The Planet Fomalzab

[Hussein]

THE PLANET FOMALZAB

A Selection from Strange Stories and Wonderful Fables. Vol. 1. by Doctor Dahesh.


The planet Fomalzab drew near the earth and stood at a distance of one light year away. This planet boasts a most highly developed civilization. Once every two billion years it takes up a position near the earth where it remains for an entire year before returning to its original place.

The Emperor of the planet ordered the preparation of three spaceships to be sent to earth, the planet, for the planet, after coming close to planet earth, returns to its cosmic centre, and a spacecraft cruising at the speed of light will take one and a half billion years to reach it. Every two billion years its orbit brings it within one light year from earth.

The first ship carried two hundred men. The second contained the electronic equipment which allowed the men to keep in touch with their planet and to see one another during a cosmic communication. It also carried sophisticated gadgets which could level mountains or dig deep wells should the need arise, as well as equipment permitting the lifting of heavy weights by remote control. Devices for manufacturing food were placed in the third ship. These could convert waste and remains into delicious food in one minute, by kneading them into a paste which in turn would be shaped into delicious breads. It could also flavor foods to taste. In addition the ship was equipped with a device to control temperature as well as the weather, keeping it clear or rainy at will.

Inside it a contraption, resembling a carriage, was fitted,

which could carry six space men over land, water, or through space.

The three spaceships, each consisting of six stories, were ready for takeoff. The propellers were started silently and the ships shot up in a flash out of sight, before a crowd of statesmen and high officials who had come to see them off.

Four pilots were in control of each ship, which was oblong in shape, although the interior is helical. The pilot sits in front, holding the controls, while another sits at the rear. The other two sit on either side. Before each pilot there is a bullet proof window through which he can see his way.

The ship then was systematically driven by four men. One of them was the leader. If the ship needed to turn right, it would be difficult to do so for in trying it would cover thousands of miles and thus deviate from the course. This being the case, a violet light would be turned on in front of the pilot sitting on the right who would then lead it in the right direction. If the aim is the left side the violet light would be turned on before the pilot sitting on that side and he would guide it immediately while the front and right-hand propellers would be turned off. If the ship is to take an opposite course the violet signal would be given to the pilot sitting there and he would direct it on its course.

Two hundred men onboard the first ship sat listening to the music of their planet while their ship shot through space with incredible speed. They were dwarfs, the tallest measur¬ing not more than 35cm, yet they were endowed with extraordinary power. For instance, they could lift weights which ten ordinary people from the earth cannot move. They conversed in a language of their own by blowing through their mouths or sometimes through their noses. Occasionally they would emit a sound like whistling. They had eyes resembling the head of a nail and their ears were elongated. Their size was in proportion to their level of intelligence.

Only one woman was on board with them. She was the wife of the leader of the expedition, and measured about 30cm. Hardly a thousand years old; she was highly cultured in spite of her young age. The people of Fomalzab normally had a life span of about 6000 years, sometimes 7000 years.

Like most women, the pilot's wife was keen on appearing attractive at all times. Every now and then she would blow into a tiny gadget no longer than a finger which produced a round shaped substance where she could see her face reflected. Then the substance would melt in the air and the mirror would vanish.

Her husband, less cultured than his wife, was 2000 years old. He would have preferred not to have her present on their mission, but he was powerless before her insistence. He was aware that men admired her. She bewitched them, and they were totally under her spell, always competing for her favors. Each one of them longed to have her for a wife was she to leave her husband. Happy was the man she would choose. For this reason he gave in when she insisted, and she accompanied the expedition.

For a whole year, the ship floated in space, cutting its oceans with the speed of light, observing the earth with its good and evil by means of its wonderful instruments which enabled it also to obtain copies of the papers and magazines issued on earth. Those were translated into their own languages by means of an electronic apparatus. In this way, they became familiar with the writings of the inhabitants of the earth, which compared poorly with their own fine literature and culture.

Savalia, wife of the leader of the expedition, spent most of her time in the garden where she sat among the strange plants of Fomalzab, picking flowers, pinning them to her hair, feeding her vanity as a woman. She would listen to the songs of the colorful birds echoing in the air like a melody from heaven.

