The family of Lehi dwelt in a tent in the valley of Lemuel for apparently quite some time (see the commentary on 1 Nephi 16:6), yet Lehi’s family came upon this valley while traveling in the Arabian wilderness. Lawrence of Arabia, the British Intelligence officer who served with the Bedu during the First World War and became a national hero, wrote that “the Bedouin ways were hard even for those brought up in them,” that they were “a death in life.” If one asks the old Bedu today what life was like in the old days, they will generally not speak of a romantic past. Their tales are of constant thirst and hunger, of great journeys to bring water from the wells or to seek out areas that had received some rain.
[It is against this backdrop that one might contemplate what Nephi was talking about when he recorded as they prepared to leave the valley of Lemuel: “we did gather together whatsoever things we should carry into the wilderness, and all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given unto us” (1 Nephi 16:8) Lehi’s family was living in one of the harshest lands in the world, yet Nephi talks about “provisions which the Lord had given us.” Was Nephi living in Arabia? Are we facing a contradiction here?] Either Nephi knew nothing about the difficulties of dwelling in a tent in Arabia and his record’s credibility must be questioned, or there must have existed a valley three days into the wilderness of Arabia where the Lord was able to provide Lehi and his family with provisions. If the latter is true, then there must be a valley 60-90 miles into Arabia that provides [many of ] the necessary conditions for a good life, and it must do so against the backdrop of terrible living conditions around it. If the southern end of the wadi Tayyib al-Ism is to qualify as the valley of Lemuel, it must pass a difficult test. It must possess some basic elements for making life relatively comfortable. Here is a list of it’s qualifications:
1. Cool Campsite During the Hot Season: The land of Midian in the northwest corner of Saudi Arabia is a wilderness second only in barrenness to the great Rub’al Khali, or Empty Quarter, of the central Arabian Peninsula. Hardly a blade of grass breaks up the monotony of the terrain. Temperatures average between 115o and 125o Fahrenheit during the summer months. During the springtime, daytime temperatures are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Arabian sun will kill a man within hours if he cannot find shade. The towering cliffs of the canyon of granite of wadi Tayyib al-Ism would have provided a likely solution. The shade from the canyon walls keeps the environment in the canyon cool. We estimate that the temperature in the canyon can be up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit lower than in the rest of Midian. To this one must add the avoidance of direct sunlight. For any one place on the floor of the canyon, it is only directly hit by the sun for a few minutes a day. It is possible to live in the canyon without ever moving out of the shade. There are several good campsites next to palm groves and the river in the canyon. The shape of the canyon also tends to funnel the sea breezes which leads to ready evaporative cooling--a natural air conditioning. With plentiful drinking water, a cooling breeze and abundant shade, the family of Lehi enjoyed the coolest possible camp conditions.
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us (Potter Theory) [[Illustration] A Cool Campsite During the Hot Season. The Upper Valley with it’s oases of date palms and springs. Located in Wadi Tayyib al-Ism (proposed Valley of Lemuel). Photo by George Potter. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 88]
2. A Dry and Safe Rainy Season Campsite: As ideal as the canyon would have been as a campsite in the summer, it would have been unattractive and possibly even dangerous in the rainy season, from November to March. We have located the ruins of two elevated campsites in the wadi Tayyib al-Ism. Both are located just above the Waters of Moses, part of wadi Tayyib al-Ism. Both campsites are on a slight incline, allowing drainage in the camp. The largest of the two sites, the one that would seem more the size of one used by Nephi’s family is located on the north side of the upper valley next to the middle groves of date palms. The middle grove is the largest of the three date palm groves of the Waters of Moses. The middle grove contains four wells. The ruins are built on a shelf a few feet above the wadi floor, well out of danger of flash floods.
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us (Potter Theory) [Illustration]: A Dry and Safe Rainy Season Campsite. Ruins of a long-term camp elevated above the wadi floor. Stone circles and circle with palm fronds are corrals next to the camp. Located in Wadi Tayyib al-Ism (proposed Valley of Lemuel). Photo by Tim Sedor. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 113]
3. Building Materials:
(A) Materials for Corrals: It is certain that Lehi’s party had a large number of camels. Camels require pens so they do not wander off and become lost at night. In Nephi’s time, a stray camel would be prey for lions and wolves. Lehi would have needed to build corrals from the natural materials found in the wadi Tayyib al-Ism. The traditional corral in Arabia consisted of a circle of large stones that supported sticks or palm fronds. One can trace the ancient caravan routes through Arabia by looking for the ruins of these corrals (circles of single stones). Lehi’s camp probably needed several camel corrals to accommodate their animals. We found ruins of these corrals on both sides of the Waters of Moses, including several adjacent to the large long-term campsite ruins above the middle grove. The Bedouins still graze camels in the valley and use the traditional corrals. Due to the availability of free palm fronds in the groves, the Bedouins seem content to use the traditional materials rather than modern methods.
