As supreme sites of divine power and revelation, the mountains of the Middle East have influenced the course of Western civilization, shaping the values of millions of people throughout the world. One mountain, Mount Sinai, is inextricably associated with the Ten Commandments, the basis of law and ethics in modern society. Another, Mount Zion, embodies the messianic vision that has inspired the highest ideals and aspirations of the Western world. Events on the heights of other mountains have played a major role in the lives of prophets and founders of three major religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Although many of these mountains serve as places of pilgrimage, they assume an even greater importance in works of religious literature, where they stand out as sublime symbols of the mind and spirit.