Desert Land by Rami Sajdi

We are told that the....loading of the ships very heavily with marvels of the country of Punt;

"all goodly fragrant woods of God's-Land, heaps of myrrh resin, with fresh Myrrh trees, with ebony and pure ivory, with green gold of Amu, with cinnamon wood, khesyt wood, with two kinds of incense, eye-cosmetics, with apes, monkeys, dogs, and with skins of the southern panther. Never was brought the like of this for any king who has been since the beginning�

The identity of the Plants, Animals and products of the Land Of Punt has always remained a mystery but during the coarse of the past few years and during the analysis of the various inscriptions and mostly the walls mural of Hatshapsut and by studying the plants and animals and the gifted produces in more accurately than what the earl ear Archeologist's had.

According to Sayyid al-Qimni, Egyptian historian and thinker in his massive four Volume Arabic books intuited "Prophet Moses & The last days of Tell Al Amarneh" from page 239 - 363 suggests the Arbian Pennsula and particularly the region of south Jordan.

Also according to Dimitri Meeks in a well researched paper called "Locating Punt" explain in 2011how the hypothesis of an African location for the land of punt is based on extremely fragile grounds. He suggests Arabia for Punt location.

He explain:�The territory of Punt began quite close to that of Egypt, once Sinai had been crossed, in Arabia Petraea or the Negev. It inc operate, probably in a rather imprecise manner, the whole coastal zone of the Red Sea dowel as far as present day Yemen and the actual heart of Punt probably correspond more or less to Yemeni Tihama."

Evidence from the ancients

The first clear mention of Punt comes from the Old Kingdom. As the so-called Palermo Stone tells us, about 2500 B.C. during the reign of King Sahure, an expedition to Punt returned with 80,000 measures of 'ntyw, which scholars believe to be myrrh. Derived from a tree of the same name, myrrh is a resin used to make incense, which the Egyptians coveted for temple rituals; myrrh was the most prized commodity from Punt. Sahure's expedition also brought back 23,030 staves�wood being precious to a desert country like Egypt�and 6,000 measures of electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver, among other items.

In the time of Pepi II, a certain pepynakht was entrusted with a delicate mission:

"so, His Majesty, my master sent me to the land of the Asiatics, so that i might bring him back the Unique Companion, the Captain (?), the overseer of interpreters Anankhta, who was assembling (sp) a kbnt-ship there in order to travel to Punt, when the Asiatic-dwellers-on-the-Sands killed him together with the armed detachment which was accompanying him." (Sethe 1903:134,13-14)

The scene of this tragedy can be seen at the coast of the Red Sea near the Asiatic dwellers on the sand where this person was killed while the assembling of the ship that was destined to sail to Punt. A location at the end of the gulf of suez would seem to fit best with the text. This clearly show that the scene of the tragedy must have been near Egypt and in a region Asiatic Bedouins.

By the Middle Kingdom, expeditions to Punt had become pyramidal in scope. One inscription from about 1985 B.C. mentions an expedition of 3,000 men; another a half century later boasted 3,700 men. Again, Punt's location is not given. Where did the ships go on the Red Sea after they set sail from Saww? No one knows.

Today, scholars have convincingly shown that Middle and New Kingdom pharaohs bent on Punt constructed their ships on the Nile, then disassembled them and carried them 100 miles across the desert from Koptos, the place where the Nile comes closest to the Red Sea. They then reassembled them at the ancient Red Sea harbor of Saww (today Mersa Gawasis) and sailed to Punt. On the return, they unloaded the ships at Saww and transported the goods by donkey caravan back to the Nile, where they loaded them onto other ships for the journey south to the capital at Thebes.

Actually the site of Mersa Gawasis �port� was very important port in the Middle Kingdom. Several stealer have been found there dating to the first half of the 12th dynasty contain references of Punt. From the quantity and coherence of these written sources, the amount of enigmatic objects/products and the aired and isolated nature of Mersa gawasis location indicate that this site was on one of the routes to and from Punt by boat.