(B) Safe Box Materials: The brass plates were a key in preserving the faith and language of their new nation (see 1 Nephi 4:13). Lehi taught that the plates should “never perish” (1 Nephi 5:19). Would Lehi have left the plates unprotected in a wilderness valley? Tent walls held little security for the priceless records or the valuable sword of Laban. If bandits raided their camp or a thief ventured in while they were away from the tents, they might have lost these treasures. One could speculate that Lehi might have used a practice still found in the area today, that of building a stone box in the earth, placing the plates in it for safe keeping, and then covering the stone box with a large uncut rock. We can also speculate that if this was so, then the Nephite practice of keeping the plates in a stone box in the earth started as far back as the Valley of Lemuel. [Note* One might wonder if this manner of security was also the case in Lehi’s land of inheritance where Nephi went to retrieve gold and silver" (see 1 Nephi 3:22).]
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us[Illustration] Typical Bedouin stone storage box. This one found approximately ten miles from wadi Tayyib al-Ism. Photo by Chris Hamilton. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 117]
4. Drinking water: The water situation in Wadi Tayyib al-Ism is unique to the Midian region of Arabia. Here one can choose a campsite next to any one of twelve wells or the only continuously flowing river in all of Saudi Arabia.
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us (Potter Theory) [[Illustration] Richard Wellington drinking from what we believe is the River of Laman. Photo by Ed Benson. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 119]
5. Food: Our survey of the flora of the valley was strictly amateur, and based only on what grows there presently. We are convinced that the last four miles of the wadi Tayyib al-Ism is the only place in all of the Midian region of Arabia that could possibly have met Nephi’s flora requirements. The only other place we have seen fruits and vegetables grow in this region in any significant amount is in the area around al-Bada. However, that area seems to have always been a cultivated place (grown by man not God), for its fields rely today, as in ancient time on the deep wells of Jethro.
(A) Fruits: If the local legend is true that the Waters of Moses is the Bible’s Elim, then we known that the date palms in wadi Tayyib al-Ism have existed there well before the time of Nephi (see Exodus 15;27). So far we have found five varieties of dates at the Waters of Moses and the canyon. They represent all three varieties of palm that grow wild in Arabia, the Phoenix caespitosam, the Phoenix dactylifera, and the Hyphaene thebaica, with its giant, lemon-size dates.
In the context of the provisions needed for traveling across Arabia, it is safe to assume that among the “seed of every kind” (1 Nephi 16:11) which Nephi took into the wilderness were dates. Dates hang in clusters, from the top of the palms as if they are giant balls of seed. The date, consisting of the sweet outer flesh and the pit, is the seed of the palm. Dates are a traditional food source for travelers in Arabia. Nephi’s family would have either known this fact or have been told it by the locals. An Arab colleague whose great grandfather marketed camels from central Arabia to Palestine, Cairo, Baghdad, and as far as India, claims that his great grandfather and his crews ate only dates and tea during the days they traveled. Together with the camel the Arabs consider the date to be one of God’s greatest gifts to them. Without the camel gravel across the desert would have been impossible and without the date, one of the few foodstuffs that do not perish in the heat of the desert, they would have had nothing to eat. Long distance desert travel anciently without the came and date would have been impossible.
There are other fruits growing wild in the wadi. So far we have found a variety of edible berry and two vine fruits. The berry is called the Teen by the Bedouins. We have not been in the valley when fruit has been on the teen bushes, but the Bedouin tell us that the berry is about the size of a strawberry and is delicious.
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us (Potter Theory) [[Illustration] Fig. 6.6 Dates are the seeds of the seeds of the date palm. They hang in clusters given the appearance that they are seeds. Photo by George Potter. Fig. 6.7 Dates still in the tree of the middles grove. Photograph taken at the end of January. Photo by George Potter. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 122]
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us (Potter Theory) [[Illustration] Fig. 6.8 The Hyphaene thebaica, found growing in the canyon. Bedouins peel the date before eating. Photo by George Potter. Fig. 6.9 Giant dates still uncollected months after the harvest season. Photo by George Potter. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 123]
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us (Potter Theory) [[Illustration] Fig. 6.10 The bush of the Teen Berry, found in the canyon along the river bank. Photo by George Potter. Fig. 6.11 Fruit of the vine Cucumis prophetarum.. Photo by George Potter. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 124]
(B) Grains: The canyon, at least in the areas where the river runs above surface, is full of grasses. Grains grow on grasses. Arriving in the canyon in January, 1999, well after the time grain would have been harvested, we still found large amounts of grain hanging from the grasses. Not only did this grain seem to grow in ample quantities in the canyon, it was also easy to strip from the bush and separate. Using a plastic bag to gather some of it, I then crushed it. In a total of ten minutes I separated enough wheat size grain for several bowls of cereal. Of the four grasses we have identified so far in the valley, only one would probably qualify as a human food source, unless they used the seed grains of the smaller varieties as spices.
