IDF allows visitors to see 'burning bush' on Mt. Karkom, but what is it? - explainer

People will be allowed to visit Mount Karkom in the Negev region ahead of the “burning bush” phenomenon, which is set to take place on Saturday, the IDF said Monday.

The area, which is usually an IDF live-fire zone, would be open to the public on Friday and Saturday, it said.

For a few days in December, during the afternoon hours, the sunlight reflects on the edges of an aperture in a cave on Mount Karkom, producing a fire-like effect and assimilating the biblical burning bush through which God was revealed to Moses.

The radiating light is particularly visible on December 21, the shortest day of the year.

With an elevation of 850 meters above sea level, Mount Karkom also boasts an array of archaeological findings and mural drawings dating primarily to the Bronze Age.

Some of the drawings depict Jewish religious motifs, such as biblical animals and the enactment of the Exodus story.

According to the Har Hanegev Tourism Center, some researchers believe Mount Karkom was a place of worship, and archeologist Emmanuel Anati has identified it as Mount Sinai.

IDF cautions visitors 

Ahead of the opening of the area for visitors, the IDF asked that the public “refrain from entering the restricted adjacent areas and to allow security forces to continue carrying out their missions.

“Live-fire training is taking place in these areas, and therefore, entering a military zone without prior coordination and approval endangers the safety of travelers,” the IDF said.