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Book of Mormon Locations — Bountiful

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The Book of Mormon narrative follows a group of Jews who leave Jerusalem in 600 BC for the New World. On the way they stop at a tropical paradise somewhere on the eastern Arabian Peninsula coast. They called it ‘Bountiful’ for its abundant fruit. This place gave them wild game, honey, ore and timber. Here they had resources to construct tools and a ship that would take them east across the Indian and Pacific oceans to the New World.


Lehi's New World migration?

Book of Mormon: Lehi's migration to the New World?


Southern Dhofar

Some Mormon apologists have proposed the southernmost coast of the Dhofar region of Oman to be a possible location for Bountiful. This area turns lush green during the monsoon season.

The largest tree of Dhofar, the Vast Fig (Ficus vasta), along with the other large indigenous fig taxa, F. sycomorus, F. cordata salicifolia, and F. lutea, all produce a wood that is too soft, heavy, and porous to withstand the rigors of a transoceanic crossing....

In the words of maritime historian Dionisius A. Agius, "Timber for shipbuilding was always lacking in the Arabian/Persian Gulf"....

Another maritime historian, George Faldo Hourani, echoes Agius’s opinions, "Arabia does not and never did produce wood suitable for building strong seagoing ships."

Terry Ball

— Terry Ball

Ph. D., Archaeobotany, Prof. of Ancient Scripture, BYU
Journal of the Book of Mormon Studies, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 56-57

Contemporary photos may not accurately reflect the vegetation at the time of Nephi at Khor Kharfot or at other potential sites for Nephi’s Bountiful.

Terry Ball

— Terry Ball

Ph. D., Archaeobotany, Prof. of Ancient Scripture, BYU
Journal of the Book of Mormon Studies, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 57


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