Which country is Mount Zion in? Is Mount Zion in Kenya? Quite related to that, and is a question in many people’s minds: is the Biblical Ark of the Covenant in Kenya? In this article, we will be proving that the real Mount Zion is Mount Kenya, in East Africa. Mount Kenya, also known as Kirinyaga (meaning mountain of signs & wonders) is the real rendezvous of Mt Zion where the Messiah will appear, stated in the Bible as the mount in the east… referring to East Africa. Mount Kenya is located in one of the most amazing & remarkable landscapes in Kenya to the east of the Great Rift Valley, standing at a height of 5,199m above sea level. The river Zion/Sion/Sio/Thaayu flows from Mount Kenya, and is today as the “river Tana” or “River Sagana”.
In old Portuguese maps (drawn over 500 years ago), there’s a river between Mombasa and Lamu which the natives called River “Zion/Sion”. The river Zion/Sion flows from Mount Kenya and is today known as the “River Tana”. So, if River Zion flows from “Mount Kenya”, can this mountain possibly mean its “Mount Zion”?
One of the major deceptions across many centuries from religious leaders, Eurocentric historical and archaeological scholars is that the Biblical Mount Zion is in Jerusalem, Israel. However, there is no Mount Zion in Jerusalem!
The area between the South western hill known as the temple Mountain and Mt Moriah has been labelled as “Mt Zion” since the 12th century by the “Byzantine pilgrims”. However archaeological evidence and common sense has proved otherwise. Most importantly, Mount Zion is recorded as God’s holy habitation, one He cannot share with any other gods. That location in Jerusalem is shared by several denominations, most notably a mosque erected there.
So, where is Mountain Zion? Is Mountain Zion the Mt. Kenya?
It is an emphatic yes: Mt Zion is Mt. Kenya. Let us begin by finding out the origin of the word ‘Zion’. The genesis of the name Zion is from the Kabiru Community who roamed around Palestine in the 1800 BC era, earning their livelihood there (as per records fetched from Amarna archaeological site in Egypt, which were later hidden by the Britons and Germans). The Kabiru prayed facing Mount Kirinyaga (Kenya) where they originated from, and called this mountain ”Kigongona gia Thaayuini” loosely translated as ‘Altar of Peace’.
What were the Kabiru doing in Palestine? The Kabiru were loved and feared in equal measure owing to their capability in wars. In Palestine, they were soldiers for hire; basically war mercenaries who were contracted by the kings in the Middle East to fight for them. Their means of payment after a successful battle was herds of goats & sheep, and sometimes food. They never lost any war, but they only took part in holy wars.
Before going to any battle, this is the prayer they used to make, facing ”Thaayuini” the mountain:
”God You are Our Ally in this war
For we are Your people and You are our God
Our defeat is Your defeat
Our victory is Your victory
If we win we shall assemble here and offer thanks giving offering.”
in their language, the prayer was like this:
Ngai mbara ino turathii ita Nawe,
Nigukorwo turi Aku na Uri Witu,
Twahotwo Niwe Wahotwo
Twahotana Niwe Wahotana
Twahotana nitugacoka haha Tukurutire igongona ria ng’atho.
One of the notable wars fought by the Kabiru and recorded in the Bible is in Joshua 6:1–27. This is the fall of the wall of Jericho. Joshua on his own could not capture or defeat Jericho. God brought him a man who identified himself as ”commander of the army of the Lord” – Joshua 5:13-15. This was also in the records from the Amarna archaeological site. This commander was a black man from the Kabiru community, and is noted as having long dreadlocked hair.
Why Dreadlocks? Origin of dreadlocks
Just as the Kabiru used to go round Mountain Kirinyaga seven times in their prayer walk to gain divine powers, the commander instructed Joshua to use the power or magic of seven to bring down the wall of Jericho without a fight.
The Kabiru would regularly travel back to East Africa via Egypt and then down via the River Nile to offer their sacrifices at the foot of ‘Kigongona gia Thaayuini’, Kirinyaga. It is not only the Kabiru community who would voyage to this mountain for prayers. The Egyptian Pharaohs, before becoming kings, would ascend the mountain, which they termed as Ta-Neteru, to gain special powers. In Ta – Neteru the pharaoh candidate was put to “death” using herbs, for three days where in the three days; he received ‘Ka’ – a cosmic generative force.
Thaayuini was thus a name referring to the present Mount Kenya. The other communities co-existing with the Kabiru in Palestine, including the Jews, could not utter the word Thaayuini correctly, and it became Sion or Zion.
In the year 1210 AD, the Kabiru changed their name to Agikuyu. This is after successfully taking God’s Ark of the Covenant to the top of Mount Zion, the present day Mt. Kenya. The Kabiru soldiers and the Ark of the Covenant were being pursued by the Templars (Knights Templar)by the orders of the Pope, to capture the Ark and take it to Rome. The Kabiru referred to the templars as ‘andu a nguo ndune’. To hide their steps, they changed their name, and the name Kabiru was lost to the Hebrews (Khabiru).
This is authentic history and wisdom shared by Mr Samuel Kamitha, who is the director of the Gikuyu & Mumbi Cultural Museum.