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SMUGGLED OUT OF THE

DESERT
*Film smuggled out of
a forbidden desert

*Treasure map betrayal

and an impossible series
of events

*One of the most amazing

stories of the 20th century

Miracles can they happen? Listen to this Saudi Arabian spy story
and give me your opinion.

Coral encrusted chariot parts from what appeared to be a drowned

Egyptian army had recently been found on the floor of the Gulf of
Aqaba. American archaeologist Ronald Wyatt of Nashville, Tennessee,
believed these remains to be from the army of Egypts 18th Dynasty
pharaoh, Thutmoses IV. Thutmoses was thought to be the pharaoh who
pursued the runaway Hebrew slaves at the time of the Exodus. The army
chased the Hebrews into the sea, but were themselves overwhelmed
instead.

Tourists go to the WRONG COUNTRY

in search of a sacred site

Wyatt got out his map. He concluded that, since remains of the Egyptian
army were scattered across the Gulf of Aqaba, then Sinai had to be in
Saudi Arabia. The biblical account states that the Hebrews arrived at
Mount Sinai AFTER they crossed the sea.

This meant that the traditional Sinai of our atlases was in the wrong
location!
Wyatt tried hard to get into Saudi Arabia. After more than four years of
repeated attempts to get a visa, he decided to investigate the region,
anyway. Little did he dream what lay ahead for him and his two teenage
sons, Danny and Ronny.

I should mention that it is next to impossible to get into Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis do not want tourists. They have all the money in the world, so
to speak and they do not want their Moslem population (especially the
women) exposed to Western civilisation. The only way to get in is to
obtain work in the kingdom. And that requires an invitation from a Saudi
citizen.

Ron confided his plans to two trusted friends. One of these was the
astronaut, Colonel James Irwin. He said to James, If you do not hear
from me within two weeks, you will know we are in trouble. So please do
what you can to help us.

They crossed from Jordan through the mountains, hitching, hiring small
vehicles and tramping into the area they suspected held the clues.

What they found in the desert of north-west Saudi Arabia was mind-
boggling. Preserved by their remoteness in a dry climate, were remains of
items mentioned in the book of Exodus as having been constructed there
by the Hebrews.

Arrested as spies

But later, as they attempted to leave the country, they were arrested and
taken to a jail in Haji, near the border. There they were charged with
espionage.

They found themselves in a prison cell, with mattresses stained from

urine and human excrement. Cockroaches were running over the floor.

After two weeks, Jim Irwin was worried. He put pressure on friends in
high places in Holland, Jordan, Iraq and other countries. These, in turn,
phoned the Saudi Arabian authorities.

Eventually word came down to the prison from the King of Saudi Arabia
himself: Those three men in the jail at Haji, put this carpet in their cell.
The jailers were astonished at the order. One of them remarked to Wyatt,
We have never known anyone with so many important friends!

Negative report

Each day, Ron and the boys were interrogated... separately. They retold
the story of their search and their belief that Jebel el Lawz in Arabia was
Mount Sinai of both the Bible and the Koran.

One Saudi official, Abu Collet, sent men out to check whether any
archaeological evidence really did exist there. The men came back with a
negative report. This report
was sent to the King.

However, among the interrogators were some who believed the prisoners
story. And because espionage is such a serious charge, it was decided to
check every detail of the Wyatts account.

The helicopter ride

Three men flew Ron Wyatt out in a helicopter to the alleged crossing spot
the beach opposite Nuweiba and there they found a Phoenician style
column which bore (on the leeward side) an inscription in archaic
Hebrew, commemorating the crossing of the Red Sea on dry land and the
destruction of the Egyptian army! (The Gulf of Aqaba is an arm of the
Red Sea.)

So here was concrete archaeological evidence. It could not be ignored.

The Saudi men tooks many photographs of this. No one in Saudi Arabia
had been aware of this column, since it stood in an extremely remote,
uninhabited area.

Nevertheless, this discovery did not ensure the Wyatts release.

Secret escape plan

Eventually, young Ronny began to crack .

I just cant stand any more of this, he cried. I am going to make a dash
for it.
 No, said Ron, it s almost certain death if you try.

I must take that chance, responded Ronny. This is more than I can
bear.

OK, said Ron. But we need to work out a plan of escape together.

