The Staff of Moses

According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, the staff used by Moses was by his side throughout important milestones in the narrative. Moses led the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea using his staff. Amongst these milestone events or 'miracles of the exodus' the bible describes that the staff was used to part the red sea, produce water from a rock, invoke a plague on the Egyptians, and the staff could even transform itself into a snake.

Till this day rumour has it that the staff's real location is said to be kept secret to stop treasure hunters and onlookers flocking to the area. There are many speculations about what has happened to Moses's staff.

The Midrash (a homiletic method of biblical exegesis) states that the staff was passed down from generation to generation and was in the possession of the Judean kings until the First Temple was destroyed. It is unknown what became of the staff after the Temple was destroyed and the Jews were exiled from their land.

However, according to the identifying document at the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Moses's staff is on display today at the Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, Turkey. Furthermore, the Topkapi Palace holds holy relics such as the Prophet Muhammad's footprint, Prophet Muhammad's bow, sword and even his tooth can be seen at the museum. Topkapı Palace was officaiy made a museum in 1924, and the holy relics were placed on public view on 31 August 1962. It is said that Sultan Selim I (1512–1520) brought the holy relics to Topkapi Palace after conquering Egypt in 1517. These holy relics where used every year for ceremonial purposes on the fifteenth day of the month of Ramazan several of the items were kissed by the Sultan, his vezirs and dignitaries. This was believed to bring about the victory of good and the defeat of evil, during the reign of Sultan Selim.

Whereabouts: Topkapi Palace