 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,000 He delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, 25 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,000 receives the Ten Commandments from God, 26 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,000 and leads his people to the Promised Land. 27 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,000 But are the incidents in the book of Exodus 28 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,000 based on historical events, 29 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,000 and frankly, was Moses a real person? 30 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,000 Did he speak to God? 31 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,000 Plague the Pharaoh and part the Red Sea. 32 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,000 Scholars have long debated the origins of these stories, 33 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:43,000 and now, archaeology may have answers. 34 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:47,000 In Egypt, a long-sealed tomb hides tantalizing clues 35 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,000 about the identity of Moses. 36 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,000 Meanwhile, inscriptions in an ancient mine 37 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,000 might lead us to the fleeing Israelites, 38 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,000 and I plan to climb a remote peak 39 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,000 that the faithful believe is the true Mount Sinai. 40 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,000 And then there's a question you may never have thought of. 41 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Where exactly is Moses buried? 42 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,000 The controversy over his final resting place, 43 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,000 not to mention the discovery of a strange man-made structure 44 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,000 in the Sea of Galilee, 45 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,000 might change what we think we know about his story. 46 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,000 So join me on a quest of biblical proportions 47 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,000 as we cross nations and deserts 48 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,000 in the shadow of the Prince of Egypt 49 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:29,000 to uncover the truth behind the mysteries of Moses. 50 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,000 My name is Josh Gates. 51 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:35,000 Hello! 52 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,000 Explorer. 53 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Adventurer. 54 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:39,000 Amazing! 55 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:40,000 Woo! 56 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,000 And a guy who ends up in some very strange situations. 57 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,000 Woo! That was exciting. 58 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,000 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained, 59 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,000 I travel to the ends of the earth, 60 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,000 investigating the greatest legends in history. 61 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,000 Okay, let's punch it! 62 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,000 This is Expedition Unknown. 63 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,000 In the words of Scripture, 64 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,000 this is where the story of Moses begins. 65 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,000 The Nile. 66 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,000 It's the 13th century BCE. 67 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,000 Egypt is at the height of its power and prosperity 68 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000 in a period known as the New Kingdom. 69 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,000 Cities and monuments spread out across the Nile Delta. 70 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,000 But according to the Bible, 71 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,000 all that prestige is built on the backs of Hebrew slaves. 72 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,000 It's a powerful story, 73 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,000 but is there any proof that it's true? 74 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,000 We're sailing to one of the oldest parts of Cairo to find out. 75 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,000 Today, Cairo is a mostly Muslim city. 76 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,000 But for centuries, the neighborhood of Coptic Cairo 77 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,000 has been the center of Christianity in Egypt, 78 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,000 and a melting pot for all the Abrahamic faiths. 79 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,000 My search for Moses begins 80 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,000 near the oldest Jewish synagogue in Cairo, 81 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,000 in Venezuela, founded in 1115. 82 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,000 I'm here to meet my old friend, Egyptologist Aidan Dodson. 83 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,000 Josh, great to see you. How are you? 84 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,000 Not too bad. Here we are again in Egypt. 85 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:14,000 Indeed. 86 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,000 I have to say, all the times I've been to Cairo, 87 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,000 I've never been to this neighborhood. Where are we? 88 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,000 We're in Old Cairo. Okay. 89 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,000 And this goes back to Roman times, 90 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,000 and this tower behind us here is part of that Roman faith phase. 91 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:31,000 Also here, we've got the oldest church in Cairo, 92 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,000 and it's this one here, so-called Hanging Church. 93 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:35,000 Beautiful. 94 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,000 Also, if you just go down the road, 95 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,000 we get to the oldest mosque in the whole of Egypt. 96 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,000 Wow, this is the meeting point of faiths here. 97 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,000 Very much so, yeah. Okay. 98 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,000 So what does this have to do with Moses? 99 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,000 Well, according to tradition, 100 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,000 it was near here that the baby Moses 101 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,000 was found in a basket in the Nile. 102 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,000 As the story goes, the Pharaoh decided 103 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,000 to have all the first-born Hebrew babies killed 104 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,000 because a prophecy had said that one of them 105 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:06,000 would lead the Hebrew slaves out of bondage. 106 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,000 Right. So a chosen one. 107 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:09,000 A chosen one. Uh-huh. 108 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:13,000 To save her son, Moses' mother puts him in a basket 109 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:18,000 and puts him in the river and trusts him to the river's care. 110 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,000 And that's really just the prologue of the Moses story, 111 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,000 because he goes on to have this, you know, harrowing adventure. 112 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,000 This is like the great epic of the Old Testament. 113 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,000 We need a Moses 101 package. Hit it. 114 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,000 The heavily abridged. Life of Moses. 115 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,000 Okay, so after being hidden in a basket, 116 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,000 Moses is saved by the Pharaoh's daughter 117 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,000 and is raised as a prince of Egypt, 118 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,000 which feels like a pretty solid upgrade. 119 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,000 Things seem to be going well until Moses learns 120 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,000 of his true Hebrew heritage. 121 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,000 Upon seeing an Egyptian beating one of his enslaved brethren, 122 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,000 Moses kills the assailant and buries him in the sand. 123 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,000 Note to self, do not cross Moses. 