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us (Potter Theory) [[Illustration] Fig. 6.12 Grain growing in the Canyon. Photo by George Potter. Fig. 6.13 Grain collected and separated in about ten minutes. Photo by George Potter. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 125]
(C) Protein:
Seafood: The Red Sea has one of the world’s richest sea life environments. The family could have constructed nets from the fibers of palm fronds and netted fish, or picked lobsters from the crevices of the reef. An even easier source of seafood would have been to harvest the large shellfish found along the shoreline of the Gulf of Aqaba.
Birds: A number of birds make their nests in the wadi. The most common is the Rock Dove (Columba livia), which nests in rock crevices. Palm Doves (Streptopelia senegalensis) and Namanqua Doves (Oena capensis) also nest in the area, as well as Tritam’s Grackle (Onychognathus tristramii), all of which would have produced eggs large enough to make a meal.
Small game: Small game animals are also found in wadi Tayyib al-Ism. Of the 15 species of larger carnivores recorded in Arabia almost all are confined to the western mountains. These include the Leopard, Striped Hyena, Arabian Wolf, Caracal and Wild Cat. While these would not necessarily be primary food sources, their presence suggests numerous smaller prey items such as the Rock Hyrax (Procavia caapensis), the “Coney” of the Bible.
6. Drinks or Beverages: Although Nephi brought back “seeds of every kind” (1 Nephi 8:1) from which various teas or drinks could have been made, the wadi Tayyib al-Ism‘s flora would also have provided Lehi’s family with a range of free beverages. Date pits abound beneath the palms. Arabs roast these to make a coffee substitute. Dates themselves can be used to make date tea and wine.
7. Salt: In Arabia, with its blustering temperatures, salt takes on its own importance. Heat causes the loss of body fluids through perspiration. As fluids are lost, so are the body’s mineral salts. To stay healthy, Lehi’s family would have needed to maintain a healthy salt balance in their bodies. In the wadi Tayyib al-Ism, salt can be laboriously harvested from the Gulf of Aqaba, or in a most convenient manner by simply scraping it off the rocks along the river where it accumulates in large deposits.
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us (Potter Theory) [[Illustration] Salt deposits on the rock in the river bed. The highest deposit is 11 inches above the current water line. Photo by Richard Wellington. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 55]
8. Medicine: The vine fruits Citrillus colocynthis and the cucumis prophetarum are found in the valley, and are used to cleanse the digestive system of parasites and as laxatives. The mint that is found in the valley is used by Arabs to cure stomach problems.
9. Fuel for Cooking and Heat: Local bedouins simply feed dried palm fronds toward the center of a fire. They are easily lighted on the end that has the split (finger like) leaves, so there is no need for kindling. As they burn down, the Bedouins push more of the unburnt frond into the coals. From nearly any point in the canyon or Waters of Moses, dried fronds can be gathered and a fire started within a few minutes.
10. Fodder for the Camels: Bertram Thomas, the first westerner to cross the great sand desert of Arabia, the Empty Quarter, wrote:
The traveler in the desert soon discovers that the welfare of the camel is the supreme consideration… . Fodder is almost more important than water, for the camel can carry a load for a week or more without water, but food is a daily want.
The wadi Tayyib al-Ism would have provided for Lehi’s camels. Camels still graze in the canyon and through the entire wadi system. The thorny acacia bush is also a favorite fodder of the camel.
1 Nephi 16:11 We did gather … all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given us[Illustration] Camels in the Wadi Tayyib al-Ism. Photo by George Potter. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, p. 31]
In summary, it is impossible, of course, to know exactly the conditions in the Midian region of northern Arabia during Nephi’s time. However, we have good reason to conclude that before the use of extensive pumping there were only three true oases in the region of Midian, and only one of those, the Wadi Tayyib al-Ism had a river. Sir Richard Burton cited that these oases were all within a space of thirty-five geographical miles. Burton reported (1878) the Khedivial Expedition found three oasis. He reported seeing two of these, at Al-Bada’a and Maqna. Neither of these oases have what could be considered a river. Musil reported a spring at al-Bada’a, but no river. This leaves the waters of Moses as the unique site in Midian with a river. The Wadi Tayyib al-Ism contains a unique ecology. It appears to be the only wilderness valley in all of the Midian region of Arabia that could have provided the campsite and the provisions for the length of time described by Nephi. [George Potter with Richard Wellington, Following the Words of Nephi: Part One: Discovering the Valley of Lemuel, Unpublished Manuscript, 1999, pp. 58, 71, 86, 110-132]; see also George Potter & Richard Wellington, Discovering Nephi’s Trail, Chapter 3, pp. 4-5, Unpublished]
Geographical [Theory Map]: 1 Nephi 16:9-13 Lehi Travels to Shazer & “Broken Bow” (Year 005)