Thor

THOR, a little City and Sea-port upon the Red Sea, at the foot of Mount Sinai, and to the West of it, from which it is distant about fifty Miles. At half a League from Thor they shew a Garden, wherein there are twelve Fountains, and several Palm-trees: ‘Tis thought that this is the Place that the Scripture calls Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees. The twelve Wells are there to be seen still, but they are become bitter; and, instead of threescore and ten Palm-trees, there are now more than two thousand. I do not know that Thor is mentioned in any place in Scripture. ‘Tis in this Place that some have fancy’d to be a Mountain of Loadstone, which, they say, drew towards it such Vessels as had any quantity of Iron, and occasioned them to be shipwreck’d. The Remedy for this was to join the Parts of the Ships together only with Pegs of Wood. Some Arabian Authors ascribe this Faculty to the Mountain of Almandab, upon the Borders of Ethiopia, at the Beginning of the Red Sea, towards the South. But the Moderns find nothing of this attractive Quality, either upon the Coasts of Thor, or at Cape Almandab; and it is very probable, that what has been said of this matter is altogether fabulous. Thor, Al-thor, or Al-tour, is the Name that the Arabians give to Mount Sinai.

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