124 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,000 He then goes on the lamb for decades 125 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,000 and is eventually confronted by a burning bush 126 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,000 that, oh, also happens to talk. 127 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,000 The speaking shrub is the voice of God 128 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,000 and commands Moses to free the Israelites from bondage. 129 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Moses says no thanks. The bush says, ah, I'm God. Do it. 130 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,000 Moses is like, okay, yeah, fair point. 131 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,000 Moses then goes to the Pharaoh and delivers the now legendary message, 132 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:15,000 let my people go, with the threat of plagues as added incentive. 133 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,000 Pharaoh declines, bad move, and God does as promised, 134 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,000 unleashing a series of 10 fierce curses 135 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,000 which do not seem at all fun for anyone. 136 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,000 The last plague, killing every firstborn Egyptian son, 137 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,000 really seals the deal. 138 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,000 Moses and the newly freed people invent matzah 139 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,000 and hightail it out of Egypt while the getting is good. 140 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,000 Moses' brother Aaron is also in tow, as is his sister Miriam. 141 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,000 The Pharaoh chases them all to the Red Sea 142 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,000 where Moses raises his staff 143 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,000 and with a little help from the almighty upstairs, 144 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,000 parts the body of water, allowing his people to safely cross 145 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,000 before engulfing the Egyptian army. 146 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,000 Next, Moses climbs a mountain in returns after like 40 days 147 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,000 with 10 commandments inscribed by God himself on two stone tablets. 148 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,000 Except a little awkward, his followers are like, oh, hi, 149 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,000 you were up in that mountain for a very long time, 150 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,000 so we started worshiping this golden cow statue 151 00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:59,000 while you were gone. 152 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,000 Moses is furious, smashes the tablets, 153 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,000 cools off, gets more, things are fine. 154 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,000 Then in the ultimate act of not asking for directions, 155 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,000 Moses and the Israelites wander around in the desert 156 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,000 for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land, 157 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,000 otherwise known as Canaan, today known as Israel. 158 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,000 Due to some anger issues, Moses himself is not allowed to enter 159 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,000 and is buried by God on a mountain. 160 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,000 But he does get the satisfaction of at least seeing his people 161 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,000 enter into the Promised Land, which is pretty good and seen. 162 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,000 Everybody got all that? 163 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:30,000 Okay. 164 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,000 There's something very archetypal about this as a foundation myth 165 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,000 and particularly the foundation myth of a hero. 166 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Right. 167 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,000 If the story of an orphaned child, 168 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,000 who's really the chosen one, sounds familiar, 169 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,000 that's because it's been adapted again and again in popular culture, 170 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,000 from Oliver Twist to Luke Skywalker to Harry Potter. 171 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,000 But in the case of Moses, it's the origin story of a faith. 172 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,000 Because this is the whole foundation of the idea 173 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,000 of there being the Israelite people, 174 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,000 the origin of the religion. 175 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:07,000 Everything ultimately comes down to the whole Exodus narrative. 176 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,000 So now I ask you, as an Egyptologist, 177 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,000 do any of these events align with history? 178 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,000 There are certainly elements of the story 179 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,000 which can be tied into archaeological evidence, okay? 180 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,000 But also there are big problems, 181 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,000 particularly to do with chronology. 182 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:26,000 First, if you sort of add up the numbers of years in the Bible, 183 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:30,000 it suggests the whole thing took place around 1450 BC. 184 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:31,000 Uh-huh. 185 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,000 But there is absolutely no evidence at that point 186 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,000 of any large grouping of people leaving the country. 187 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,000 No huge Exodus happening at that time? 188 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:39,000 No. 189 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,000 100 years earlier, however, 190 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:45,000 there is clear evidence of this sort of thing happening, 191 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:49,000 when a large number of Scymites left Egypt 192 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,000 and moved into Canaan. 193 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,000 So some of the events are historical, 194 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,000 but their sequence is jumbled. 195 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:58,000 Yeah. 196 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,000 And it's important to recognize that this overall narrative, 197 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,000 as we have it today, 198 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,000 was being pieced together by a group of people 199 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,000 a thousand years after the events in question. 200 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:09,000 Right. 201 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,000 And they probably had in front of them folktales, 202 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,000 little bits of what you might call genuine history, 203 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:20,000 which they were trying to produce this overarching origin story 204 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,000 for the people of Israel. 205 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,000 So right now we have more mystery than history here. 206 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,000 So how do we investigate this? 207 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,000 Can we find evidence, 208 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,000 either for or against the story of Moses and Exodus? 209 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,000 There are certainly some places we can look, 210 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,000 and in fact, there's somewhere quite close to here 211 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,000 where we may find a useful clue or two. 212 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:42,000 I like clues. 213 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,000 Let's go and have a look. Come on. 214 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,000 To begin my hunt for the history behind Moses, 215 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,000 we pile into my truck at head about 20 miles south, 216 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,000 from Cairo to Sakara. 217 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,000 Sakara is home to Egypt's oldest pyramid, 218 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:01,000 as well as an immense necropolis, or city of the dead. 219 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,000 Literally thousands of Egyptian nobles were entombed here 220 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,000 near the pharaohs they served. 