ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TOMBS AND THE STRANGE THINGS FOUND INSIDE THEM.

• Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a collection of mummified cats that are thought to be 4000 years old. Cats had a special significance in Egyptian culture, they believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them. The Egyptian word for cats is Mau.                                                                                                                                                    

                                   

• Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the Pharaoh-est of them all? Some ancient Egyptians put makeup kits in their tombs; used by both men and women, rich and poor. The most famous cosmetic was the eyeliner which was a popular fashion at the time. The ancient Egyptians regarded beauty as a sign of holiness.

• In 1922 Tutankhamun's tomb was opened, also known as King Tut for short. It was the first tomb to be found almost intact, it contained 5398 artifacts including 2 thrones, 6 chariots, a solid gold burial mask, a makeup bag, a wig, a perfume box, and a coffin holding his mummy. King Tut must have been pretty hungry for a dead guy too, there were also 100 baskets filled with barley, figs, grapes, melons, and more tasty treats. He also loved a glass of wine, as evidenced by the many jars of it in his tomb. There was a rumor that when the tomb was opened it released an ancient curse. 

• Think King Tut was extravagant? Well, Pharaoh Khufu was buried with a boat. When his grave was uncovered near the Great Pyramid at Giza, archaeologists uncovered more than 1200 pieces of a giant boat nearby. Today, they have reassembled the pieces into a 144 feet long ship, which is now on display in Egypt. 

• We have all played the game of monopoly that felt like it lasted a lifetime... Well, in ancient Egypt they liked to play board games in the afterlife too. Many uncovered tombs showed how those who recently passed were stocked up with board games. One really popular game was called Senet, translated to "passing". 

• To live on in their afterlife, the deceased had to have their body parts buried with them, but their organs were removed during mummification, so priests stuck four organs,(liver, stomach, lungs, and intestines) in jars like these...

       There was no jar for the heart; the Egyptians believed it to be the seat of the soul, so it was left inside the body. Each organ was placed in a special jar with a top representing an animal or human head.

1) Imsety had a human head that protected the liver.

2) Qebehsenuf had the head of a Falcon that guarded the intestines.

3) Hapy had a Baboon head that secured the lungs.

4) Duamatef had the head of a Jackal and safeguarded the stomach.

• Every good Pharaoh needed servants in the afterlife, but instead of burying a real-life servant in the tomb with them, they would bury small model figurines called Ushabti. It was thought that Ushabti would come alive to serve their kings in the afterlife.

PROOFS THAT THE QUR'AN IS THE WORD OF GOD(ALLAH)

THE REMARKABLE STRUCTURE OF THE QUR'AN

  The arrangement of the Qur'an is one of the many reasons why Muslims believe that it could only have come from God. In fact, modern research has discovered an astonishing structure in the Qur'an known as ring composition. 

To demonstrate this the second chapter of the Qur'an Al-Baqarah(the cow) has been analyzed. This chapter consists of a total of 286 verses, the entire chapter can be divided into 9 groups based on the theme. The first group of verses talks about faith and unbelief, this mirrors the theme of the last group of verses. The second group covers God's creation and knowledge this again mirrors the theme of the second last group of verses. The third group discusses the law given to the Israelites which mirrors the giving of the law to the Muslims in the seventh group. 

The fourth group relates to the test of Abraham and mirrors to the tests of Muslims in the sixth group. The middle group, the fifth group is the central theme of the entire chapter, the change in direction of the Muslim prayer.

Qur'an: "We have made you (believers) middle nation, so that you may bear witness (to the truth) before others... we only made the direction the one you used to face in order to distinguish those who follow the messenger from those who turn on their heels... " [2:143]

This turning point was the change in direction of the daily prayers from Jerusalem to Mecca which represented a big test for the believers. We find the mention of this an important turning point in exactly the middle of the chapter, the 143rd verse. Moreover, this verse even contains the word middle,

Qur'an: "We have made you (believers) a middle nation" [2:143]

Together these groups form a giant ring composition, as you can see below the ring composition is structured as sort of a circle, with the central meaning placed at the center(group 5).  

You can think of it in terms of a mirror, so ring composition is equivalent to putting a mirror in the middle, what is mentioned in the first half would be reflected in the second half.

After examining these nine groups it is found that they each contain sub-ring compositions, so what we have is rings within rings. For example, in group eight, there is another ring composition with the central meaning placed at the center. Things can still be taken further, this sub-ring contains another ring within itself which is the 255th verse known as 'Ayat ul-Kursi', the verse of the throne. This can also be divided into 9 themes with the opposite verses reflecting one another and the middle verse which could be another illusion to the mirroring of ring composition. 

Now, we can see that this chapter of the Qur'an is marvelously designed to be precisely and tightly arranged according to the principles of ring composition. This precision in the arrangement is, in fact, astonishing when we consider the timing of the revelation of these verses. 

Comparing the Qur'an to other books is like comparing night and day. Most people would assume that the Qur'an is arranged chronologically, starting with the first revealed verse and ending with the final revealed verse. This is the order in which books are typically written, in a logical sequence starting at the beginning then the middle, and finally the end. But the way the Qur'an was composed is unlike any other book.

Al Baqarah, the chapter of the Qur'an that we have covered was not revealed starting with verse 1 followed by verse 2 then 3, and so on... rather its verses were revealed out of sequence over a span of many years and interspaced with the revelation of verses from other chapters. The Qur'an's unusual manner of revelation makes implementing link composition much more difficult than conventional books. 

