Of course, this is all good, but is it remarkable in itself to elevate Kharfot out of obscurity? Not really. Dhofar is an undeniably ancient land, now filled with the tribes that are the successors to its ancient inhabitants. This land was once the centre of the world, the most important source of frankincense that was coveted by distant empires, so precious that its trade route made and broke kingdoms. If Nephi traced what we know now as the Frankincense Highway backwards, it is a remarkable journey for a lone group, but one that was done a countless number of times by the camel caravans. Of course this is oversimplifying it a bit – he didn’t wait at the nearest truck stop and hitchhike down Arabia – but the point is a lot of people have done so through other routes. You will find their remnants too, and many other ruins along the coast, one of the most famous of which is Samharam, in what we now call Khor Rori. The fact that you can find a mound of stones at Kharfot isn’t remarkable in itself, for you will find an entire city at Rori, or Shisr, and a thousand other bits and pieces now strewn across the mountains and deserts. What would make Kharfot remarkable is if it is proved that it is indeed the place described in The Book of Mormon – and that its temporary settlers built a ship and sailed it to some place along the eastern coast of the American continent.

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