Locating The Nuzi Map
Pros And Cons
I'm sure that wise scholars will agree, pseudo scholars arrive at conclusions without examining the facts at hand. Whereas, true scholars allow the facts and evidence to speak.
When one examines, for example, a blow up of the tiny Nuzi Map (an ancient traveler's map the size of the palm of a hand) ... an enlarged reproduction encompasses the salient points of the original quite well. The exceptions are where the redrawer attempted to fill in the missing segment; define North, South, East, and West; etc. Otherwise, the redrawing is quite accurate and the obvious elements speak for themselves.
Low Mountains exist on both sides of the valley. Today low mountains are still obvious on both sides of the Red Sea.
The Tekeze River (modern name) which flows into the Nile (Nile not shown) begins as the Tekeze River in Eritrea, flows into the Atbara River, and then into the Nile.
The Three Waterways (Gulf of Aqaba, River of Egypt which once flowed through the Sinai, Gulf of Suez) and the Mediterranean are quite accurately positioned on the Nuzi Map.
The Bend In The Pison River indicating slightly elevated lands in the midst of the valley even matches the bend in the modern Red Sea.
The City Shown To The Northeast Of The Valley matches the City built by Cain to the East of Eden. These ruins may be found to the North of Tayma', Saudi Arabia.
The City Shown To The Northwest Of The Valley: The people of the ancient ruins of El Fayyum West of the Nile would have had commerce with Eden; thus, a community of sorts would have existed West of the river shoreline (i.e. East of Egypt's North Galala Plateau) as shown on the Nuzi Map.
The Need For Traveler's Map: In preflood years the lineage of Cain (the wanderers evicted from Eden) apparently explored and settled the Indus River region, the Tigris-Euphrates River region, and the Nile region. However, after a period of time as evidenced by Genesis 4:19-22, the lineage of Cain was again allowed to visit Eden apparently to pay their respects unto The Glory Of GOD. And, as The Glory Of GOD appeared atop GOD'S Holy Ark, The Glory Of GOD would have appeared atop the original Holy Ark apparently assembled under Adam (Habakkuk 3:3; Ezekiel 12:3-7 versus 12:8-12). Therefore, there was a need for such a traveler's map from the Tigris-Euphrates region, from the Indus River region, and from the Nile (El Fayyum) region.
Map Shows What Should Be Expected: As Noah was heir custodial of the original Holy Ark, the City of Noah was built on higher ground to the West of the bend in the river near modern Jeddah as a gigantic floating raft that began its historic journey when the Edenic Valley subsided and The Flood waters set it adrift. Whereas, the main city of Aad (or Adam), also shown on the Nuzi Map, stretched well South perhaps off shore from Eritrea, perhaps even to the region of the Dahlak Archipelago. And, since people dwelt in the Edenic Valley for 1655 years before The Flood, their dwellings had to be numerous and covered a rather large area.
Bab Al Mandab: The Nuzi Map even shows the Edenic Valley narrowing where the Strait of Bab al Mandab is located on modern maps. That's where the Pison River traversed into the Sea of Reeds (now the Gulf of Aden) and on into the Arabian Sea.
The Telltale Layer Of Anhydrites: The Woods Hole research ship Glomar Challenger c. 1971 expedition reported a rather uniform layer of anhydrites throughout the Red Sea beneath a layer of sediment; however, that expedition reported a complete absence of these anhydrites in the extensive trench which appears to closely follow the course of the preflood river through the main valley. Their conclusion was that the anhydrites were deposited well before the great rift occurred. Therefore, if the anhydrites were washed in from the Sea of Reeds and the Djibouti region when The Flood began, ruins of the Edenic Valley habitations should be found just beneath and within the anhydrite layer.
Subsequently, 882 years after The Flood when Moses was preparing to cross the Gulf of Suez, earthquakes produced the great rift which swallowed the shallower waters of the Red Sea finger to enable the Israelites to flee. Then, when Pharaoh's army came in pursuit, Pharaoh's army turned South down the dried up sea bed in an attempt to get between the fleeing Israelites and the mountains. That's when the returning wall of water, a mountain of water, a tidal wave, returned to wipe out Pharaoh's army and refill the Gulf of Suez. And the Israelites escaped between the walls of water ... the outflowing wall and the returning wall of water.
The Missing River: The Nuzi Map was originally found in 1930-31 about 200 miles North of Baghdad in Ga-Sur at Nuzi (Yorghan Tepe) near Karkuk, Iraq. At that time, and throughout the subsequent 70 years, people have endeavored to link the Nuzi Map to the Tigris-Euphrates region including the city of Haran and further Westward to the Mediterranean. They do this simply because the map was found in association with Mesopotamia. Also, the Zargros mountains are in the East (Persia) and the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains are adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea in the West.