The prison was close to the sea shore. And each day, the captives
received a refuse bag from the guards. So from this day on, they began to
prepare. Every now and again they hid a refuse bag until they had six
bags, hidden under the carpet. Their thought was that if they could escape
to the sea, they would blow these up and use them as air bags under their
armpits.

They considered it would be easier to attempt their escape when the

Moslem holy day began on a Thursday night.

They would need to get past two keepers, at the time the guard was being
changed.
Security would be more relaxed at that time.

Thursday arrived. And a problem arose. One of the guards, a man named
Ali, had shown them extreme kindness throughout their ordeal. They had
grown fond of him. Tonight was his shift. If they should escape while he
was on duty, it was certain that Ali himself would be shot. They must
wait.

The next week crawled by. It was Wednesday morning, the day before
their next escape attempt. Footsteps approached their cell. An official
greeted them.

Halas, he called. [ Finished. ] You are cleared. You will be turned

over to the Jordanian government.

Film confiscated

Ron Wyatt hardly dared ask. After 75 days, just to be alive and free was
precious.

No, said the official. None of your film will be returned to you.
SO FOR ALL THEIR TROUBLES, THEY WOULD HAVE NO
EVIDENCE, NO PICTURES, OF THE TRUE MOUNT SINAI THEY
HAD FOUND.

In Jordan, they were again held this time for three days until all the
red tape was cleared. Again they were questioned.

Cell-mates planted

While the trio remained locked up, various men, in turn, were placed with
them supposedly as fellow prisoners.

One of them them tested Ron. The only good Arab is a dead Arab, he
said. Right?

There are good Arabs and bad Arabs, Ron replied. There are bad
Americans and good Americans.

Another (who had killed someone) asked Ron, Will you get me a job
in America? (Trouble for Ron, should he agree.)

They wouldn t let you in if you have a conviction, was the wise
response.

The third day another prisoner sidled close to Ron. I know where
there s treasure, he said. Help me and I ll give you half.

I m not interested in treasure, was Ron s reply.

It was clear that these men had been planted in the cell to determine
Wyatt s character. After three days, Ron Wyatt and his two sons were
released.

The betrayal exposed

Only then did Wyatt learn that his second friend (back home in the
United States)
had phoned the Saudi embassy and told them that the Wyatts were Israeli
spies!
Now they realised that Ron, Danny and Ronny were NOT spies, the
Saudis were angry at the false allegation. Had they executed the
prisoners, it could have led to serious political consequences. They now
wanted to prosecute the betrayer, but Ron declined to pursue this further.
He just wanted to go back home.

In the U.S.A., the event made nationwide television.

The frustration

WYATT S FRUSTRATION AT GETTING SO CLOSE, YET COMING

OUT WITH NO EVIDENCE, WAS INTENSE.

He felt certain that he would never get back.

Invitation from a prince

Not long after this, Ron received a phone call from Samran el-Motairy, a
close relative of the Saudi King. He had heard of the Mount Sinai saga
from several of Wyatt s captors. This prince lived in Tabuk, just two
hours from the mountain. Samran announced on the phone:

Ever since I heard about this mountain, I cannot sleep, I cannot eat. In
fact, I cannot concentrate on anything, Mr Wyatt. I have to see it for
myself.

Soon Samran was on a plane to the U.S. to meet Ron. For several days
they discussed the matter.

I m going to get you back into my countery, he said. LEGALLY, this

time.

Why are you so interested in this mountain? Ron asked him.

I want to do something for my God, he replied. After all, Mount Sinai

is a very important holy site for Moslems, too. And honestly, Mr Wyatt,
the area of Jebel el Lawl is so vast, I need you to find the exact spot.

On March 31, 1985, a contract was drawn up between Samran el-

Motairy, David Fasold (one of Ron s colleagues at that time) and Ron.
For a foreigner to enter Saudi Arabia, he must have a valid business
agreement, with a citizen of that kingdom.

Then they flew to Tabuk, in Saudi Arabia.

With Wyatt giving directions, they headed for the region of Jebel el
Lawz.

After making some wrong turns, they became confused and decided to
take a break. Soon a Bedouin appeared.

Moses Mountain

Can you direct us to Jebel el Lawz? asked the prince.

David Fasold recalls the bedouin s reply: Jebel Musa henna . This
means: Moses mountain is here !!! To think that local tradition
recognised this as the correct place!

Charged with renewed vigor, they now now explored the whole area.

Then the prince led them to Haji for the night. This was closer than
driving all the way back to Tabuk. But Ron Wyatt was nervous. It was in
Haji that he had been imprisoned for three months.

