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Regarding the above quote by T.E. Lawrence, note that the roads he lists leaving Kadesh have biblical names and their routes coincide with biblical indications.
Kadesh in the Ayn Qusayma district lies at the intersection of four major biblical roads:
- the Way of Shur (Gen 16:7; cf. 20:1)
- the Way of the Red Sea (Num 14:25; Deut 1:40)
- the Way of the Hill Country of the Amorites (Deut 1:19)
- the Way of Mount Seir (Deut 1:2)
The conjunction of these four ancient highways makes the Kadesh district the hub of Northern Sinai for travel between Egypt, Arabia, Canaan, and the Transjordan respectively.
Those who propose Saudi or Transjordanian candidates for Mount Sinai must reconcile the biblical details of the journey from Mount Sinai to Kadesh in the second year after the exodus with the well-established location for Kadesh. If they cannot, their candidates are disqualified. Come on, where are these well-published advocates for the Saudi Sinai candidates and the Aqaba crossing?