The Crypts of Eden

Let me begin this preamble by stating that I used the allusions mentioned in the Book of Genesis, the Torah, the Koran, and all the Göbekli cuneiforms as guides of reference as they relate to the geographical location of {Edin}, putting {Edin} at the {headwaters} of the four rivers that include the Tigris, Euphrates, Pishon and Gihon. Though the Pishon and Gihon are speculated to have been in the southeast of Turkey rather than northern Iraq, it is now believed that these tributaries dried up over several millennia, which would place {Edin} in Turkey rather than in Iraq, Africa or the Persian Gulf. By using these references as orientation points, I was able to triangulate a site in Turkey using the coordinates 36° 13′ 23.88″ N, 37° 55′ 20.64″ E.

With the use of satellite imagery and ground-penetrating radar, a most amazing discovery was made. Using those coordinates, I was able to determine a linear structure hidden beneath the sands in southeast Turkey. Without a doubt it is massive in size and constructed with geometric configurations that are (not) natural features derived by Nature.

So with the strength of this data along with my reputation, I presented a proposal to the Administrative Board at AIAA to financially back an expedition into Turkey in search of {Edin}. Not only did it take all of two days to garner complete support, but I was duly assigned the task to choose nine candidates to serve as my team.

My daughter, Alyssa, has chosen to remain in Göbekli Tepe to piece together the history regarding the development of mankind, rather than partake in a most amazing adventure. But she has chosen responsibility over curiosity, which shows me that she possesses a great deal of fortitude to see things through.

And for that I am truly proud.

So barring my daughter from joining my expedition, I have chosen a team comprised of five senior archeologists from the AIAA, my apprentice and aide Montario, and three candidates from the German Archaeological Institute of Istanbul (the latter condition mandated by the Turkish government, requesting that I share mutual authority with the professorships from the Institute of Istanbul in order to receive the proper licensing).

After weeks of preparation we began our journey to said coordinates. I, however, kept the location a secret from my team for fear of misappropriation from competing scholars. But the underlying truth is more selfish, since I want to be the one to point the finger of discovery of this site. But on the flip side, I also regard this to be my personal right.

After reaching our debarkation point, which was seven miles from ground zero, at least according to my GPS tracker, we trekked over rocky terrain until we came upon the fringe of what appeared to be an unnatural formation. Whereas the region was entirely flat, this area was lifted as if the landscape heaved squarely upward.

After scaling the rise, it was quite clear that it was the only such mount for as far as the eye could see. And rather than being rounded or taking on an indescribable shape, the rise was nearly perfectly square with the four sides equal in length at one-half kilometer per side, or by American standards, one-third of a mile.

Whatever lay beneath the terrain was massive.

By the time the sun set, we had made camp at the crown point of the rise, all of us chatting excitedly by the fire wondering what historical treasures lay beneath our feet. But it wasn’t until the following morning that we discovered a passage on the southeast side of the rise — a small opening large enough for a man to pass easily through.

What was most disturbing; however, were the fresh tracks around the hole. Since we’re archeologists and hardly knowledgeable about the nature of beasts, we tried to determine which nocturnal creature would possess such prints, which appeared to be heavily padded, with the points of its claws leaving impressions in the sand. The consensus was that it was a large cat, perhaps the cave a refuge from the hot sun. But whatever it was, it put us on alert.

Nevertheless, science does press on.

After taking a lamp from Montario, I pointed it into the hole, the light penetrating perhaps thirty feet. However, at the breach of the opening where the sand had been blown in by desert winds, I could see walls that were black and polished as an onyx gemstone.

So without fear of consequence as to what made those footprints around the breach, I cast aside all caution and ventured inside.

When I stood within the warren with the opening to my back and the lamp held high, I could see that the tunnel had been fashioned into a perfect trapezoid shape, wide at the bottom and thin at the top with the walls slanting inward and upward to meet ceiling with floor. It was faultless in its geometric shape, the walls perfectly flat and completely unblemished.

The marvel of such technology was a puzzle to me. How was it even possible to develop this tunnel thousands of years ago when the Neanderthal still walked the planet? I was so stunned I couldn’t begin to conceive anything around me as being genuine because everything appeared so surreal.

But the most astonishing thing was the engravings on the wall above the entrance. The figures appeared to have been acid-etched into the surface of black silica, the calligraphy of four letters a combination of pre-Sumerian characters and Göbekli script.

As I pieced them together, my heart appeared to still inside my chest, or perhaps I was just holding my breath too long as my eyes went from one letter to the next, deciphering.

What I translated was this: α Ϯ Д Ѡ

α, represented the letter E,

Ϯ, the letter D,

Д, the letter I,

Ѡ, the letter N.