The car behind them

Early in the morning, they piled into the car and headed toward Samran s
house in Tabuk a three or four hour trip.

Soon after leaving Haji, they noticed a big, black Mercedes following
them. An hour or so later, its occupants suddenly motioned them to pull
over.

They were escorted to a building on the desert highway. It was the local
police office.

Interrogation team again

Inside, they were told that the Interrogation Team from Haji (which had
questioned Ron and his sons when they were jail) now planned to meet
with them out at Jebel el Lawz and see this evidence for themselves.

The next day, they headed out into the region. The Interrogation Team,
headed by Abu Collet, met them at the roadside.

We re splitting you up, they said to Wyatt and Fasold, piling them into
two separate jeeps. As they travelled, officials in each vehicle questioned
them both intensely. They appeared to believe that the two men were
looking for treasure , rather than for archaeological finds.

They arrived at the site. Ron, Dave and Samran showed them the altar
with the Egyptian-style petroglyphs of cows and bulls; the other altar at
the base of the mountain; the tops of the 18 foot diameter columns
erected 5 feet apart; the marble columns, and so on.

Lying to the king

The Interrogation Team was shocked, but pleased. Except for one man
Abu Collet. It was he who had sent the previous report to the King that
his men had found ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THERE. Yet now he saw
for himself that the entire area was full of archaeological evidence. In
Saudi Arabia, an inaccurate report sent to the King is considered the same
as lying to the King. And lying to the King is punishable by death. Abu
Collet seemed to be awfully unhappy.

Separated by the Saudis, Ron and Dave were skilfully interrogated while
they worked.

A major discovery

So compelling were the evidences, that, after a few days, an archaeologist

was flown in from Riyadh University. As they showed the evidences, the
archaeologist was excited. He told them that this style of petroglyph was
found nowhere else in Saudi Arabia.

This is a major discovery! he enthused.

Why here?

Finally, back at the prince s office in Tabuk, the Interrogation Team

continued plying Wyatt and Fasold with questions.

Why, one asked Ron, through an interpreter, Why would Musa

[Moses] bring the people to this isolated and undesirable spot, when there
were so many better locations in the area?

Ron replied simply that Moses was following the cloud, which led them
there. (The biblical record of this can be found in Exodus 13:21,22.)

That s not in the Koran! was the hot response. (One of the Imams said
this in Arabic.)

Now, having read through the Koran, Ron Wyatt knew it DID say this,
but he realised it would be unwise to contradict this man. So he recited
(quoting an Imam he had seen on an Arabic television program), Every
true Moslem believes every true prophet. If he doesn t believe every true
prophet, he isn t a true Moslem.

Ron paused, then asked, Was not Musa a prophet?

Understanding a tongue unknown

Immediately all of the men began nodding their heads and trying to out-
yes one another.

But the strange part is this: ALL of those men answered BEFORE Ron
Wyatt s words were interpreted to them. BEYOND ANY DOUBT, they
all heard Wyatt in ARABIC, even know Wyatt (knowing virtually no
Arabic) said it in English!

Add to that something else: When Ron Wyatt watched that Imam on
Television reading from the Koran, he heard him in English and assumed
the Imam had been speaking in English. He was later told that to read the
Koran in English was against Moslem law. The Imam had been speaking
in ARABIC, yet Ron understood it.

The Saudis in that meeting were all shocked when they realised that they
had understood Wyatt in English when he answered them, quoting from
the Koran. Was Ron correct in sensing a supernatural Power at work?
This was a remarkable event, by any standard.

At any rate, the interrogation ended. The Saudis were convinced as to the
authenticity of Jebel el Lawz. They now believed it was the true holy
mountain of God .

Pictures seized

However, Dave Fasold s video was confiscated, along with his developed
photographs.

Said Abu Collet s men: You are to forget that you ever came here. We
don t want to read about this in a book or see it in a movie.

So, once again, Ron would LEAVE SAUDI ARABIA WITHOUT THE
EVIDENCE HE SO DESPERATELY DESIRED! This was not a subject
the Saudis wanted made public.

Wyatts astronaut friend tries

Ron Wyatt now realised this project was too large to undertake on his
own. This is where his friend Jim Irwin came in. James not only had
connections. He was also a man of utmost integrity.