221 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,000 Now, Aden is bringing me to visit one of them. 222 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,000 We're just coming up to it down here on the left. 223 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:13,000 OK. 224 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:17,000 All right, here we are. 225 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,000 All right, let's do this. Here we go. 226 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,000 OK, so what are we here to see? 227 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,000 That tomb there. 228 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,000 Who was buried there? 229 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,000 OK, it's a vizier. 230 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,000 So there's the pharaoh, and then below him are two viziers 231 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,000 who are effectively the prime ministers 232 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,000 of the two halves of Egypt. 233 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,000 And so what does he maybe have to do with the story of Moses? 234 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,000 We'll have to actually go in and have a look 235 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:44,000 for me to tell you that. 236 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,000 Inside? In there, yeah. 237 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,000 Like any good teacher, Aden isn't going to make this easy for me. 238 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,000 He figures it's better to show than to tell. 239 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,000 But I can't help but notice there's a slight impediment 240 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:56,000 to getting inside. 241 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,000 That there does not appear to be a door there. 242 00:10:58,000 --> 00:10:59,000 That appears to be a wall. 243 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:00,000 Yeah. 244 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,000 The tomb's not been entered for a very long time, 245 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,000 and the authorities brick them up 246 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,000 to stop tomb raiders getting in. 247 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:07,000 OK, so what's our move? 248 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,000 All we need to do now is take the wall down. 249 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,000 Breaking things is my specialty, Aden. 250 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:12,000 Great, we got this. 251 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:13,000 Let's go. 252 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:14,000 Come on. 253 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,000 Aden has acquired exclusive permission 254 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,000 to open this tomb for the first time in decades. 255 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,000 To get ourselves and you inside, 256 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:25,000 we're being assisted by a professional work crew 257 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,000 from the Egyptian Antiquities Authority. 258 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:29,000 Here we go. 259 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:30,000 We've got some backup here. 260 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:31,000 Absolutely, yes. 261 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,000 Salam. 262 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,000 Nice to meet you. 263 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,000 In Nammalai, 264 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,000 we're opening the door 265 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,000 to cut the door. 266 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:42,000 Maybe? 267 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:43,000 Maybe. 268 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:44,000 Yeah? 269 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:45,000 Yeah. 270 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,000 It's OK? 271 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:47,000 OK. 272 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:48,000 Here we go. 273 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,000 Follow exactly what he's telling you. 274 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:51,000 Otherwise, you'll bring the whole mountain down. 275 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,000 All right, it's hammer time. 276 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,000 Kids, ask your parents what that means. 277 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:56,000 Here we go. 278 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,000 The entryway behind these bricks 279 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,000 dates back well over 3,500 years. 280 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,000 So, you know, no pressure. 281 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:12,000 One brick down, a few hundred to go. 282 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000 We're getting there. 283 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,000 Brick by brick, I widen the opening 284 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:19,000 until we get our first whiff of the air inside. 285 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:20,000 OK. 286 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,000 All right, we got darkness, Aden. 287 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:23,000 Something back there. 288 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:24,000 It doesn't smell good. 289 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:25,000 I can tell you that. 290 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,000 I'm going to go get the door. 291 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:28,000 OK. 292 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:29,000 OK. 293 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:30,000 OK. 294 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:31,000 OK. 295 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,000 OK. 296 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:33,000 OK. 297 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:34,000 I didn't smell good. 298 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:35,000 I can tell you that. 299 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:36,000 OK. 300 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:38,000 Well, should we go in? 301 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:39,000 Let's go. 302 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,000 We're going to need some lights. 303 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,000 Time to cross the threshold. 304 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,000 Out of the 21st century and into a long-sealed tomb 305 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,000 from the time of Moses, 306 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:52,000 one that might reveal whether he was man or myth. 307 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:53,000 Whoa. 308 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,000 Oh, this is awesome. 309 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,000 Look at this place. 310 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,000 Whoa. 311 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,000 Look at this. 312 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,000 It just goes back and back. 313 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,000 Look at the size of this chamber. 314 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:13,000 Egyptologist Aden Dodson and I have just entered 315 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,000 the long-sealed tomb of an Egyptian vizier 316 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,000 unlike any other, 317 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,000 one that may reveal something about the story of Moses. 318 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,000 Oh, and look at the roof decoration. 319 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,000 Yeah, that ceiling decoration is gorgeous. 320 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,000 Wow, it's beautiful. 321 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,000 The tomb is chiseled into the rock itself, 322 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:34,000 posts and beams from previous excavations here 323 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,000 have been installed to stabilize the ceiling. 324 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,000 But the best behind you, Josh, look at that. 325 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:41,000 Wow. 326 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,000 Absolutely stunning. 327 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,000 While Aden knows the contents of the tomb 328 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,000 from the publications of previous excavators, 329 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,000 this is his first time inside. 330 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,000 That means we're both getting our bearings. 331 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,000 All of this is unbelievable. 332 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,000 Mm-hmm. 333 00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:58,000 What are we looking for? 334 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,000 We're looking for the name of the vizier. 