I was literally standing upon the threshold of EDIN. And because it was such a glorious moment in my life, I didn’t realize that I had lowered myself to my knees until Montario lifted me back up.

And as I stood there looking at the etchings with awe, my mind understood everything as I read further text: In the Land of Edin is the Garden of God, the One True Paradise.

According to scientific conventions, the world began in about 4000 B.C., which is 8000 years after the civilization of Göbekli Tepe was created. The intricate writings found upon the pillars in Göbekli Tepe are the same found upon this wall as the Sumerian-like text clearly defines this as the temple of {Edin}. The only difference within the written configuration is that it predates the syntax of the language discovered in Göbekli Tepe. The wordage, barring archaic symbols, does bear a striking resemblance to Göbekli Tepe text, which leaves me to believe that those discovered within this temple is somewhat of a genesis language that had modified over time to become the language discovered in Göbekli Tepe. Since the writing appears to be primitive in structure but maintains some similarities to the writings discovered in Göbekli Tepe, this tells me that the script found here predates the Göbekli scripts by thousands of years, which will be clarified by carbon dating. So this place, this wonderful temple, may be the oldest existing civilization ever created, the true cradle of humanity which the ancient texts define as {Edin}, the paradise located within the juncture of the four rivers as all the religious texts have indicated.

Therefore, in terms of sacred reference according to the Torah, the Bible and the Koran, {Edin}, or {Eden}, may be the first site of humanity.

Dr. John Moore

The Archaeological Institute of Ancient Antiquities

New York, New York

It is beyond comprehension that the discoveries I’ve made thus far in the warrens appear to lead to the temple’s center. The surrounding walls seem to be constructed of black silica, giving it a polished sheen. The surfaces are entirely smooth, nothing but perfect geometrical planes that could only be rivaled by modern technology. Yet here we are, inside a temple that was created when man was still foraging for food and residing in caves. It is like comparing New York City to some obscure hutted village deep within the Amazon.

Even more astonishing are the ancient inscriptions along the tunnel walls. The writings, the cuneiform, the raised images of the carved reliefs, were either sculpted or etched to the finest detail that would have made Michelangelo proud.

In detail I drew the reliefs as best I could — same with the cuneiforms and inscriptions. Art was never my forte but that of my daughter’s. I certainly hope she has enough of a keen eye to decipher my renditions, since they appear to tell the chronological history of {Edin} Eden.

Most interesting was the fonts spaced every twenty meters. Each one bears a carved relief of creatures on its silica base beneath the well of a deep basin, which I believe were mandated to hold combustible oils volatile enough to remain lit by fires to light the way. Scorched residue remains along each of the basin’s rim as evidence of the fonts’ true purposes.

Though the discovery of the fonts and the inscriptions consumed most of our time during Day One, we soon found ourselves quite fatigued as the adrenaline dumped from our systems as quickly as it fired them up.

So we made camp along the stretch of a long warren with darkness flanking our edges. A single lamp remained lit as we ate strips of dried beef and drank bottled water. It was enough to tide us over.

However, as fatigued as I was, I could not sleep. So here I write beneath the feeble glow of a lamp as my team sleeps around me.

As excited as I am about the discovery of Eden {Edin,} I can’t help wonder about the religious accounts of this Paradise — of the indications of rich fauna and indigenous creatures depicted in the carved reliefs. So far all suggestions are that this temple has been created under a canopy of utter darkness, a black-silica ceiling now sustaining inconceivable amounts of earth that has gathered over twelve thousand years.

Was it strong enough to hold true? Sometimes I wonder, often catching myself looking ceilingward, telling myself that the silica has so far stood the test of time. Still, I hear noises like the creak of a board settling in an old house or a perhaps a gentle wind passing through the eaves and playing a song. But these noises are different. They sound like metered tapping. Like Morse code, very discernible.

And this allows me to believe that we are not alone.

As I look around, I see my comrades asleep and unaware, which is good, since the tapping is sometimes close, other times distant, but always moving.

Whatever else is in Eden {Edin}, I hope it is much more afraid of us as we are of it.

Dr. John Moore

The Archaeological Institute of Ancient Antiquities

New York, New York

It appears that during my entries, I was finally overcome with fatigue and fell asleep with pen and journal in hand. It wasn’t until morning (but who can tell since there is no light?) when a student shook me awake, startling me, mentioning that a team member was missing from the ranks.

Sure enough, it was discovered that a leading professor from the Istanbul Institute was gone; his bedroll missing from the fringe of light where he had bedded down the night before, saying the lamp would keep him awake since he was sensitive to the light.