Ron arranged a meeting with several people from Jim s High Flight
crew in Dallas, Texas. Verbally he shared the evidence for the real Mount
Sinai. This included how to get there and an invitation to join him.

James Irwin wrote to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia s General Department

of Antiquities and Museums in Riyadh, describing the site, and Wyatt s
involvement, and requesting permission for Wyatt to excavate the site.

On October 15, 1986, Dr. Abdullah H. Masry, assistant to the Minister

for Antiquities and Museum Affairs, wrote a polite letter of refusal.

So Ron continued his work on other projects and prayed that God would
help him to obtain the evidence that he knew was there.
Confirmed but pictures not shared

Then, in the July, 1988 edition of Jim Irwin s High Flight Foundation
Newsletter , this announcement was made:

Great news! We strongly feel that the REAL Mt. Sinai has been
discovered. Larry Williams and I [Bob Cornuke] have taken two trips
to Saudi Arabia and travelled to Jebel el Lawz .

Later, Larry Williams published a book, The Mountain of Moses , in

which he documents how he and Bob Cornuke (Vice President of High
Flight ) sneaked into Saudi Arabia and discovered the real Mount
Sinai.

The sad thing was that these men chose not to share their photographs
with Ron, after he had first gone to them. They had contacted Dave
Fasold and got the precise information which allowed them to make their
discovery .

Well, at least people would learn the truth of the real site.

The switchboard man

Now occurred the most amazing development in this whole drama. At

this point we cannot give the actual names of some of the individuals
involved. But everything has been documented by all persons involved,
and their video testimony will eventually
be made public, when it is safe to do so.

Over a period of time, a certain Saudi Arabian man kept phoning Ron. He
wanted to sell to Ron the photos and movie film that had been
confiscated.

Finally, Ron decided to phone him from the Red Sea town of Nuweiba,
hoping this man could fly over to meet him.

In vain, Ron tried to make himself understood to the person who

answered the Saudi s phone. The Egyptian gentleman at the Nuweiba
hotel switchboard observed Ron s difficulty in getting through. This man,
who spoke both English and Arabic fluently (we ll call him Mr
Sayadin ), offered his translating services. Ron gladly accepted.
For four days they rang, but each time the Saudi man was not in .

At last Ron and his wife Mary Nell decided it was time to leave.

I ve been praying about this, said Ron. I now believe we should leave
our maps and information with Mr Sayadin. He has offered to help us get
the photos. He says he will go there himself.

Thank God! exclaimed Mary Nell. Ron, I have a map right here in my
purse, I ve been preparing and I had no idea why.

Then let s go and see the man.

The treasure map

That map of north west Saudi Arabia was to prove of vital importance,
because even the Saudis can t get accurate maps of that area.

So they sat down with Mr Sayadin. Carefully they sketched the entire
route, showing how to get to Jebel el Lawz, from towns in both the north
and south areas. They marked all the wadis or dry river beds, because
there are few roads in the region. Those rough wadis would need to be
travelled in a four-wheel drive vehicle.

On the back of the map, Mary Nell sketched pictures of the drawings Ron
had made years earlier, of the cows and bulls on the golden calf altar. She
drew the two standing boulders with the solitary tree between them near
the top of the mountain. She drew everything Ron could remember which
would identify the locations.

They gave these to Mr Sayadin. In such an isolated, untamed land with

no landmarks or signs these drawings were imperative. Without them,
he would have no idea what to look for.

They insisted that Mr Sayadin keep all this information in strict

confidence. He agreed.

So that Mr Sayadin would understand their purpose in getting the

photographs, Ron told him about his other archaeological work, including
an ancient boat in the mountains. It was felt that the more he understood,
the better he would know what to look for and film.
To get Mr Sayadin motivated, Ron offered to pay him a considerable fee
and gave him a $1,500 down payment.

Miracle begins

Meanwhile, another player was being prepared for the final act. We shall
call this man Abu Hesham . What I am about to share with you is
almost unbelievable. But I assure you, it is true.

Arab copies a vital video

This man, living in Saudi Arabia, had received from a friend in the
U.S.A. a video tape of a T.V. documentary featuring somebody
discussing the discovery of an ancient boat in mountain country.

After copying the tape onto another tape size to fit his VCR, he placed the
original tape from the U.S. in his camera bag, to re-use in his video
camera.

About one year later, Abu Hesham went off to tour Egypt, taking with
him ten used video tapes to film his trip.