335 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,000 All right, usually these guys plaster their names 336 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,000 all over everything in their tombs, don't they? 337 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:06,000 They do. 338 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,000 The trouble is this tomb is unfinished and also damaged, 339 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:13,000 so therefore it's less easy to find undamaged names. 340 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,000 The tomb owner's name will be enclosed 341 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:18,000 within clusters of hieroglyphs along the walls, 342 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 so that's where we need to look. 343 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,000 All right, well, should we split up in a creepy ancient tomb 344 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:23,000 and look for it? 345 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:24,000 Seems reasonable enough to me. 346 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:25,000 Yeah, what could go wrong? 347 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:26,000 All right, I'll look back here. 348 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:27,000 You want to start on this side? 349 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:28,000 I will do. 350 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:29,000 Okay, here we go. 351 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:34,000 Aiden's insistence that we find the name of this vizier 352 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,000 would normally be a welcome challenge, 353 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,000 but I soon realize this particular tomb 354 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,000 is more like an underground maze. 355 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,000 Going down. 356 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:49,000 Whoa. 357 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:51,000 Wow. 358 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,000 This is unbelievable. 359 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,000 Look at this. 360 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,000 So these appear to be human remains 361 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,000 from the last excavation that was done here in the tomb, 362 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,000 and there are thousands of bones here. 363 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,000 What we don't see here are any decorations of any kind. 364 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,000 The walls are just raw in this part of the tomb. 365 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,000 No paintings, no inscriptions, nothing. 366 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:28,000 And here it looks like we have the actual burial shaft. 367 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:30,000 Whoa. 368 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,000 Which just goes straight down. 369 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,000 Our vizier would have been buried down there. 370 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:48,000 Aiden, I'm going to go down the gary shaft of death. 371 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:51,000 I'll be back. 372 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:53,000 Okay. 373 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,000 I'm down to the next level, 374 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,000 which is a tiny wooden platform, 375 00:15:58,000 --> 00:15:59,000 and then it keeps going. 376 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:03,000 Oh, man. 377 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,000 I literally cannot see the bottom from here. 378 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:11,000 So here we go. 379 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,000 I'm going to go down the gary shaft. 380 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:18,000 I'm going to go. 381 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,000 This is the greatest length I've ever gone 382 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,000 to find out someone's name. 383 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,000 Well, there was this one girl in college, but never mind. 384 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:37,000 Okay. 385 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,000 Oh, my word. 386 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,000 Wow. 387 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:45,000 So here we are. 388 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:49,000 These are the actual burial chambers for not just the vizier, 389 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:52,000 but his whole family would have been buried down here. 390 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:58,000 What I don't see down here are any inscriptions at all. 391 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:00,000 We'll keep looking in these side chambers, 392 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,000 but I don't think it's down here. 393 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,000 The further I explore the pitch black chambers of this tomb, 394 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,000 the more I start to worry I might become a permanent resident. 395 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,000 Lucky for me, Aiden has a sharp eye. 396 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:16,000 Josh! 397 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:17,000 Yeah! 398 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,000 I think I may have found it. 399 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:20,000 Coming! 400 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:26,000 Coming up! 401 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,000 You find something? 402 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:38,000 You got it! 403 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,000 Yep, found it. 404 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:43,000 It's right in the corner here, right in the far corner. 405 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,000 The bottom is a little seated man. 406 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:46,000 Yes. 407 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:49,000 Above it is that flattened-over little stripe next to it. 408 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,000 So this is our vizier? 409 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,000 It is. 410 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:55,000 All right, and his name is? 411 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,000 His name is Apar El. 412 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,000 Apar El, okay. 413 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:00,000 And why is that significant? 414 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:04,000 Well, what's exciting about that is it's not an Egyptian name. 415 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:05,000 His name is not Egyptian? 416 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:06,000 Not at all. 417 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:07,000 So what is it? 418 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,000 It's a Semitic name. 419 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,000 Semites in this case refer to the people who, according to Exodus, 420 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:18,000 left Egypt and would later be known as the Hebrews or Israelites. 421 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,000 Moses, who was said to have been raised in the Pharaoh's court, 422 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,000 was their earliest named leader. 423 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,000 It is therefore remarkable that here in ancient Egypt, 424 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,000 at the possible time of Moses, 425 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:33,000 we have archaeological evidence of the existence of the Jews 426 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,000 and archaeological evidence of a Semite, 427 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:39,000 serving as a high-ranking member of the Pharaoh's court. 428 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,000 There are interesting biblical links here, too. 429 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:47,000 The El in the name Apar El is how God is referred to in the Torah 430 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:52,000 and appears in other biblical names like Daniel and Raphael. 431 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:56,000 And Apar El's resume is every bit as intriguing as his name. 432 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:01,000 Among his many titles listed on the walls is Child of the Palace, 433 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:06,000 meaning he likely grew up alongside the Pharaoh, just like Moses. 434 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:12,000 Another interesting thing is that Apar El died under King Akinaton. 435 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:13,000 The Sun King. 436 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:18,000 Indeed, who introduced what looks like a monotheistic religion into Egypt. 437 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,000 Right. Akinaton is this renegade Pharaoh 438 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,000 who basically says all of these gods that we've been worshiping for a very long time, 439 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,000 we're going to chuck all of them out and we're going to worship the Sun. 440 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:33,000 This monotheism didn't last long for the Egyptians, 441 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,000 but it's stuck for other emerging religions. 