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.
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.- In this region, Wadi Darbat / Khor Rori, Salalah and Wadi Sayq / Khor Kharfot are considered the most promising candidates for Bountiful. But there is no consensus among Mormon apologists.
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No Suitable Timber
The Arabian peninsula does not have suitable trees to construct a durable transoceanic vessel.
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....
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 | — Terry Ball
Ph. D., Archaeobotany, Prof. of Ancient Scripture, BYU
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- Photographs provided by apologists of the area are typically taken during the region’s monsoon season, which causes the vegetation to green.
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
Ph. D., Archaeobotany, Prof. of Ancient Scripture, BYU
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Conclusion
- According to the Book of Mormon, the location of Bountiful is inextricably linked to being nearly eastward from Nahom, which location is not confirmed. 1 Nephi 16:34, 17:1, 5
- Travel from the Red sea in a ‘nearly eastward’ direction to get to the southern Dhofar coast would be deadly.
- The southern Dhofar region does not support suitable tree growth to construct a transoceanic vessel.
- The LDS church has not endorsed any Bountiful location.
- It is ironic that the locations which Mormon apologists consider to be the best Book of Mormon candidates, the church will not endorse. The Hill Cumorah, the only Book of Mormon location that General Authorities have endorsed, church archaeologist and apologists say it doesn’t work.