One day, in a spell of enchantment with her beautiful surroundings Savalia burst into song:

I am the fair Savalia
Aloft in the spaceship Yatania shooting at light speed
As I sit in the paradise of Fomalzab, my beloved planet,
Among the wondrous blooms,
Where nightingales of my planet warble,
Joined by birds from the land of my birth
Where I long to return
I long to reach the planet Earth
And see a world other than mine,
There to roam the hills and plains and valleys.
Then I shall long for Fomalzab, city of my dreams,
And I shall return to the land of my birth,
To die and lie buried in its sacred soil.
***********

They had agreed on a landing spot. Now they were coming near it at an altitude of twenty million miles. All ships stopped their engines and started another set at normal speed as they prepared to land until at last they came down on a vast plain.

Their landing happened to coincide with a passing caravan gaping with astonishment; the men came near for a closer look when they were blown up into the air. They saw a number of dwarfs blowing excitedly. They understood from their blowing and their gestures that they were being asked to go away immediately, which they did, shaking with fear.

The propellers stopped.

The pilot of the mother ship pressed a button and a large dome, somewhat like a tent, blew out, casting its shadow on the ship. The other two pilots did the same. By now the villagers had gathered around the strange creatures, hardly believing their eyes. The little creatures scuttled away to a near-by wood at half an hour's distance, followed by the curious crowd. Then they climbed up the trees, inviting the villagers to follow them. They tore the leaves off the branches and placed them in huge containers. Then they exposed them to some green rays that came out of a small machine. The leaves turned to dough. They cut and shaped them into small loaves which they ate, sharing them with the villagers who found them very pleasant to the taste.

They obtained water by exposing a vessel to some yellow beams which caused water to collect inside. It tasted like the water of mountain springs and its temperature could be regulated at will.

Each dwarf carried a hollow metal stick 31 cm long and 20cm thick, open from the top with wheels fixed to the bottom. Each one of them entered his stick and immediately they raced back where their spacecrafts were standing, leaving behind them an incredulous crowd.

The men of Fomalzab chose a vast site in the village where they collected their electronic devices. From the first week of their arrival they began to build a large temple to commemorate their visit to earth. They took heaps of sand and stones, which they kneaded together with their electronic machines and proceeded to cut them up into huge columns and blocks of stone. They raised the columns upright with their strange machines and fixed a huge capital on top of each. Then they laid the roof by means of interlocked pieces .of stone, and built a high wall all around the temple. A huge block of stone, made of the mixture of sand and stone was left lying on the ground where it still stands, known as the cornerstone. The whole structure took no longer than one month in the building thanks to those fantastic devices. Many of the people from Fomalzab married girls from earth who gave birth to boys and girls after the strange creatures departed.

They departed six months after they arrived. Huge crowds of villagers came to see them off. Each side had learned a little of the other's language.

The propellers were started and once more the ships shot into the air and out of sight, returning to their planet, deep in the reaches of endless space.

They left behind them the Temple of Baalbeck, proudly defying the generations, a living memorial of their visit to earth.

New York, 2:25p.m. 29 March,

[Dan]

I'm curious about how literally this story is to be taken. Is this simply "historical fiction" in the sense that the temple mentioned in the story was constructed by or with the aid of extraterrestrials and that they have interbred with humans, but all of the details are from the Doctor's imagination? Or are we to understand that there is a planet called Formalzab and it's inhabitants really do visit the earth every 2 billion years and the nature of the last visit was exactly as described in the story?

On a slightly different note: Being as how Dr. Dahesh affirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life and the reality of their visits to earth, did he ever say anything about crop circles? Are these actually produced by beings from other worlds, and if so, what is their purpose?

[Mario]

Firstly, I would need to cross-reference the translation with the Arabic text (to make sure certain details match exactly the original).

Secondly, and based simply on my memory, yes, we are to take the piece in the literal sense.

In other words, there is a Planet called Fomalzab and that the "aliens" did exactly what is described in the original Arabic text.