442 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:42,000 Some people have wondered, could this have some kind of influence on the Hebrew idea of one God? 443 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,000 Right. 444 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:48,000 To be clear, nobody is claiming that this Apar El is Moses himself, 445 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:52,000 but confirmation that a high-ranking Semite who grew up in the palace 446 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:58,000 at a time when one God was worshiped makes the story of Moses in Egypt feel much more possible. 447 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:02,000 Still, I have many more questions about the Exodus story, 448 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:07,000 so I thank Aden for kick-starting my journey and I hit the road to look for more evidence. 449 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:14,000 Okay, so we've seen that a man like Moses could have come to prominence in ancient Egypt. 450 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,000 That part of the story is plausible. 451 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:20,000 But what about the miracles described in Exodus? 452 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:23,000 Do they require a religious leap of faith? 453 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:27,000 Should we dismiss them as a literary license? 454 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:34,000 Or can science explain or help explain how Moses became a master of miracles? 455 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,000 Specifically, those plagues. 456 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,000 With the pharaoh still refusing to let Moses' people go, 457 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:48,000 God rains down a succession of horrific plagues on the Egyptians to further the negotiations. 458 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,000 First, the Nile turns to blood, 459 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:56,000 followed by infestations of frogs, lice, flies, and the death of livestock. 460 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:02,000 Next up, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, and three days of darkness. 461 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:07,000 On face value, these events seem utterly supernatural or worthy. 462 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:13,000 To find out, I make my way to an enigmatic structure on the banks of the Nile. 463 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:20,000 This chamber may look like a temple, but in fact, it's a tool. 464 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,000 This is known as the Nile-O-Meter, 465 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:27,000 a massive column covered in these precisely cut notches 466 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,000 to measure the depth of the Nile and predict its behavior. 467 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:35,000 It is impossible to overstate the importance of the Nile in ancient Egypt. 468 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,000 The river's annual flood brought agricultural life, 469 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:42,000 but if something went wrong, it also brought death. 470 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,000 Too much flooding and crops would be destroyed. 471 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,000 Too little flooding and nothing would grow. 472 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:57,000 The Nile-O-Meter allowed ancient Egyptians to forecast harvests and better stave off famine. 473 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,000 Okay, so what does any of this have to do with Moses? 474 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:05,000 Well, some scientists have suggested that a disaster in the Nile 475 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:09,000 could have actually caused some of the legendary 10 plagues. 476 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,000 Impossible? Well, maybe not. 477 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,000 If the Nile became infested with toxic red algae. 478 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:21,000 Also known as red tide, it happens when algae blooms out of control, 479 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,000 staining water so that it appears like blood. 480 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,000 Red tide can also kill off some species, 481 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,000 while causing population explosions of others, 482 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:34,000 such as frogs, lice, flies and locusts. 483 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:38,000 The insects could then spread disease to livestock and to people, 484 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,000 manifesting as pestilence and boils. 485 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,000 But what about hail and darkness? 486 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:49,000 Well, climate scientists now theorize that a volcanic eruption on the Greek island of Santorini 487 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:54,000 in 1500 BCE could have spread ash all the way to Egypt, 488 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,000 blocking out the sun. 489 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:02,000 Those darkening skies would certainly have appeared to people across Egypt 490 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,000 as the work of divine forces. 491 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:09,000 So, did the plagues actually happen? 492 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,000 Well, it depends on what you believe. 493 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,000 And whether caused by nature or the wrath of God, 494 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:18,000 they remain a cautionary tale about angering the Almighty. 495 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:24,000 A horror story in the epic of the Bible as mysterious as the life of Moses himself. 496 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:31,000 Now that I've seen proof that a Semitic person held high position in ancient Egypt 497 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:35,000 and the possibility that the plagues could be inspired by real-world events, 498 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,000 I'm starting to feel hopeful about the idea of a historic Moses. 499 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,000 But I want some hard facts. 500 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:48,000 And that brings us to one character in the Exodus story that we should be able to easily verify. 501 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,000 Moses Nemesis, the Pharaoh. 502 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:59,000 So now I set off on a new mission, to find the Egyptian king who defied both Moses and his God. 503 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,000 For my investigation into the mysteries of Moses, 504 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:13,000 I'm on a search to identify the Pharaoh from Exodus. 505 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:18,000 The Bible never mentions him by name, but if you've seen the Ten Commandments, you know who he is. 506 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:21,000 Yep, it's Yul Brynner. I mean, Ramses. 507 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:30,000 To get to know Ramses better, I'm driving 450 miles south of Cairo to the ancient capital of Luxor. 508 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:41,000 On the east bank of the Nile, the world of the living, and the ruined majesty of Luxor and Karnak, 509 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:46,000 and on the west bank, the land of the dead, home to the Valley of the Kings. 510 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:49,000 And this. 511 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:56,000 The tumbledown remnants of a mortuary temple known as the Ramasium. 512 00:24:56,000 --> 00:25:01,000 Inside the eerie ruins, I find my old friend, Egyptologist Baha Gabaer. 513 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:04,000 Baha! 514 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:05,000 Josh! 515 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:06,000 Hey! How are you, my friend? 516 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:07,000 Fine, I'm you. 517 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,000 I'm great, thanks. This is spectacular. 518 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,000 Yeah, this is what I'm a seum temple. 519 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,000 So this is devoted to Ramses II. 520 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,000 Yes. 521 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:23,000 Okay, now, every story needs a bad guy, and for many years, people have said that this guy, Ramses II, 522 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:28,000 he's the pharaoh from the Old Testament, and he is a serious villain in Exodus. 523 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:33,000 I mean, we're talking Darth Vader level, Thanos level, mustache twirling bad guy, right? 524 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:37,000 So, how is he referred to here in Egypt? 525 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,000 We call him Ramesses the Great. 