Last night, as I was writing in my journal, I would often look to see the members sleeping fitfully, including Professor Ahmet Osman, whose chest rose and fell with the comfort of rest.

This morning, however, he was gone. And so was his bedroll.

Needless to say, a search was summarily undertaken to the question as to why someone would vacate his post after partaking in such a discovery. There were no answers, of course, only foolish guesses that were simply far reaching, given the man’s character.

And to deepen the mystery even further, after we had taken stock of our items, it appears that Professor Osman, should he have resigned from the premise, did so without a lamp, leaving him to wander in impenetrable darkness.

Weighted down with our own lamps, we broke up into teams of three, and ventured into three separate tunnels that led inward toward the temple’s center with the intention of meeting back at the bedding site in an hour’s time; thirty minutes out, thirty minutes back.

My team, which consisted of Professor Gedik Yiğit, an aged and affable man, and a grad student by the name of Marc Weatherby, took a tunnel with myself taking the lead and Professor Yiğit bringing up the rear.

To say the least I found myself quite fascinated with the cuneiform along the walls, the detail of their creations stunningly incredible, as if the carved bas-reliefs had been chipped by the skilled hands of Michelangelo with every remarkable aspect bearing the detailed quality of his David. The muscle tone, the curvatures, every aspect of man and creature depicted by these carvings could only have been done by lost technology that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend, but which existed more than twelve thousand years ago.

Embarrassing enough, as I took a moment to study these carvings by holding a lamp to the groupings, I was reminded by a constant but gentle urging by Mr. Weatherby to press on with a mild goading by his hand as a reminder that we were looking for Professor Osman.

There would be time later to catalogue these bas-reliefs carvings for further study.

So we pressed on with one tunnel appearing as much as another, with one font looking as much as the next. But my sense of direction has always been keen so my confidence of getting back in timely fashion was constant, whereas I could see by the faces of my team members that they did not share my attitude of self-reliance.

I could only smile at this as my internal compass told me that we were working our way toward the center of (Eden), where I took notice of the pre-Sumerian inscriptions noting the cryptic doomsday scenarios of entering certain parts of the temple at the cost of human life. Whether these inscriptions are warnings of trespassing into chambers akin to the warnings inside Egyptian pyramids, would have to be determined with further study of the symbols.

As much as my inquisitive mind wanted to stay behind or press on, we returned to our bedding point as required at the full rotation of one hour. When we returned we found the team members hunkered around the feeble glow of a lamp. Lying in the center was Professor Osman’s bedroll, torn and tattered, the cotton of its interior bleeding through gaping tears that seemed to have been committed by razor cuts. On the fabric appeared to be marginal drippings of blood, which had dried to a shade of deep chocolate in the lighting.

When I asked who found it and where, an awkward-looking student raised his hand as if he was afraid to acknowledge that he was the one who had made the discovery. He stated that he found it in the tunnel leading to a central chamber, the fabric lying gathered in the center of the hallway.

And this begged more questions: Why was the professor’s bedroll tattered and torn? And why was it located far from the site? But more importantly, where was Professor Osman?

Perhaps driven by instinct, I merely lifted the lamp in hopes that the light would be strong enough to penetrate the darkness and allow me to see what truly lie beyond, waiting. And it was here, as the team watched my every move, when they realized that we were not alone.

Dr. John Moore

The Archaeological Institute of Ancient Antiquities

New York, New York

Everyone is on edge yet no one wants to leave.

Since there is safety in numbers, we gathered into a single unit and recommenced our journey within the temple of {Edin} Eden.

What we ventured upon were more cuneiforms and pictograms, as well as unfamiliar scripture bearing Sumerian similarities which I have been noting as pre-Sumerian characters that will have to be examined at a later time. What is even more amazing is the architecture. The hallways are perfectly balanced in dimension, according to my Laser Distance Meter. Wherever we go — no matter the tunnel — the walls, the floors, the ceilings, are all composed of black silica that is as smooth as the surface of glass. I cannot even predict the tools or lost technology that were used to create such a magnificent site.

It’s almost too surreal to conceive as I stand here in the cradle of humanity.

As the hours pass by with a speed we are unaware of, we came upon a passageway that led inward toward the central point of {Edin} Eden. The passage was rather short, a walkway — if you will — leading to a chamber of possible pagan worship.

The room is circular, the ceiling domed, and all in black silica. In the room’s center is a life-size statue of a bull, fashioned from clouded quartz, which stood upon a plinth of black silica. The sculptural detail is beyond description, beyond anything superlative. It was as if the bull had been petrified into this state with every cord of muscle, the upward tilt of its head and raised foreleg, were caught at the precise moment of transition from flesh to mineral.

