According to Potter and Wellington, in reading Nephi’s account in 1 Nephi 17, it appears that Nephi was asked by the Lord to “Arise and get thee into the Mountain” (1 Nephi 17:7). This would imply that Nephi was not just climbing any prominence, but a special place--“the mountain.” Nephi went to the mountain and was told what the design of the ship should be (v. 8). Nephi asked where to find ore (v. 9) and was told where to find it (v. 10).
There are a number of possibilities for this specific mountain to which Nephi resorted to pray. Closest to Ain Humran are the mountains of the Jabal Al Qara range, bounding Wadi Dharbat,, approximately 3,000 feet high (1,000 meters). These are about 5 miles (10 km) away. To the east is Jabal Samhan about 20 miles (32 km) away to the east. At nearly 6,000 feet, it is the highest mountain in southern Oman and. As the tallest mountain in western Oman, it is readily visible from Moscha (Khor Rori). It is one of the few mountains that is mentioned in the Bible (Mount Sephar) and like Khor Rori (Moscha) it is historically associated with Ophir. It is mentioned by name in Genesis 10:30, where it is known as “Sephar, a mount of the east.” The Bible also mentions the mountain as a distinguishing landmark of the place where the sons of Joktan (the great great grandson of Noah) dwelt: “And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling was from Mesha [Moscha] as thou goest unto Sephar [Sofar] a mountain of the east” (Genesis 28:29).
Even more interesting is the fact that iron ore is found at the base of Jebel Samhan (Mount Sofar). Since Nephi was a days ride from the rest of the family, he apparently constructed a bellows where the ore was (1 Nephi 17:11) and smelted the ore to make tools (1 Nephi 17:16). This makes perfect sense. Why would he carry the ore back? It would take many journeys to get enough; it was far easier to smelt the ore and make the tools on-site of the deposit. It might also be significant, seeing that Nephi wasn’t directed to the ore until after he went into the mountain, that flint--presumably the stones Nephi used to start the fire for his bellows (1 Nephi 17:11)--has been found at Andhur near Jebel Samhan. [George Potter & Richard Wellington, Discovering The Lehi-Nephi Trail, Unpublished Manuscript (July 2000), pp. 190, 246-247]
1 Nephi 17:7 I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord ([Illustration] Nephi’s Vision. Artist: Clark Kelley Price [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Ensign, January 1988, front and back cover]