526 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:40,000 Ramesses the Great? 527 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:41,000 Yes. 528 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,000 Not Ramesses the Evil, not Ramesses the Bad Guy. 529 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,000 And not Ramesses the... the... the... the... the... the nasty? 530 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,000 No, not Ramesses the Nasty. The Great. 531 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:49,000 Exactly. 532 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:57,000 Despite his bad press in biblical pop culture, if anyone earned the title of Great, it's Ramesses II. 533 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:05,000 He ruled Egypt for 67 years, well into his 90s, building grand temples to his divinity all over the country. 534 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:11,000 Here at the Ramessium are the toppled remains of one of the largest ancient statues ever found, 535 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:16,000 a seated colossus of Ramesses, which once rose more than 60 feet tall. 536 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,000 So why does he have this reputation? 537 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:23,000 Why do so many people associate the story of Exodus with Ramesses? 538 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:33,000 Because when people try to figure out when exactly Moses lived in Egypt, they assumed that it could happen during the 13th century. 539 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:40,000 And because the king ruled in Egypt a long time and he was so powerful, so they assumed that he should be the guy. 540 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:45,000 So, if Ramesses is supposed to be the bad guy, then this brings up an important question. 541 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:50,000 Were there Hebrew slaves here in ancient Egypt? 542 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:57,000 Do we have archaeological evidence of mass numbers of Semitic people enslaved here? 543 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,000 No, we didn't have any evidence for that. 544 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:00,000 No evidence? 545 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:01,000 No evidence. 546 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:06,000 But what about the people who built these incredible temples, the people who built the pyramids? 547 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,000 Were these built by slaves? 548 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,000 No, built by workmen. 549 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:11,000 By workmen? 550 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:12,000 Exactly. 551 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:13,000 Built by Egyptians? 552 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:14,000 By Egyptians? 553 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:22,000 Contrary to the idea that Egypt's mightiest monuments were built by slaves, there is ample evidence of a skilled local labor force. 554 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:27,000 From excavations of workers' burials to ancient graffiti from the workers themselves. 555 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:32,000 But there is no archaeological evidence of a huge army of laboring slaves. 556 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:41,000 So then where do we get this idea that there are not just slaves, but Israelites here in Egypt that are fleeing the country? 557 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,000 Where does it come from? 558 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,000 Josh, we have a temple very close from here. 559 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,000 Have these answers. 560 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:48,000 Really? 561 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,000 Come with me. 562 00:27:52,000 --> 00:28:01,000 Steps from the Ramaseem Baha leads me to the nearly obliterated remains of the funerary temple of the king Merenpatah, son of Ramesses II. 563 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:06,000 And in the corner is a stele or stone monument, which is covered in writing. 564 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,000 And in one spot it says something historic. 565 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,000 So here's the king right here, yes? 566 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:11,500 Yes. 567 00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:14,500 So this chronicles all of his military accomplishments. 568 00:28:14,500 --> 00:28:15,000 Yes. 569 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,500 Okay, so what's significant here? 570 00:28:16,500 --> 00:28:20,500 Josh, we have something very important here, something shocking. 571 00:28:20,500 --> 00:28:21,500 Okay. 572 00:28:21,500 --> 00:28:22,500 Here. 573 00:28:22,500 --> 00:28:26,500 The king said that he defeated the people of Israel. 574 00:28:26,500 --> 00:28:27,500 Israel? 575 00:28:27,500 --> 00:28:33,500 Yes, and that's the first time that the word Israel had been mentioned outside of the Bible. 576 00:28:33,500 --> 00:28:35,500 This is incredible. 577 00:28:35,500 --> 00:28:39,500 But there are some real differences between here and the Bible. 578 00:28:39,500 --> 00:28:40,500 Okay. 579 00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:44,500 It means that he took his army outside of Egypt. 580 00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:47,500 They tried to attack Egypt from the north. 581 00:28:47,500 --> 00:28:50,500 Wait, this is like a complete flip of the script. 582 00:28:50,500 --> 00:28:51,500 Right. 583 00:28:51,500 --> 00:28:55,500 So instead of them being slaves, they're actually powerful. 584 00:28:55,500 --> 00:28:56,500 Yes. 585 00:28:56,500 --> 00:28:59,500 They're actually someone that he sees as an invading force. 586 00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:00,500 Right. 587 00:29:00,500 --> 00:29:08,500 So is there any evidence historically that Semitic people were ever driven out of Egypt from inside its borders? 588 00:29:08,500 --> 00:29:09,500 It's happened. 589 00:29:09,500 --> 00:29:10,500 It did happen. 590 00:29:10,500 --> 00:29:11,500 Yes. 591 00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:15,500 But when 300 years before the time of the King Ramesses. 592 00:29:15,500 --> 00:29:16,500 Before Ramesses? 593 00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:17,500 Yes. 594 00:29:17,500 --> 00:29:18,500 We call them Hexos. 595 00:29:18,500 --> 00:29:19,500 The Hexos people. 596 00:29:19,500 --> 00:29:25,500 They came to Egypt and they stayed around 200 years until the king Amos is the first. 597 00:29:25,500 --> 00:29:28,500 Drove them out of Egypt. 598 00:29:28,500 --> 00:29:34,500 Hundreds of years before the possible time of Moses, there are records in Egypt of people from the land of Canaan, 599 00:29:34,500 --> 00:29:38,500 what is today in the area of Israel and the Palestinian territories. 600 00:29:38,500 --> 00:29:40,500 But they weren't here as a group of slaves. 601 00:29:40,500 --> 00:29:43,500 Rather, they were traders and even rulers. 602 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:51,500 One group of Canaanites actually lorded over lower Egypt for a time before being defeated by another group of Semites known as the Hexos, 603 00:29:51,500 --> 00:29:54,500 who were eventually driven out of Egypt. 604 00:29:54,500 --> 00:30:00,500 You have these people that are from the land of Canaan and they're not slaves. 605 00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:01,500 They are invaders. 606 00:30:01,500 --> 00:30:02,500 Is there a linkage here? 607 00:30:02,500 --> 00:30:08,500 Is the story of Exodus somehow inspired by the Hexos leaving Egypt? 608 00:30:08,500 --> 00:30:10,500 Could be a link. 609 00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:14,500 We do have Semitic people, inter-Egypt and left. 610 00:30:14,500 --> 00:30:16,500 And they were run out by the Pharaoh. 611 00:30:16,500 --> 00:30:17,500 By the Pharaoh? 612 00:30:17,500 --> 00:30:18,500 Yeah. 613 00:30:18,500 --> 00:30:20,500 There's a pattern emerging here. 614 00:30:20,500 --> 00:30:25,500 Events from Exodus seem to have compelling similarities to recorded history, 615 00:30:25,500 --> 00:30:29,500 but often at a slightly different time or under different circumstances. 616 00:30:30,500 --> 00:30:34,500 So could the Hexos be the true Israelites of the Exodus? 617 00:30:34,500 --> 00:30:39,500 To find out and to keep hunting for a historical Moses, there's only one thing to do. 618 00:30:39,500 --> 00:30:45,500 Flee the same direction they did, out of Egypt and into the Sinai. 619 00:30:45,500 --> 00:30:52,500 Of course, when the Israelites did it, Moses led them on a unique shortcut. 620 00:30:52,500 --> 00:30:54,500 This is the Red Sea. 621 00:30:54,500 --> 00:30:58,500 In the Bible, Moses is desperate to get his people from here, 622 00:30:58,500 --> 00:31:02,500 all the way over to the Sinai Peninsula about 15 miles away. 623 00:31:02,500 --> 00:31:05,500 Lucky for him, he has some divine backup. 624 00:31:05,500 --> 00:31:07,500 Okay, let's do this. 625 00:31:07,500 --> 00:31:09,500 Can I get a staff? 626 00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:10,500 Really? 627 00:31:10,500 --> 00:31:11,500 Okay. 628 00:31:11,500 --> 00:31:15,500 The host of this show will do battle for us. 629 00:31:15,500 --> 00:31:19,500 Behold the mighty hand of Josh. 630 00:31:19,500 --> 00:31:22,500 Do the thing. 631 00:31:22,500 --> 00:31:25,500 Do the thing. 