I have been to Baalbek many times, and I have no problem believing the story. For example, there is one megalithic slab of stone called "The Stone of the Pregnant " (I think...) chiseled and left behind. No one knows where it came from. It's huge and it is in one piece.

It is worthwhile to note that Doctor Dahesh wrote about Baalbek twice (at least, or, rather, that I know of). I found another piece dated 1944. In this one, he simply poses the question (and I paraphrase) "Is it possible that an alien civilization built it?"

Then, in the late 1970's, he published that story and the details would be subsequently told. Perhaps, in 1944, people were not ready for the concept...

Lastly, I don't personally believe that the Planet Fomazab exists in our physical dimension in a manner that would allow us to see it, regardless of how far and fast we traveled. Please refer to the thread started by with WingdedPaladin concerning the Moon dwellers.

As for the Crop Circles. I do not have information pertaining to that matter.

On a separate note: I asked Doctor Dahesh about the Pyramids and he said that those were built by humans only and I remember him saying that it took something in the order of 20 years. (I am sure per pyramid)

[Mario]

VOOMAALZAAB and not Fomalzab!

Back when Hussein posted this translation, I didn't (personally) feel it was my place to get involved in doing any translation. After all... what do I know?

But (fast forward almost two years later!) when Sandrine contacted me right after reading an English translation of what was then titled "Journey of a Red Rose" and prompted me to rediscover this monumental piece in its original Arabic version (and Sandrine even took the time to transcribe for me the pages she read) I was rather surprised how far off the mark the translation she had in her possession was.

For starters, even the title was wrong...

And gone were all the lavish "brush strokes" inherent in Doctor Dahesh's "streamlined" and "economical" style. In other words, you read it and you think to yourself "this is easy!"

But it is far from being that!

So we decided to do this piece justice. I would translate it into English, and in turn, she would translate it into French.

We both agreed that the goal here was the following: To preserve as MUCH as possible the style of the Doctor's writing. And that even though in the final analysis, the text might not sound "hip" or "modern" in the strictest sense of the word, so what?

This IS Doctor Dahesh's style and (furthermore) this is the Arabic Language. It is lavish and melodious. Silky and light. Heavy and thunderous... See... There I go... In any case... it is a STYLE. Even "Classical" music has styles... Some pieces are free flowing and evoke nature while others are structured to the extreme. There are good and bad specimens in both styles.

And so the slow work began. Personally, and for starters, I doubled-checked (practically) every word in the Dictionary before reconstituting the imagery that Doctor Dahesh originally created based on my (let's call it) aesthetic sense, musical ear (I play many instruments and I am told I play them well) and... heck... I SPEAK the language. Then I sent them to Sandrine. And she repeated the process: maintaining as much as possible the voice of Doctor Dahesh and always taking a back seat.

You see, it wasn't about us showing off how gifted we were as writers.

Who cares.

In this capacity, we considered ourselves as being stewards...mere servants in the service of a highly precious set of writings we consider to be (in effect) REVELATION.

Then on May 7, I saw the dream...

In that dream, I saw Doctor Dahesh very upset that his books were not being translated into English (incidentally, the dream is noted somewhere else on Daheshville...) He even said (in the dream) "If you want something to be done right, you'd better do it yourself!..." and he added that it would have been easier if he had written them in English to start with...

So, my personal advice to anyone who is willing an able: TRANSLATE.

Oh, and BUY A DICTIONARY! Don't just ... translate in Google...

I know it is tough... but for every drop of sweat you produce, keep remembering why your Beloved Guiding Prophet came to Earth and endured everything he had.

That being said... I don't think the title of the above piece is "Planet Fomalzab"... In fact, looking at the ORIGINAL Arabic Text, I see that the title is "The Planet Voomaalzaab"

Hey Sandrine, I think I just found us our next project!

[Loup Solitaire]

I appreciate your efforts

I am certain that this is not an easy undertaking. What I have seen so far is elegant,

[Mario]

I am certain that this is not an easy undertaking. What I have seen so far is elegant,

Thank you Ron. We appreciate your kind words.

[Mario]

When DID the construction of Baalbek take place?!