The inscription also inform us that the voyages which were connected with �the mine of Punt� (pB n pwnt) rather than punt. (according to Gardiner 1952) and it seems that the location of this mine could have been at any point in the red sea coast. Many objects where found in this site including unfinished anchor, pegs, pieces of rope, along with fragments of copper alloy chisels.

The site or port mersa gawasis seems to give the ancients the choice the outwards journey without problems. Because if the ship departed from a further north point from the Gulf of Suise hoping to reach the gulf of aqaba will not be able to make it. Because inexperienced Alius Gallus (Aelius Gallus was the 2nd prefect of Roman Egypt in the reign of Augustus during the years 26�24 BC.) attempted that rout and he lost his fleet ship and suffered serious damage to the rest of his fleet, from making the direct route round Ras Muhammad.

So all ships that left Egypt should land or sail towards the Arabian Peninsula somewhere between Aynunah and Jar in the south. From there ships could sail back up the Arabian coast in small stages, mostly rowing so as to reach the gulf of Aqaba in trance.

Whats interesting, one their return from the Gulf of Aqaba winds a currents would again carry the ships towards the Egyptian coast in the area of Mersa Gawasis.

The last expedition to Punt that we know of occurred under Rameses III, in the 12th century B.C. An ancient papyrus records that Rameses III "constructed great transport vessels ... loaded with limitless goods from Egypt. ... They reached the land of Punt, unaffected by (any) misfortune, safe and respected." And they returned safe and respected.

The details in Harris (Papyrus Harris collection in the British Museum) of an expedition sent by Ramsesses III to punt reinforce the impression that the northern end of this gulf of Suez, in all periods of the year, provide a favorable point of departure for long distance expedition.

Ramesses III (1186 to 1155 BC) writes regarding his expedition that he sent to Punt:�I built great ��.which were equipped with countless crewmen. Landen with products beyond number from Egypt��(and then) sent to the great Sea of Nuqed, they reached the mountains of Punt without any misfortune befalling them ��.�

Ramesses does tell us that they sailed on the �Great Sea of muqed� in order to reach Punt. Muqed is usually understood as two words, mw kd, meaning the revers water (the sea that flows backwards) which seems to mean the Sea that goes from south to North. Which allouds to the currents of the Gulf of Aqaba , which are the reserve current of the Nile.

Another important detail, Muqed appears in several series of toponym devoted to Syria-palestine, at Aksha, Amara and soleb. All these names were closely linked to Punt.

A Papyrus from the region of Ramsses IX confirms that this land was bordered by the sea, and it was inhabited by Shosu Bedouin. And this lead us to Sinai with the Gulf of Aqaba coasts.

So in conclusion we do know many of the routes taken to reach punt. It could certainly be reached by boat from the Red Sea. During the Old Kingdom this involved crossing the desert east of Memphis to the Gulf of Suez, or Mersa Gawasis or setting off from the Sinai and then thought the so called King's Highway. And it seems that during the Middle Kingdom and afterwards, when the kingdom capital moved south, the Red Sea journey to Punt originated from the port of Quseir.

Desert Land

by Rami Sajdi

The Mystical Land of Punt

The Land of Punt ("Poont") is described in ancient Egyptian texts as "the land of the gods" and a region rich in resources. The debate over Punt's place on the map began in the 1850s, when the newly formed Antiquities Service of Egypt began clearing the great temples in and around Thebes. Based on newly revealed hieroglyphic texts that described Punt as a source of aromatic substances situated to the east of Egypt.

South Jordan, stretches from the south of the Dead Sea down to the Red Sea. This land once provided the ideal elements of good living for the old shepherds who migrated to the region and later to Egypt during the early and middle Bronze Age. This place of perfect harmony and symbiosis between man and nature enabled the shepherds to move to a higher level of development and intelligence.

The southern Jordanian desert played a vital role in the evolution of humanity. it was these plains that the Semitic peoples had to cross in their successive migrations, facilitating the exchange of new ideas between the East and West.

The Old Testament often links God with this region and in specific at Sier. The prophet Isaiah, for instance, tells us that when God speaks to him, "he calleth to me out of Seir" (Isaiah 21:11). The prophet Ezekiel, for instance, tells his followers to "set thy face against Mount Seir' (Ezekiel 35:20).