632 00:31:25,500 --> 00:31:27,500 It was worth a try. 633 00:31:30,500 --> 00:31:34,500 According to the story from Exodus, as well as from Hollywood, 634 00:31:34,500 --> 00:31:39,500 the Israelites had their backs to the Red Sea as the Pharaoh's army was closing in. 635 00:31:39,500 --> 00:31:44,500 So Moses raised his staff, and the Red Sea miraculously parted before them. 636 00:31:44,500 --> 00:31:47,500 The Israelites ran through safely to the other side. 637 00:31:47,500 --> 00:31:51,500 As for the pursuing Egyptian army, the passage collapsed midway, 638 00:31:51,500 --> 00:31:55,500 which Cecil B. de Mille pulled off by pouring water over Jell-O, by the way. 639 00:31:55,500 --> 00:31:59,500 Pretty effective. 640 00:31:59,500 --> 00:32:04,500 So is there any scientific basis for this? 641 00:32:04,500 --> 00:32:07,500 One recent theory is that we've been reading the Bible wrong. 642 00:32:07,500 --> 00:32:11,500 The Hebrew name of the body of water Moses parted is Yamsuf. 643 00:32:11,500 --> 00:32:15,500 Yamsuf means the Sea of Reeds, or the Reed Sea, 644 00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:18,500 which might not refer to this body of water at all, 645 00:32:18,500 --> 00:32:21,500 but to part of the Nile Delta to the north. 646 00:32:21,500 --> 00:32:26,500 The Bible speaks of a strong east wind that blew just before the sea parted. 647 00:32:26,500 --> 00:32:30,500 And it turns out that the Sea of Reeds, much like parts of the Red Sea here, 648 00:32:30,500 --> 00:32:32,500 has a unique topography. 649 00:32:32,500 --> 00:32:34,500 Hang on a second. I'll show you. 650 00:32:34,500 --> 00:32:37,500 Ha! That's cold. 651 00:32:41,500 --> 00:32:44,500 The waters here are really shallow. 652 00:32:46,500 --> 00:32:50,500 Recent computer modeling has shown that a 60-mile-an-hour wind, 653 00:32:50,500 --> 00:32:53,500 blowing for eight hours in shallow marshland, 654 00:32:53,500 --> 00:32:57,500 could push back the waters and expose a land bridge. 655 00:32:57,500 --> 00:33:00,500 And if the wind died down just after the Israelites crossed, 656 00:33:00,500 --> 00:33:05,500 a wall of rushing water could have engulfed the pursuing Egyptian army. 657 00:33:07,500 --> 00:33:10,500 But even if it were scientifically possible, 658 00:33:10,500 --> 00:33:14,500 what are the odds that the winds would blow right when Moses needed them, 659 00:33:14,500 --> 00:33:17,500 or that they would blow in the Israelites' favor? 660 00:33:17,500 --> 00:33:22,500 It would be a tremendous stroke of luck, or, dare I say, divine intervention. 661 00:33:24,500 --> 00:33:28,500 And since God has better things to do than perform a miracle on television, 662 00:33:28,500 --> 00:33:30,500 I'm taking the long route. 663 00:33:30,500 --> 00:33:34,500 North up the coast of the Red Sea until I cross from Africa into Asia, 664 00:33:34,500 --> 00:33:37,500 and the vast deserts of the Sinai Peninsula. 665 00:33:37,500 --> 00:33:41,500 26,000 square miles of sand. 666 00:33:44,500 --> 00:33:50,500 The Sinai is also the setting for perhaps the most consequential moment in the Book of Exodus, 667 00:33:50,500 --> 00:33:54,500 because somewhere out here, somewhere amidst all this sand, 668 00:33:54,500 --> 00:34:00,500 atop a place known as Mount Sinai, Moses receives the Ten Commandments. 669 00:34:02,500 --> 00:34:05,500 In the Book of Exodus, three months after escaping Egypt, 670 00:34:05,500 --> 00:34:10,500 the children of Israel reach Mount Sinai, and Moses is called to the summit, 671 00:34:10,500 --> 00:34:14,500 where God directly bestows upon him the unbreakable laws of his covenant. 672 00:34:14,500 --> 00:34:18,500 Ten Commandments carved into stone tablets. 673 00:34:19,500 --> 00:34:24,500 And believe it or not, no fewer than six locations have laid claim to be Mount Sinai, 674 00:34:24,500 --> 00:34:28,500 but one, above all, has emerged as the true holy site. 675 00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:35,500 I pull up at the gate of a fortified monastery tucked into the base of an imposing mountain. 676 00:34:35,500 --> 00:34:38,500 In Arabic, it's called Jebel Musa. 677 00:34:38,500 --> 00:34:41,500 In English, this is Mount Sinai. 678 00:34:48,500 --> 00:34:52,500 I'm at the base of a mountain believed to be the location of the true Mount Sinai, 679 00:34:52,500 --> 00:34:55,500 where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. 680 00:34:57,500 --> 00:35:02,500 The Greek Orthodox monastery of St. Catherine was built here in the mid-500s, 681 00:35:02,500 --> 00:35:05,500 atop one of the oldest Christian sites on Earth. 682 00:35:05,500 --> 00:35:09,500 Inside the courtyard, I'm warmly welcomed by Father Justin of Sinai. 683 00:35:11,500 --> 00:35:13,500 Father, I feel like I've stepped into another time here. 684 00:35:13,500 --> 00:35:16,500 And the outside looks almost like a fortress. 685 00:35:16,500 --> 00:35:21,500 It was built as a fortress to protect the monks, to honor this holy place, 686 00:35:21,500 --> 00:35:24,500 but also this was the border of the Roman Empire. 687 00:35:24,500 --> 00:35:25,500 Right. 688 00:35:25,500 --> 00:35:31,500 But the monastery has never been abandoned and never been destroyed in 1700 years. 689 00:35:31,500 --> 00:35:34,500 Wow. What an incredible place. 690 00:35:36,500 --> 00:35:42,500 And there are other connections here to the story of Moses, like one of the main characters. 691 00:35:42,500 --> 00:35:46,500 Everything was built here because this is the place of the burning bush. 692 00:35:46,500 --> 00:35:52,500 And this is the burning bush growing behind the church next to the chapel of the burning bush. 693 00:35:52,500 --> 00:35:54,500 Wait, you mean the burning bush? 694 00:35:54,500 --> 00:35:58,500 Like the burning bush from the Bible where God speaks to Moses? 695 00:35:58,500 --> 00:36:03,500 While the fire is out and the bush may not be talking to anyone these days, 696 00:36:03,500 --> 00:36:06,500 its very existence seems miraculous. 697 00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:11,500 It is mentioned by Egeria, who came here in the year 383. 698 00:36:11,500 --> 00:36:16,500 So even in 383, she mentions, in the valley there's a garden, 699 00:36:16,500 --> 00:36:19,500 and in the garden there's a church next to the bush, 700 00:36:19,500 --> 00:36:23,500 and the bush is alive to this day and sends out green shoots. 701 00:36:23,500 --> 00:36:25,500 So this was described in the fourth century. 702 00:36:25,500 --> 00:36:28,500 It's been described by pilgrims ever since. 703 00:36:28,500 --> 00:36:31,500 Wow. That is awesome. 704 00:36:31,500 --> 00:36:34,500 This monastery is filled with miraculous things. 705 00:36:34,500 --> 00:36:37,500 Lead on, I want to see what else we have here. 706 00:36:37,500 --> 00:36:39,500 The burning bush. 707 00:36:42,500 --> 00:36:45,500 Father Justin brings me inside the monastery's library, 708 00:36:45,500 --> 00:36:50,500 a treasure trove of priceless documents stretching back through the centuries. 709 00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:53,500 He's pulled a few volumes for me to examine. 710 00:36:53,500 --> 00:36:57,500 The first one is a 10th century manuscript of... 711 00:36:57,500 --> 00:36:59,500 I'm sorry, this is a thousand year old book. 712 00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:02,500 Yes. Written on parchment. 713 00:37:02,500 --> 00:37:06,500 It's the text of Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus, 714 00:37:06,500 --> 00:37:09,500 and then it has commentary in the margins. 715 00:37:09,500 --> 00:37:14,500 Many years ago, someone took the entire account of Genesis and Exodus, 716 00:37:14,500 --> 00:37:17,500 and they wrote it out in Greek verses. 717 00:37:17,500 --> 00:37:20,500 This is a 16th century manuscript of that text. 718 00:37:20,500 --> 00:37:22,500 This is one of your new books. 719 00:37:22,500 --> 00:37:24,500 And then it's filled with illustrations. 720 00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:27,500 And I believe this is our guy right here, right? 721 00:37:27,500 --> 00:37:29,500 Talk about this illustration. 722 00:37:29,500 --> 00:37:32,500 In particular, this mountain that Moses is standing on. 723 00:37:32,500 --> 00:37:36,500 This is Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb in the Bible. 724 00:37:36,500 --> 00:37:39,500 And I know that there have been a lot of places put forward 725 00:37:39,500 --> 00:37:43,500 by historians and theologians over the years as the possible real location. 726 00:37:43,500 --> 00:37:51,500 But St. Catherine sits at the foot of the place that is really considered where this happened. 727 00:37:51,500 --> 00:37:52,500 Why is that? 728 00:37:52,500 --> 00:37:56,500 What is it about this place that gives it authenticity and credibility? 729 00:37:56,500 --> 00:37:59,500 Many people ask us, how do you know that this is the real Sinai? 730 00:37:59,500 --> 00:38:00,500 Right. 731 00:38:00,500 --> 00:38:04,500 We point out that the prophet Elijah came to Horeb the mountain of God, 732 00:38:04,500 --> 00:38:07,500 and he lived 600 years after Moses. 733 00:38:07,500 --> 00:38:09,500 Right, and he knew where it was. 734 00:38:09,500 --> 00:38:12,500 So 600 years after Moses, they knew where Sinai was. 735 00:38:12,500 --> 00:38:17,500 So when the monks came here in the latter third or the fourth centuries, 736 00:38:17,500 --> 00:38:25,500 they also picked up this living heritage that this is the place where God had revealed himself in such a special way. 737 00:38:25,500 --> 00:38:31,500 It is this stunning continuity of history here that has led so many to venerate this place. 738 00:38:31,500 --> 00:38:36,500 And it is for that reason that people also attempt to ascend to the summit. 739 00:38:36,500 --> 00:38:43,500 I know that many people come here to visit the monastery and also to make the ascent to the top of Mount Sinai. 740 00:38:43,500 --> 00:38:44,500 I'd like to do that. 741 00:38:44,500 --> 00:38:48,500 Do you have any advice for a first time climber? 742 00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:50,500 It's not an easy ascent. 743 00:38:50,500 --> 00:38:51,500 Okay. 744 00:38:51,500 --> 00:38:57,500 But when you make the ascent, you think, I'll never get there. 745 00:38:57,500 --> 00:39:04,500 But then you finally do arrive, and it's such a joy to see this spectacular landscape. 