Slowly but surely, the work on "Planet Voomaalzaab" underway. Incidentally, the version Hussein posted can be seen on page 88 of Dr. Ghazi Brax's "LIGHTS UPON DR. DAHESH and DAHESHISM"

In meantime, and I am not sure if anyone noticed the part about the aliens keeping a record of the daily newspapers, weekly magazines, and published books... of the time... when Baalbek was built.

Now, most probably what I just said did not mean much to those who don't know their History. So, I will give a brief review:

It was always believed that Baalbek was built over the course of several generations. That first, the Phoenicians founded the core of the structures in honor of their Gods "Baal" and "Astarte" ... and that the Romans added to it, then the Arabs...

Incidentally, I got this little bit of information from the book that the Doctor offered to me as a gift in 1980. In it, we see many pieces written between the years 1927 and 1944 ... the year the events we see in "Innocent in Chains, The Notes" took place. In fact, there are several pieces written between July 15 1944 (the assassination attempt by the Phalanges Militia by order of Bechara El Khoury to Pierre El Gemayel was on August 28, 1944) and December 31, 1944. When placed in context of "Innocent in Chains, The Notes" some of these pieces give us an idea of when certain events took place, where he was at a certain time (for example, there is one piece written while he was in Aleppo on October 7, 1944... then another piece called "Do Dreams Actualize?" written on October 10, 1944. And if you've read "Innocent in Chains, The Notes" that would mean something to you!

Of course, when I first read these pieces (and who is kidding who...I am not even sure I ever opened up that particular book until recently), these were merely poetic expressions. However, I am now even more convinced than I have ever been before that what he wrote (if not blatantly clear) was a code and is packed with hidden meaning. In essence, there are "clues" to be discovered (assuming, of course, that whoever what editing the manuscripts at the time did not leave out some elements of forgot to correct a typographical error... and I know from experience that minor Typos were common).

In any case, on JULY 15, 1944, Doctor Dahesh writes a piece called "The Ruins of Baalek."

In that piece that predates Man leaving Orbit, Doctor Dahesh does not reveal what he would subsequently reveal on March 29, 1977 (while he was in New York City). That's almost 33 years later, in case you don't have a calculator.

He gives hints by asking certain questions. And leading to that, he does clearly state his opinion on this matter of the Phoenicians, Romans, and Arab civilizations each building or expanding upon what its predecessor did... His argument — beside the fact that neither the Phoenicians nor the Romans had any technological ability to undergo such a feat (and anyone has to only ponder at the absolutely titanic size of that monolithic piece of stone called "Hajar El Heble" (Stone of the Pregnant Woman) which "someone" has left behind, and which had confounded the engineers of the day (and, in those days, the Atomic Age had begun). Plus, he brings out a very interesting point: Why would the Romans build anything so far bigger and more majestic and which dwarfs anything in ROME?!

Then he brings up the theories put forth certain scientist, especially the Soviets (that maybe our planet was visited by aliens a very long time ago...)

So, this brings up a very interesting point then: If these ruins predated the Phoenicians, then that means (just about) everyone copied the Architectural style reflected in these (for starters) columns... Therefore, that architectural style we see (with different variations on the theme, from the Doric to the Ionic (with its scroll volutes in its capitals ... Helical design... just like the inside of the ships) to the Corinthian — in Greek Architecture MUST have been copied from Baalbek. And as we know, the Romans pretty much copied Greek architecture, built upon it and introduced the Arch. Oh, and let us not forget the ancient EGYPTIANS

So, just how old is Baalbek? Thousands of years? Millions of years? Billions of years? Doctor Dahesh wrote in 1944:

"So what is the secret of these mighty columns... that challenge the centuries and mock time? Might there be non-human brains behind them, and non-terrestrial forces?"

An in the story of "Planet Voomaalzaab" we see a tiny hint that, in fact, when this alien civilization visited our Earth—sometime ago—there evidently were such things as "daily newspapers, weekly magazines, and printed books.

[Daheshville]

On that page you'll find some snapshots showing the sheer massiveness of the "stones" used in Baalbek...

For example, check out the scale of some of the stones...