Deuteronomy 33:2 is even more specific. When Moses is dying he calls upon the Lord to bless the children of Israel and "the Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir unto them". This is evidence that God was thought to reside in Seir. And it seems that this region was also sacred to the Egyptians, known as the Land of punt.

Rami has been studying the Bedouin Shamans among the Nomadic Bedouins of South Jordan for many years. His studies of certain Shamanic/Spirit Desert Plants provided him with a deep understanding of an ancient spiritual science that had been used in rituals and medicinal practices by many ancient cultures.

Rami's ethnobotanical investigation was key in identifying the roll of some plants that has have been mentioned in the Bible, such as The Acacia Tree that has been associated with The Midianites. The Acacia tree is source of (DMT), a molecule found in nearly every living organism and considered the most potent mind altering plant substance on Earth. The ancient tradition of Arabia suggests that the goddess or deity Al- Uzza (Hebrew 'Asherah) resides in the Acacia tree.

Another important plant that was identified in the investigation was the liquid Myrrh that was a main ingredient for the anointing oil that Moses was asked to prepare before the tent of the meeting. And it seems that the Nabatean and the Essence became later involved in the production of such sacred substance.

The liquid myrrh seems to be a substance that comes from the Fig, the Sycamore, and The Mysterious Balsam Tree all containing a white milky substance that was associated with the cow-headed goddess of ancient Egypt "Hathor, Mistress Of The Shepherds” A nomadic mother-goddess who was mistress of the shepherds and her altered state of consciousness which seems to arose at the time of animal domestication and shepherding.

The early cultures were on an exceptionally higher order of refinement and sophistication in Plant Pharmakopia, Herb craft, and Alchemy than modern scholars acknowledge.They seem to have understood the startling effect of mind-altering plants. They viewed these plants as places where divinities reside, and thus used them in religious ceremonies, initiation rites and healing. Read: The Esoteric Nabateans Mystery at Petra

If we look at most ancient histories and legends, they all share a common theme: a material or substance imbued with magical properties. The ancient legends spoke of the Elixir of Life, the Manna, and the Philosophers’ Stone. These substances have been associated with other ancient mysteries, like the Fountain of Youth and the Ark of the Covenant. They were often also associated with miraculous healing properties and mystical abilities.

The ancient Egyptians had their mysterious substance named "shem-an-na," which the Book of the Dead refers to as "what is it". The shem-an-na was called both “bread and gold,” and was presented in a cone-shaped loaf as an offering to the gods. The Serabit El-Khadim, The "Mfkzt" at Sinai The ancient Egyptians also made it into conical cakes. The Pharaohs ritually ingested the Shem-anna, which was revered as the food of the 'light body' (the kA). It was reckoned to heighten general aptitudes for leadership, such as awareness, perception and intuition.

There are many biblical references to a fine flour-like substance appearing to Moses in the morning around the mountains in Sinai. Moses referred to it as "Bread." This bread was also called Manna because of its unknown origin. The word Manna is said to derive from the Aramaic origin of the word “man hu“, which translates to “What is this?” And in Modern Hebrew, Manna literally means “What is it?”

The Manna was added to the “bread” taken by the high priests, Judges and kings. Processing the Manna from nature was at the heart of desert mystery traditions in the Sinai and North West Arabia. Read: The Red Edomites & The High Place

It seems from our investigations that Manna is the name given to the substance found in the soil and rocks that contains precious metals in a non-metallic form. Such elements include the light platinum group and few non-precious elements, like copper. Plants that grow naturally on these rocks and soils contain traces of this material.

What do these substances have in common? What are they composed of? How were they utilised, and what purposes did they serve? How does modern scientific discovery help us in understanding these ancient mysteries.

It is not important for us to take this material, but it is important to know about its dynamics, its effect on humankind, and its vast potential in industrial and medical applications. The future of this substance to correct damaged DNA has outstanding implications for the future of health and medicine.

This work explores these questions. It aims to inspire those capable of recognising the significance of this knowledge, and its vast potentials.