Even as I write this, I find myself gazing at the surrounding cuneiform which seems to suggest that there may be a Master Chamber below us that may also be a burial compartment equal to that of an exalted pharaoh, and presumably the most heralded point in {Edin} Eden. But at this stage of examination, the writings appear somewhat alien to me, and I can only assume the inhabitant to be ancient royalty. That is, of course — should my skills of interpretation be somewhat correct — if anybody is at rest within the chamber at all.

But as I sit here with my entire team asleep on the chamber floor within the shadow of the bull, I cannot help myself when I say that I’m as giddy as a child and find sleep difficult to come by. So before I close for the evening, I will grab a lamp and follow the cuneiform that suggests the way to the Central Chamber, and spy upon the secret of who lies beneath.

Dr. John Moore

The Archaeological Institute of Ancient Antiquities

New York, New York

I have come upon the most amazing discovery. There is another chamber, this time with the life-size clouded-crystal sculpture of a boar, a perfect anatomical monument indicating the creatures were idolized to some degree. Perhaps as the cuneiform suggests, they were components of the God of Nature, as well as a third chamber of an indescribable creature.

However, these are not the discoveries I’m talking about.

I have come upon a fourth chamber towards the center of the temple. Whereas three of the walls are black silica, the chamber’s focal point is the fourth wall, which is entirely constructed of clear crystal quartz serving as a diagram of the temple’s entirety, which indicates what I now believe to be the temple cap of an incredible pyramid similar to the steppe pyramids of Mesoamerica.

If the aerial photos have picked up the geographical anomaly which I thought to be the foundation rather than the cap as this drawing indicates, then what may be below us is a massive structure far greater than the base of Khufu.

The crystal schematic shows this structure to be comparable to the steppe pyramids similar to the ziggurats of Mesopotamia, rather than the pyramids of Ancient Egypt. The largest known pyramid thus far by volume in Mesoamerican is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, which is in the Mexican state of Puebla, and half a world away. But if this schematic is true, then there is no rival. Not only is Eden a structural phenomenon, but a true wonder of the world.

I have spent a good portion of time going over every cuneiform — over every engraving — thoroughly amazed that the scriptures along the crystal wall are shared by cultures worldwide to some degree. It’s as if {Edin} Eden is somewhat the originator — the true Tower of Babel — where languages originated then evolved elsewhere as a purer form.

Further depictions shows the landscape surrounding the pyramid as rich with fauna and supported by a winding river, which I assume to be the Gihon, with indigenous creatures clearly specified on the Göbekli pillars in the forms of bas-relief carvings.

Time, however, and drought has stolen the river, stripping away the fauna and forcing the creatures to migrate to richer fields. The sands have built to gradients over several millennia, covering the pyramid in the same way that the earth has claimed Göbekli Tepe and the pyramids of Mesoamerica.

It’s all here, however, with the Burial Chamber two levels below.

However, in order to get there, I must find the Master Chamber, which is the principal point on this level as indicated by the cuneiforms, which serves as the portal to the levels below.

Time, however, is running short as I must return to my team.

Dr. John Moore

The Archaeological Institute of Ancient Antiquities

New York, New York

Come morning the entire team is ecstatic about my findings, so we have moved on to the “Room of the Crystal Wall” inside the Central Chamber where they noted, catalogued, and photographed every detail from every angle.

From that point, we ventured to the temple’s master room using the markings upon the wall as a blueprint to lead us to the portal. We were not disappointed with what we found.

The room was square and the walls made of minerals we could not determine. At the center of what we thought to be the symbol of a large medallion on the floor, were seven rings and a center circle made of crystal. Beginning with the center circle, the outward rings alternated from clouded quartz to clear, with each ring bearing a series of archaic numerals and the final ring the only ring to bear several combinations of grouped numbers. It is also the only ring that moves in a clockwork direction, and works in the same manner as the dial of a combination safe. I believe the numbers on the first seven rings set the pattern of a riddle, whereas one must find the answer to the eighth ring by picking the correct sequence of the twelve numerical combinations provided on the final ring. By matching the correct pattern with the seven rings, it is my assumption that the right combination unlocks the secret to the lower levels. Should the wrong series be set, however, then I fear a terrible consequence for failing to solve the riddle correctly will follow. On each ring, starting with the center circle and working outward, I’ve deciphered the archaic numbers to be as follows:

1

11

21

1211

111221

312211

13112221

?

Already I am looking for the correct numerical pattern for the last ring — for that final combination that will grant us access to the Burial Chamber below.

Dr. John Moore

The Archaeological Institute of Ancient Antiquities

New York, New York