746 00:39:04,500 --> 00:39:06,500 I can't wait. 747 00:39:06,500 --> 00:39:10,500 So here's something I'd like to give you for the ascent. 748 00:39:10,500 --> 00:39:16,500 This is a Bible that I bought in Jerusalem in 1978, the first time I made a pilgrimage there. 749 00:39:16,500 --> 00:39:21,500 When you read the scriptures, they come alive because you're at the very place. 750 00:39:21,500 --> 00:39:25,500 And it's something that you can treasure for the rest of your life. 751 00:39:25,500 --> 00:39:28,500 This is really, really special. 752 00:39:28,500 --> 00:39:29,500 Thank you so much. 753 00:39:29,500 --> 00:39:31,500 I will take very, very good care of it, Father. 754 00:39:31,500 --> 00:39:36,500 Thank you so much for your time and for showing us this awesome place. 755 00:39:36,500 --> 00:39:37,500 I really appreciate it. 756 00:39:37,500 --> 00:39:40,500 And all the best on your ascent to the peak. 757 00:39:40,500 --> 00:39:41,500 Thank you, Father. 758 00:39:41,500 --> 00:39:42,500 Cheers. 759 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:50,500 And so I'm preparing to follow in Moses' most arduous footsteps to the meeting point between God and man. 760 00:39:50,500 --> 00:39:54,500 The climb is always attempted well before the light of dawn. 761 00:39:54,500 --> 00:40:00,500 And so the next day in the frigid desert darkness, I return to the foot of the monastery. 762 00:40:00,500 --> 00:40:06,500 Well, it is about 2.30 in the morning, and I'm here at the base of Mount Sinai. 763 00:40:06,500 --> 00:40:11,500 You know, when we think about Moses leading the Israelites through the desert, we think about sweltering heat. 764 00:40:11,500 --> 00:40:14,500 Right now, it's about 28 degrees Fahrenheit. 765 00:40:14,500 --> 00:40:16,500 It is absolutely freezing. 766 00:40:16,500 --> 00:40:23,500 And between us and the summit is about 2,500 vertical feet and a nearly three mile hike in complete darkness. 767 00:40:23,500 --> 00:40:24,500 Let's do it. 768 00:40:30,500 --> 00:40:32,500 Man, it is cold. 769 00:40:32,500 --> 00:40:36,500 And the higher you get, the windier it gets. 770 00:40:36,500 --> 00:40:38,500 It just feels like walking into nothingness. 771 00:40:41,500 --> 00:40:55,500 So as we come through this pass here, you can hear the wind just sailing through. 772 00:40:55,500 --> 00:40:57,500 It's getting colder and colder. 773 00:40:57,500 --> 00:40:59,500 I've got my trusty King James Bible here. 774 00:40:59,500 --> 00:41:04,500 We're about halfway up the mountain, and I have to say it really does feel so mysterious here. 775 00:41:04,500 --> 00:41:09,500 And it is hard not to feel the parallels with the description in the book of Exodus. 776 00:41:09,500 --> 00:41:12,500 So much of the talk about Sinai is about the weather here. 777 00:41:12,500 --> 00:41:21,500 They say that this thunder and lightning on the mount and the people in the camp trembled, and Mount Sinai quaked greatly. 778 00:41:21,500 --> 00:41:28,500 And then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai to the top of the mount and called Moses up, and Moses went. 779 00:41:28,500 --> 00:41:30,500 And I guess so will we. 780 00:41:33,500 --> 00:41:36,500 Hundreds of pilgrims are here with me today. 781 00:41:36,500 --> 00:41:44,500 They come by the thousands every year to connect to the spirit of Moses and the God he was said to have met on Sinai. 782 00:41:46,500 --> 00:41:48,500 Come on. 783 00:41:50,500 --> 00:41:52,500 You got this. 784 00:41:52,500 --> 00:41:54,500 Man. 785 00:41:55,500 --> 00:42:01,500 Fortunately, the mountain is dotted with simple stone buildings which serve as rest stops for the faithful. 786 00:42:01,500 --> 00:42:07,500 Inside, merchants make fresh bread, pilgrims rest and get something warm to drink. 787 00:42:10,500 --> 00:42:16,500 A hot cup of coffee in this bitter cold is a bit of a religious experience in itself. 788 00:42:18,500 --> 00:42:20,500 That shall be caffeinated. 789 00:42:22,500 --> 00:42:24,500 Oh, yes. 790 00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:26,500 Thank you. 791 00:42:26,500 --> 00:42:30,500 The walls are lined with photos and notes from people who have made the climb. 792 00:42:30,500 --> 00:42:35,500 After my cup of joe, I hit the trail, leaving my own scripture for future travelers. 793 00:42:42,500 --> 00:42:47,500 Coming into this slot canyon here toward the top of the peak. 794 00:42:47,500 --> 00:42:50,500 Now it gets really rocky and really vertical. 795 00:42:51,500 --> 00:42:53,500 Okay. 796 00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:56,500 Come on. 797 00:43:00,500 --> 00:43:04,500 This may be the holiest mountain on earth, but that doesn't make it soft. 798 00:43:05,500 --> 00:43:07,500 Manna from heaven. 799 00:43:07,500 --> 00:43:14,500 That miraculous food that God delivered to those desert wandering Israelites every day of the week except on Sunday, just like Chick-fil-A. 800 00:43:14,500 --> 00:43:17,500 But what was this life-sustaining heaven-sent snack? 801 00:43:17,500 --> 00:43:22,500 Well, some scientists think it may have been a lichen, a kind of algae that coats the desert floor. 802 00:43:22,500 --> 00:43:24,500 Others believe it was this. 803 00:43:24,500 --> 00:43:27,500 A congealed insect that was found in the desert. 804 00:43:28,500 --> 00:43:30,500 Today this stuff is kind of a delicacy. 805 00:43:30,500 --> 00:43:34,500 It sells for about 10 bucks a gram, even though it looks like the rocks at the bottom of your fish tank. 806 00:43:34,500 --> 00:43:36,500 Okay, here goes nothing. 807 00:43:36,500 --> 00:43:39,500 Tangy, gummy, sweet aftertaste. 808 00:43:39,500 --> 00:43:42,500 Not bad for congealed insect excrement. 809 00:43:42,500 --> 00:43:45,500 I mean, I wouldn't want to eat it for 40 years. 810 00:43:45,500 --> 00:43:47,500 Manna, anyone? 811 00:43:47,500 --> 00:43:49,500 I'm not sure. 812 00:43:49,500 --> 00:43:51,500 I'm not sure. 813 00:43:51,500 --> 00:43:53,500 I'm not sure. 814 00:43:53,500 --> 00:43:55,500 I'm not sure. 815 00:43:55,500 --> 00:43:57,500 Manna, anyone? 816 00:43:57,500 --> 00:43:58,500 It's bug- 817 00:44:05,500 --> 00:44:07,500 Come on. 818 00:44:14,500 --> 00:44:16,500 Okay. 819 00:44:16,500 --> 00:44:18,500 Ow. 820 00:44:18,500 --> 00:44:20,500 My knee. 821 00:44:20,500 --> 00:44:24,500 I suppose it makes sense that in visiting Mount Sinai, I'd end up on one knee. 822 00:44:24,500 --> 00:44:26,500 Okay. 823 00:44:26,500 --> 00:44:28,500 I'm okay. 824 00:44:28,500 --> 00:44:30,500 Okay, okay, here we go. 825 00:44:30,500 --> 00:44:32,500 Oh, man, that's close. 826 00:44:35,500 --> 00:44:37,500 All right, well, we are getting close. 827 00:44:37,500 --> 00:44:41,500 We're within a quarter mile of the summit, but of course there's one last obstacle. 828 00:44:41,500 --> 00:44:44,500 Actually, there's 750 of them. 829 00:44:44,500 --> 00:44:49,500 These steep stone stairs that go all the way to the top. 830 00:44:49,500 --> 00:44:51,500 Okay, come on. 831 00:44:52,500 --> 00:44:57,500 These are the steps of penitence, which lead to the very top of Mount Sinai. 832 00:45:07,500 --> 00:45:09,500 Oh, God. 833 00:45:09,500 --> 00:45:12,500 If only I had some sort of sign. 834 00:45:12,500 --> 00:45:14,500 I thought we'd keep walking. It's freezing. 835 00:45:14,500 --> 00:45:15,500 God? 836 00:45:15,500 --> 00:45:16,500 No, camera department. 837 00:45:16,500 --> 00:45:18,500 Yeah, okay. Here we go. 838 00:45:22,500 --> 00:45:24,500 Okay. 839 00:45:27,500 --> 00:45:30,500 We are now above most of the other peaks. 840 00:45:30,500 --> 00:45:33,500 You can just see them and their outlines in the darkness, 841 00:45:33,500 --> 00:45:35,500 totally exposed here now to the wind. 842 00:45:35,500 --> 00:45:37,500 Must be close to the top. 843 00:45:44,500 --> 00:45:48,500 Sort of a bottleneck here as we get close to the top. 844 00:45:48,500 --> 00:45:51,500 It's really a hive of activity. 845 00:45:53,500 --> 00:45:58,500 There are people here from all over the world and from every major religion. 846 00:45:58,500 --> 00:46:01,500 Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, 847 00:46:01,500 --> 00:46:04,500 and people from just about every country in the world. 848 00:46:04,500 --> 00:46:06,500 I've heard every accent and language imaginable. 849 00:46:06,500 --> 00:46:11,500 All of them here to experience the summit of this holy place. 850 00:46:11,500 --> 00:46:13,500 Yeah. 851 00:46:15,500 --> 00:46:18,500 They climb because they believe that, like Moses, 852 00:46:18,500 --> 00:46:21,500 when they reach the top, they will be in the presence of God. 853 00:46:21,500 --> 00:46:26,500 And as I reach the summit, the same feeling begins to tug within me. 854 00:46:32,500 --> 00:46:37,500 You can see over here, the sky is starting to lighten. 855 00:46:37,500 --> 00:46:40,500 The sun will be here soon. 856 00:46:40,500 --> 00:46:44,500 Everyone is now racing to the top, trying to catch the first light. 857 00:46:51,500 --> 00:46:55,500 And there, at the summit of Mount Sinai, I greet the dawn. 858 00:47:00,500 --> 00:47:03,500 Next time on Expedition Unknown. 859 00:47:04,500 --> 00:47:09,500 The conclusion of our epic quest to unlock the mysteries of Moses. 860 00:47:09,500 --> 00:47:14,500 As I follow in the prophet's footsteps from the peak of Mount Sinai, 861 00:47:14,500 --> 00:47:18,500 and search for evidence that Moses led his people through the desert. 862 00:47:18,500 --> 00:47:21,500 In the world of the Old Testament, this would be an Israelite. 863 00:47:21,500 --> 00:47:23,500 This would be someone from the land of Canaan. 864 00:47:23,500 --> 00:47:25,500 This is pretty extraordinary. 865 00:47:25,500 --> 00:47:29,500 And a relic from the Exodus may be lost in the depths of the Sea of Galilee. 866 00:47:29,500 --> 00:47:32,500 It cannot be natural. It has to be man-made. 867 00:47:32,500 --> 00:47:34,500 Can you show me where it is? 868 00:47:34,500 --> 00:47:36,500 The water is warm though, right? 869 00:47:40,500 --> 00:47:42,500 Slaith Hill here. 870 00:47:42,500 --> 00:47:44,500 Holy Moses! 871 00:47:48,500 --> 00:47:51,500 It's an adventure with only one commandment. 872 00:47:51,500 --> 00:47:53,500 Thou shalt watch. 873 00:47:54,500 --> 00:47:56,500 I'd say that about sums it up.