If the conclusion that the Nuzi Map depicts the Lebanon-Mesopotamian region were correct the width of the valley between the mountains shown on the Nuzi Map would be about 1,000 miles wide. This apparently is how the East and West annotations on the redrawing of the clay tablet map were concluded. However, if this were the case the mapmaker would have shown two key rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. Also, if this were so, the Mediterranean Sea would have been shown adjacent to the Western mountains.
Aspect Ratio - Length Versus Width: Furthermore, for comparison, the length of the main body of the Red Sea is about 1,200 miles long and the maximum width of the Red Sea is 200 miles wide with the width opposite Jeddah being approximately 110 miles. Remember, in ancient times mapmakers did not have aerial photos nor space images nor accurate surveying. And the mapmaker had to approximate (generalize) his drawings.
Dating The Map: Two parties officially dated the Nuzi Map: one party said 2,300-2,500 BC and the second party said 3,800 BC. We, in turn, have concluded, based upon The Flood commencing in 1655 from Creation and that the City of Noah (Noah's Ark) was 120 years in building, that the date of the map would be closer to 1535 from Creation (i.e. 2470 BC) as indicated by the first party.
Nuzi Map Is Much Older Than Haran: Attempts have been made to link the Nuzi Map to the City of Haran which did not exist as such until many, many years after The Flood. That is, in the days of Peleg Flood survivors departed the Arba (Hebron) region and went to the three other river regions (i.e. the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, and Indus River regions) (Genesis 10:25). This occurred approximately 333 years after The Flood i.e. in c. 1988 from Creation (c. 2017 BC). The new arrivals became the Hyksos rulers of Egypt, the Akkadian rulers of Mesopotamia, and the Aryan rulers of India.
Earlier, the Sabeans, called "beasts" in Scripture, were those who didn't want to obey GOD via Noah. The Sabeans, of course, had returned to their respective homelands immediately after Noah's Ark landed North of Tayma', Saudi Arabia in 1656 from Creation. Being on board Noah's Ark for 377 days was more than they could take.
Meanwhile, Noah and his followers had gone to the City of Arba (Hebron) where 222 years after The Flood, Terah, the ninth generation after Noah, was born in 1878 from Creation while Noah still lived.
Terah (the soon to be father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran) was sent to Ur of the Chaldeans as the Akkadian ruler of those Sabeans. It was in Ur that Abram, Nahor, and Haran (Terah's sons) were born (Genesis 11:28,31; 15:7). Eventually Terah's son, Haran (Abram's brother) died.
Note, again, Abram was born in the City of Ur in 2008 from Creation and at age 76 Abram had arrived in Hebron. This helps establish the time. But it was when Haran died that Terah started back to Hebron. The question is, why did Terah go to the city of Haran from Ur rather than go direct to Carchemish and thence on to Arba (Hebron)?
Note, the city of Haran is located on a river between the Euphrates River and the Habor River approximately 70 miles East of Carchemish which is on the Euphrates, and about 40 miles West of the Habor River. Haran, itself, is situated on a third or middle river that also flows South into the Euphrates. Thus, when the Nuzi Map was made there were three rivers that formed the Euphrates but no City of Haran.
More Background On Haran: After Haran's death Terah took Abram and his family from Ur to Haran apparently to bring Haran's body home to the City of Arba (i.e. Hebron) where GOD'S original Holy Ark was still in the custody of Shem. While at Haran Terah took ill and died. It was then that GOD appeared to Abram and instructed him to go to Arba (i.e. Hebron) to become the next custodian of GOD'S Holy Ark as Shem was getting on in years. And the Hebron area was called in the land of Canaan because of disobedience.
Eventually, Abram arrived in Hebron in 2084 from Creation at age 76 according to Scripture. That is, when GOD appeared to Abram in Haran, Abram was age 75 when he departed Haran (Genesis 12:4).
Note: The City of Haran apparently was not formed until about 450 years after the Nuzi Map was made if you use our figures. If you use the other people's figures it's closer to 500 years or more. So, people cannot legitimately associate the Nuzi Map with a non-existent city, non-existent until about 450 years after the Nuzi Map was made. This is an obvious error that disputes the Mesopotamian application of the Nuzi Map.
The Koran: The Cities Of Aad (Adam) and Thamoud (Cain) are described in the Koran as being very disobedient. Thamoud is North of Medina. Both cities were drowned. And the Children of Adam are linked to Aad. Noah, The Flood, and Houd (Noah's landing site) are linked to both cities. The Koran devotes dozens of references to both Aad and Thamoud.
The Andean Highway: A mysterious roadway beneath the Red Sea was observed by Jacques Yves Cousteau's crew during experiments with dwelling in an undersea habitat c. 1963. That roadway went from reef to reef in the vicinity of the reef called in English "The Roman Reef" which is North of Port Sudan. Note that ancient structures beneath the Red Sea would have formed foundations for reefs built up by sea life over the millennia.
| Prepared By Father - Son Team George & Dana Brown P.O. Box 320932 Cocoa Beach, Florida USA 32932-0932 Email: brianshouse@yahoo.com
|