And here are some excerpts from the commentary (reprinted from this ABOUT.COM page)

"At 290 feet long, 160 feet wide, the Temple of Jupiter Baal ("Heliopolitan Zeus") in Baalbek, Lebanon, was created to be the largest religious complex in the Roman empire. As impressive as this is, one of the most impressive aspects of this site is almost hidden from view: beneath and behind the ruined remains of the temple itself are three massive stone blocks called the trilithon.

These three stone blocks are the largest building blocks ever used by any human beings anywhere in the world. Each one is 70 feet long, 14 feet high, 10 feet thick, and weigh around 800 tons...

Beneath the trilithon are another six huge building blocks, each 35 feet long and thus also larger than most building blocks used by humans anywhere else. No one knows how these stone blocks were cut, transported from the nearby quarry, and fit so precisely together...

The fact that people today are unable to imagine how the construction was accomplish is not license to make up fairy tales, though. There are so many things which we today can do which the ancients couldn't even imagine; we shouldn't begrudge them the possibility that they could do a thing or two which we can't figure out yet."

OK, fair enough... let's all then try to figure out how to rough cut and then perfectly sculpt (not taking into consideration wind erosion and natural disasters) a single, megalithic, 70 feet long, 14 feet high, 10 feet thick, 800 ton piece of stone from a quarry whose scale doesn't seem to match the stones believed to have been cut from it.... then move it into position!


Oh, and by the way, here is a snapshot of the "Stone of the Pregnant Woman" (in the so-called Quarry). And, someone should explain to the author of the article the difference between "Pagan" and "Atheist"...

[Johnson]

Wow... Many of these pictures I have never seen before... absolutely amazing...

"daily newspapers, weekly magazines, and printed books"...

Just unbelievable... Thank you for all your work and analyses...

Is there more about VOOMAALZAAB than what is in the first post? ...in Dr. Dahesh's book, Strange Stories and Wonderful Fables?

[Mario]

And note how "sharp" the "Stone of the Pregnant Woman" still is after... thousands of years... and who knows, perhaps this structure was present before the last "reboot" which I now believe it is.

In which case: all the major architectural influences came for it. And there another surprise (which the translation we see above leaves out...): The roofs were made of that "stone" (which was a putty fashioned from sand and rubble). In the images showing recreations of the temple complex, we usually see renderings in which the roofs are covered with red tile. The assumption was, of course, that timber was used.

Not here. The roof structure was also made of these stone modules, but then they were welded to form a seamless whole, which would then explain why you didn't need buttresses on the outside. This whole thing was pretty much "welded" together it seems.

But, back to this issue of the architectural styles: people might wonder "Well, then how come neither the Egyptians nor Greeks were not able to adopt the arch?"

My opinion? I don't think they understood how it worked, let alone construct one.

[Mario]

Is there more about VOOMAALZAAB than what is in the first post? ...in Dr. Dahesh's book, Strange Stories and Wonderful Fables?

I won't know until I am done with the whole thing...

[Chad]

Even theses stones structure and geology isn’t from the area and comes from far and different area which make it so hard and difficult for any civilization at these days to build.
Even Modern Construction companies tried to rebuild samples and failed in reconstructing the same architect which leaves you astonished for the measurements and design integrity at these days and wonder how and why they were build.

[Mario]

Thank you!!

Even theses stones structure and geology isn’t from the area and comes from far and different area which make it so hard and difficult for any civilization at these days to build.
Even Modern Construction companies tried to rebuild samples and failed in reconstructing the same architect which leaves you astonished for the measurements and design integrity at these days and wonder how and why they were build.

Exactly Chad! And you have (as I) seen these up close. This is "ROCK."

And, even from the picture, we see how far that megalith lies away from the remaining six columns. Here is a reprint of the information that accompanied the image of the "Stone of the Pregnant Woman"

"The Baalbek trilithon is a set of three massive stone blocks which are part of the foundation of the Temple of Jupiter Baal ("Heliopolitan Zeus") in Baalbek. They are so large that people cannot imagine how they were cut and transported to the site. As impressive as these three stone blocks are, though, there is a fourth block still in the quarry which is three feet longer than the blocks in the trilithon and which is estimated to weigh 1,200 tons. Locals have named it Hajar el Gouble (Stone of the South) and Hajar el Hibla (Stone of the Pregnant Woman), with the latter apparently being the most popular.