Conventional books follow an editorial process by undergoing multiple stages of editing which allows the author to gradually refine the text over time. However, the Qur'an did not undergo an editorial process, the Prophet(PBUH) would place the verses in their positions as soon as they were revealed to him. With each new verse, he would not go off and review what had previously been revealed to see where he can position them in order to maintain a ring structure rather a spontaneous revelation was immediately followed by the placement of the verse in its fixed position. When we look at the history of the Qur'an"s compilation, there is not a single instance of a verse being moved around in order to make it fit in the ring composition.

Achieving ring composition in conventional books is rather easy as the author has complete control over the content allowing them to plan the structure ahead of time. As we have already seen the Qur'an, its content was circumstantial as they were tied to events that were out of the control of the Prophet Muhammed(PBUH), and therefore he could not plan a structure ahead of time. 

The Qur'an was first revealed out of oral recitation, not in written format. With written books, you can easily plan a structure because you can quickly and conveniently refer back to what you have written previously but with the recited text like the Qur'an the Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) would rely on his memory in order to recall what was previously revealed, a much greater challenge.

Against all odds, we find that the structure of the Qur'an contains a remarkably sophisticated structure.

Qur'an: "Your companion is neither astray nor being misled not does he say (anything) of (his own) desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him. He was taught by one mighty in power." [53:2-5]

The Qur'an was sent down in such a manner that no entity could alter or modify the verses.

"We have sent down the Qur'an ourself, and we ourself will guard it" Qur'an: [15:9].

Allah blessed his final revelation the Qur'an, with something that was not bestowed on any of the prior scriptures. He promised to protect and preserve it from any corruption, unlike other scriptures the primary means of preserving the Qur'an has and always will be through memorization.

Qur'an: "And we have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance. So is there any who will remember?" [15:9]

Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) was tasked by Allah with memorizing, transmitting and explaining the verses of the Qur'an to the Muslims, as they were revealed to him. The Muslims who had learned the Qur'an directly from the Prophet(PBUH) passed on what they had memorized to neighbouring tribes and nations.

       

This legacy of mass memorization has continued throughout history, this oral tradition spanning nearly 1400 years has seen the Qur'an being passed down from teacher to student in an unbroken chain, going all the way back to Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) himself.

It is estimated millions of Muslims worldwide of various cultures, tribes, and ages have memorized the entire Qur'an from cover to cover in its original Arabic form.

The conclusion is that the Qur'an memorized today is the same as it was taught 1400 years ago. The rules and regulations of each individual letter are also safeguarded, this ensures that Muslims not only recite the same content as the Prophet(PBUH) but also in the same style. This recitation style is known as Tajweed. Today, we can find Muslims of different cultures and nationalities who are able to recite the Qur'an as they themselves are Arabs living in the time of Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) is proof of the effectiveness of this science preserving the oral integrity of the text.       

ANCIENT ARTIFACTS

                             

1) THE LONDON HAMMER - a tool older than history 

                                       

                            

In June 1936 (or 1934 according to other sources) Max Hahn and his wife Emma were on a walk along the course of the Red Creek near the town of London when they noticed a rock with wood projecting from its core. They decided to take the irregularity home and later cracked it open with a hammer and chisel. What they found within seemed to be an archaic hammer of some sort. They decided to turn in the entity to a group of archaeologists, who checked it and revealed the rock encasing the hammer was dated to the Ordovician - more than 400 million years ago. According to initial measurements, the hammer itself turned out to be more than 500 million years old. Apparently,  it is so old that a section of the handle is transforming into coal.

What was it used for?

The metal head is approximately 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and has a diameter of 1 in (25mm), leading some to suggest that this hammer was not used for large objects but rather for fine work and soft metals. The metal of the hammerhead has been confirmed to consist of 96.6% Iron, 2.6% Chlorine, 0.74% Sulphur. The hammerhead has not rusted since its discovery in the 1930s.

2) THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM - an ancient Greek computer

 

                             

The Antikythera mechanism has been labeled the first mechanical computer, which was found in a shipwreck off a Greek island of Antikythera, buried under 45 meters of water.

 It consists of a box with dials on the outside and a very complex assembly of gear wheels mounted within. It is as complex as an 18-century top-notch clock. The level of sophistication employed by the device has forced scientists to change their perceptions of ancient Greek engineering. Nothing similar to this construction exists or has been mentioned anywhere in the writings from the period of its creation. 

This sort of complexity and workmanship did not appear in Europe until the development of mechanical astronomical clocks in the fourteenth century... so how did the ancient greeks manage to build such a complicated device with basically no technology available? It has not been figured out - yet. 

What was it used for?

The Antikythera mechanism was the world's first analogical computer, used by ancient greeks to catalog the movement and positions of the sun, moon, planets, predict lunar and solar eclipses, and even signal the next Olympics. This astronomical calculator could also divide, multiply, add, and subtract.

3) THE SAQQARA BIRD - an Egyptian plane

           

                              

    

The Saqqara bird was discovered during the 1898 excavation of the Pa-di-Imen tomb in Saqqara, Egypt. It is a bird-shaped artifact (as you may have noticed) carved out from the wood of a Sycamore tree. It weighs just under 40 grams and a wingspan of more than 7 inches, it goes back to 200 BC - 2200 years ago. The Egyptians were well aware of the principles of aviation but it is not certain what this artifact translated to. The Saqqara Bird is just one of the tiny parts of the many theories concerning the possibilities of lost ancient technology.

What was it used for? 

The purpose of this artifact is not quite certain as many archaeologists and parapsychologists could not conclude if this was one of the first models of an aircraft or just a simple little wooden bird toy of an Egyptian child or something in between?