The Land of Punt's Frankincense and Myrrh terraces of northeastern Somalia (Puntland, Bari region)

The land of Punt's [Somali Peninsula] infamous frankincense and myrrh terraces that pharaoh's like Khufu, Mentuhotep III, Sahure and Hatshepsut traveled/sent expeditions to and viewed as their ancestral homeland. ___ Waa degmada Murcanyo ee gobolka Bari (dhulkii uduga) oo caan ku ah beeyada, maydiga iyo fooxa. THE LAND OF PUNT ------------------ "...The Somali Peninsula was always a strategic magnet and commercial nexus of the world trade routes in both the past and present times. Its strategic and commercial importance has continued since ancient times when merchants from the Somali Peninsula traded various commodities such as frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, ebony, ivory, gold and animal skin with Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians. These commodities, which were "the most ancient and precious articles of commerce", are still produced and exported from the north-eastern regions of Somalia...The ancient Somali name for their region was "Bunn", a name referenced in texts related to trade with the pharaohs as "Pwenet", "Pwene" or Ta Netjer "Land of the Gods" or as Opone by the Greeks... ...In particular, the Somali Peninsula had a special relationship with ancient pharaonic Egypt, with various Egyptian expeditions sent to the Somali Peninsula being recorded since 2480 BC. Punt was associated with Egyptian ancestry in that it came to be seen as their ancient homeland and the land where their gods emerged from... During the rule of Mentuhotep III (around 1950 BC), the officer Hanu organized multiple trips to the Land of Punt. Trade between Egypt and Punt was not one-sided. John A. Wilson reports how Egyptians arrived at Punt with "jewelry, tools, and weapons and returned with "incense trees, ivory, myrrh and rare woods". However, as time passed, relations between ancient Egypt and the people of the Somali Peninsula strengthened beyond mere commercial connections. For example, there is evidence of cultural links and the movement of people, as recorded in some ancient Egyptian inscriptions reporting the arrival of immigrants from the Land of Punt. This piece of information is supported by related evidence that the son of Khufu, the pharaoh of the Great Pyramid, employed one of these immigrants in his court... ...According to Joshua J. Mark, "Punt was not only a significant partner in trade, however; it was also a source of cultural and religious influence and a land which the Egyptians viewed as their place of origin and blessed by the gods... Moreover, Hatshepsut's inscriptions claim that her divine mother Hathor, was from Punt and other inscriptions indicate that Egyptians in the 18th dynasty considered Punt the origin of their culture. From historic linguistics, it was also discovered that the Somali language shares a number of etymological words with the ancient Egyptian language that has exactly the same meaning. ...The most authentic piece of historical literature treating the ancient history of the Somali Peninsula was in the hierographic diary and arts of the expedition of the fleet that consisted of 5 ships dispatched to the land of Punt by Queen Hatshepsut of the 18th dynasty in 1478BC. The history of this expedition was memorialized in the artifacts of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri, near Luxor in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, during the reign of the Puntite king Parahu and Queen Ati. Hieroglyphic engravings on Hatshepsut's temple show the following written inscription: "Sailing on the sea, and making a good start for God's land. Making landfall safely at the terrain of Punt...". The 31 incense trees bought back from Punt by the expedition was transplanted successfully in Egypt, making it the first time in recorded history that fauna (plants and trees) was successfully transplanted in another country. The roots of the frankincense trees brought back from Punt by Hatshepsut's expedition in 1493 BC can still be seen outside of her complex at Deir al-Bahri...The name "Punt" was well known and was even mentioned in the Bible as "Phut" (Genesis 10:6; cf. 1 Chronicles 1:8), while the ancient Romans called it Cape Aromatica because of the trees that produce aromatic gum resins." (Baadiyow, pp. 44-46) ------- Dr. Abdurahman Abdulahi Baadiyow: Making Sense of Somali History (Volume 1). ©2017 #TheLandofPunt #Puntland #Somalia #Bari #Murcanyo #LandofPunt #DhulkiiUduga #Punt #Maydiga #Fooxa #Beeyada #Gardafuu #Guardafui #DhulUdug #GobolkaBari #Puntite #Hatshepsut #AncientEgypt #HomeTeamhistory