In the two photos above you can see just how large it is - if you look closely, each image has one or two people on the stone to provide reference. The stone is at an angle because it was never cut away. Although we can see that it was cut to be made part of the Baalbek site, it remains attached at its base to the underlying bedrock, not unlike a plant which still has roots in the earth. No one knows how such a massive stone block was cut so precisely or how it was supposed to be moved.
As with the trilithon, it's common to find people claiming that since we don't currently know how the ancient engineers accomplished this or how they planned on moving this massive block to the temple site, that therefore they must have employed mystical, supernatural, or even extraterrestrial means. This is just nonsense, however.Presumably the engineers had a plan, otherwise they would have cut a smaller block, and an inability to answer the questions right now simply means that there are things we don't know."



I just did some basic math here... and let's say every person in able to pull 50 Kilograms (about 100 pounds).

On a good day, we'd need a small group of 24,000 people to pull!

Assuming we have a way to "tie ropes" around it, and keeping in mind that the ropes need to be parallel to the axis of the megalith (in other words, no "fanning out") in order to achieve maximum pull—oh, and we have to imagine being able to place this on tree logs (rollers)... and, OK, let's make it simpler, let's assume we're pulling the 800-ton rock (there are three of them in The Baalbek trilithon) so that brings us to around the neighborhood of 16,000 people only...

OK, now, let's assume we can have rows of 4 people (since the section of each of the blocks of the The Baalbek trilithon is 10x14 feet... we would need 4000 rows of 4 people. And let's now assume there is only one meter separating the rows (that's TIGHT), we end up with 4 KILOMETERS.

First problem with that (and assuming these were built during the Roman Empire's reign): There were no walkie-talkies.

Why would need them? Well, just how on earth are we going to coordinate the PULLING?

And even if we do "the wave" and assume that it takes half a second for each row to realize that it has to pull... it would take a full... 2000 seconds for "everyone" to be pulling at once. OK, you might argue that there might be some complex calculus involved. Still, how long can one person pull in one "stroke" (think of engine cylinders). Ah, so maybe each row "cycles independently" (pull-release, pull-release...) until everyone pulls and releases in sync?

OK, so we managed (using a complex web of ropes that extends 4 Kilometers) to pull... and turn... and somehow drive the megalith over a ramp... Good. Now. How do push it off the ramp (or inclined plane... made of really compacted soil... I mean sure, once the first megalith is slid over it, that soil will be compacted. But chances are that 800 tons will cause the logs to dig into it... But, let's assume we got it there: now what? How do we push it off the rollers and position it?

And let's talk about this business of using "levers and fulcrums" ... let's ponder this...

It is 70 feet long (21.33 meters) So if we placed 70 beams on fulcrums from end to end... that means each lever will have to move 11,000 kilograms... or around 20,000 pounds.

Ok, so we're not talking about regular timber beams here... They have to be thick tree logs, that would wave to somehow slide under the belly of the megalith. So we dig under the stone. We build wooden towers with pulleys that allow us to lift the tree logs up (so that we can place the fulcrums) OK. now we have 10 tree logs... weighing thousands of pounds (I am assuming) on an incline, the nose of each wedged under the rock... And we bring back our 16,000 volunteers and they ... pull ... or push down?

Do you see the logistical problem here? You have to PUSH down. If you have ... (doing the math) 1,600 people pull on each tree log, you'd catapult that baby into the air. And if you know enough about engineering to be dangerous, you know that the pulling has to be as vertical as possible... So, just were are we going to place 16,000 people in such a way that then can push down? A complex system of pulleys? Assuming you can create a system using 100 pulleys (which WOULD be a feat!) in each row, you're still talking about over 1000 people from end to end... Or, how about we dig a 4000 meters canyon and people can budgie jump and use their body weight as leverage!

[Johnson]

... and all this was done within one month.

[Mario]

... and all this was done within one month.

I am sure with overtime...