A Hypothesis on the Exodus Route through the Red Sea Crossing at Bab al-Mandeb Strait

Among the overlapping historical narratives in the Abrahamic scriptures, the Exodus of the Israelites remains one of the most debated. Despite its prominence, direct historical or archaeological evidence documenting the Israelites’ migration from ancient Canaan to Egypt and their subsequent mass exodus is limited. It is plausible that the initial movement into Egypt occurred gradually in smaller groups over an extended period, a stepwise migration that would leave minimal archaeological traces. Conversely, the concept of a single, large-scale exodus challenges this gradualist view. The traditionally proposed route from northeastern Egypt to present-day Israel may not accurately reflect the actual path taken, as archaeological efforts along this trajectory have yielded little corroborating evidence. This study proposes a hypothesis of an alternative route that is both geographically and historically plausible while remaining consistent with scriptural accounts: a southern corridor through eastern Egypt, eastern Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia along the Red Sea coast. From this region, the Israelites may have crossed the southernmost Red Sea near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, between present-day Djibouti and Yemen, before progressing northward along the eastern Red Sea coast through areas corresponding to modern Saudi Arabia and Jordan toward Israel. This analysis evaluates the proposed route against geographical, historical, and scriptural considerations, seeking to reconcile biblical descriptions with realistic migration patterns and regional topography. By integrating textual evidence with geographical and archaeological perspectives, the study offers a comprehensive approach to understanding the Exodus in a historically plausible context.