Off to the traditional Mt. Sinai

Renting a car, he visited the traditional site of Mount Sinai around St.
Catherine s monastery in Egypt s so-called Sinai peninsula.

After several days exploring the region, he came away, terribly

disappointed. He knew this traditional site was not authentic. There was
no evidence, nor did it fit the description in the ancient records.

Then to THAT hotel, just as Wyatt leaves

On his way back to Saudi Arabia, Abu Hesham checked in to Mr

Sayadin s hotel A BARE HALF AN HOUR AFTER THE WYATTS
HAD LEFT!

To his surprise, Mr Sayadin began to rant and rave about this Mount
Sinai in Arabia. Out came the map the Wyatts had given him that very
afternoon. He told Abu Hesham about a person called Ron Wyatt and
made reference to Ron s involvement in the boat found in the mountains.

The unlikely miracle video

Abu Hesham suddenly thought about the tape he had been sent from the
United States. He reached into his camera bag. Of the ten used video
tapes he had brought to film his trip, he had used nine. He pulled out the
one remaining un-shot, unspoilt tape. He put it in his camera, and pressed
play . And then, in the eye-piece, was the bearded man from the
program about the boat in the mountains!

Excitedly, he passed it to Mr Sayadin. Is this the man? he asked.

Mr Sayadin viewed it for only a few seconds. He began to shout:

THAT S HIM! That s the man that just left here! That s the man who
gave me the map!

The tape was of a TV programme called The Good Life , in which Ron
had appeared in February, 1990.

This was unbelievable! Both men were so shocked. Could all of this be
only a coincidence?

Now to the real Sinai

Taking the map from Mr Sayadin, Abu Hesham headed back to Saudi
Arabia. In his own car, he drove right to Jebel el Lawz and found the very
site the Wyatts had marked on the map.

Using the only video tape he had left the one of Ron s television
interview he videoed and photographed everything possible.

Arriving home, he sought out the spare copy he had made of that T.V.
show and with pen and paper noted the following:
Name: Ron Wyatt
Address: Nashville, Tennessee

Friend in the precise town

By coincidence (?) a friend of Abu Hesham s had just moved to America
and to which spot in that vast country, but NASHVILLE!

Abu Hesham picked up the receiver and rang him. Ali, he called, will
you do something for me? Please find a man in your local telephone book
called Ron Wyatt; call him, and tell him to phone me here in Saudi
Arabia. IMMEDIATELY!

I am sure Abu Hesham was shaking with excitement as he waited

And I shall let Ron s wife Mary Nell tell you what happened next.

The phone rang, she recalls. Ron was home at that time and he
answered it. As I listened to this part of the conversation, I knew this was
a strange call. He got out his pen and wrote down some information and
soon hung up. Looking at me, he was almost pale. I asked him who that
was and he explained that it was a person who lived in our area and that
they asked if he was Ron Wyatt. He said, Yes. And then they went on to
explain that they didn t know what this was all about, but a friend of
theirs had just called them from Saudi Arabia and asked them to try to
locate a man named Ron Wyatt who lived in Nashville, and tell him to
immediately call him in Saudi. This person gave Ron the phone number.

Have them for free!

Ron called Abu Hesham. And he heard the man s amazing story. Not
only that, but this man wanted to GIVE Ron all the video and
photographs! Prayers answered!

Mrs Wyatt adds:

We now have over 12 hours of video and about 400 photographs! It is

perhaps the most spectacular miracle I have ever witnessed. But for now
we must protect Abu Hesham s identity. He told us that he will be in
grave danger if it is discovered that he has photographed this area,
because the Saudis are now jealously guarding it. In fact, Dave Fasold
told me last week that Larry Williams book about Jebel el Lawz has
been banned in Saudi. This was confirmed when we talked to Abu
Hesham a couple of days later. He told us that there was a big uproar in
Saudi over the site because of the book, and that it was extremely
dangerous for anyone to even try to go to the area. It will be even more
interesting to see what happens regarding Jebel el Lawz.
Since this, more dramas have begun to unfold

How you can get more information

OK, I could just keep going.

Our past is just so intriguing! That s why I became a field

archaeologist.

In at least 28 expeditions, we have been to the bottom of the sea

and to remote mountain and desert regions of the world. We
slept on ashes, dived among sharks and dodged terrorist
ambushes.

You ll be amazed at what else there is! click here

With warm regards,

Jonathan Gray
[email protected]