"It seems that they (i.e. Gog and Magog) represent none too badly the present state of world politics. World politics, like the history of Gog and Magog, are very confused and much disputed. Still, I think there is room for both of them. On the one side is Gog, and on the other is Magog. But be careful, my Lord Mayor, when you put them back, to keep them from colliding with each other; for if that happens, both Gog and Magog would be smashed to pieces and we should all have to begin all over again  and begin from the bottom of the pit." (Source: The Times, London, for 10 November 1951)

The term 'The Iron Curtain', was coined by Churchill. Rather an appropriate description, for it was a Curtain of Iron which Dhul Qarnain erected to prevent Gog and Magog spreading their terrifying, malevolent corruption in the land.

In a television documentary, covering the world at war, it was disclosed that before the end of World War II, Joseph Stalin (lets say, representing Gog) and  Winston Churchill (representing Magog) met at what was called the 'Percentage Conference', at which they exchanged percentages of the various countries they controlled for those they wished to control. For instance, Britain took a 90% share in Greece, in exchange for giving up its 90% control of Rumania. Afterwards, Churchill is reported to have said to Stalin - who, by the way, was a Georgian from the Caucasus: 

"Its a pity God didn't consult us when He made the world?" 

To which Stalin is said to have replied: 

"Yes, and that was His first mistake." 

Britain then fermented civil war in Greece in which the Communists, who looked to Stalin for help, were betrayed by him. A reflection of the Arabic root of Gog (Ya'juj) portrays a meaning association of something worthless, like an artificial pearl, as well as rendering something worthless, and of destroying, annihilating and burning out. Zainab bint Jahsh reported that Allah's apostle, upon whom be showered peace, got up from sleep saying:

"'There is a destruction in store for Arabia because of turmoil which is at hand, the barrier of Gog and Magog has opened so much'. And Sufyan made a sign of ten with the help of his hand (in order to indicate the width of the gap) and I said: 'Allah's Messenger, would we be perished in spite of the fact that there would be good people amongst us'? Thereupon he said: 'Of course, but only when the evil predominates'." (Muslim)

The Bible refers to 'Magog' as the second son of Japheth between Gomer and Madai, Gomer representing the Cimmerians, Madai, the Medes. But in the list of nations, Genesis 10, the term connotes rather the complex of barbarian peoples dwelling at the extreme north and north east of the earth as one finds in that chapter; in Ezekiel 39:6, the Magog is referred to as a northern people, the leader of whom is Gog. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, article 'Gog and Magog', Josephus identifies them with the Scythians, a name which among the classical writers stands for a number of unknown ferocious tribes. According to Jerome, Magog was situated beyond the Caucasus near the Caspian Sea. The barrier referred to in the Hadith and the Qur'an is the famous wall built between Derbend and Darial. It is a very narrow defile, with overhanging rocks, occurring on the main route between Turkestan and India. It is now in Soviet territory in the district of Daghistan. Before the southern expansion of Russia in 1813, it belonged to Persia. A spur of Mount Caucasus here comes up close to the sea. A map showing this particular route is to be found in the opening of Arthur Koestler's book 'The Thirteenth Tribe'. However, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, in his translation of the Qur'an, says in the appendix to Surah 18, The Cave, in which Gog and MaGog are mentioned, that if, as he believes, Dhul Qarnain, or Zul - qarnain was Alexander the Great, then the more likely location for this iron curtain or obstruction, is near another Derbend in Central Asia. He states: 

"...I do not consider that historical or geographical considerations have much bearing on a story treated as a Parable, as Zul - qarnain's story is. Indeed all stories or narrations are referred to in the Qur'an as Parables, for their spiritual meaning. Heated controversies or dogmatic assertions as to precise dates, personalities, or localities, seem to me to be out of place." 

He further observes: 

"The question of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) and the iron barrier built to keep them out is of some interest. It is practically agreed that they were the wild tribes of Central Asia which have made inroads on settled kingdoms and Empires  at various stages of history. The Chinese Empires suffered from their incursions and built the Great Wall of China to keep out the Manchus and Mongols. The Persian Empire suffered from them at various times and at various points. Their incursions into Europe in large hordes caused migrations and displacements of populations on an enormous scale, and eventually broke up the Roman Empire. These tribes were known vaguely to the Greeks and Romans as "Scythians", but that term does not help us very much, either ethnically or geographically. If we could locate the iron barrier or iron gates referred to in Surah 18, verse 96, we should have a closer idea of the tribes whom the barrier was meant to keep out. The Barrier in the text must have been more in the nature of iron gates than an iron wall. Two Iron Gates, geographically far apart, have been suggested in the alternative. Sometimes they have been mixed up by writers not strong on geography. Both of them have local associations with the name Alexander the Great. Both are near a town Derbend, and have borne the name Bab - ul - hadid (Arabic for "Iron Gate")".

"The best known in modern times is at the town and seaport of Derbend in the middle of the western coast of  the Caspian Sea", formerly the Khazar Sea, but "the gate which corresponds exactly to the Quranic description, and has the best claim to be connected with Alexander's story ... is near another Derbend in Central Asia, Hissar District, about 150 miles south - east of Bukhara. A very narrow defile, with overhanging rocks, occurs on the main route between Turkestan and India: Latitude 38N; Longitude 67E. It is now called  in Turkic, Buzghol - Khana (Goat House), but was formerly known as the Iron Gate (in Arabic, "Bab - ul - hadid"; in Persian, "Dar - i - ahani;  in Chinese "T'ie - men - kuan"). There is no iron gate there now, but there was one in the 7th century, when the Chinese traveller Hiouen Tsiang saw it on his journey to India. He saw two folding gates cased with iron and hung with bells. Near by is a lake Iskander Kul, connecting the locality with Alexander the Great. We know from history that Alexander, after his conquest of Persia and before his journey to India, visited Sogdiana (Bukhara) and Marcanda (Samarkand). We also know from Muqaddasi, the Arab traveller and geographer, who wrote about AH 375 (AD 985 - 6) that the 'Abbasi Khalifa Wathiq (842 - 846 AD) sent out a mission to Central Asia to report on this Iron Gate. They found the defile 150 yards wide: on two jambs made with bricks of iron welded together with molten lead, were hung two huge gates, which were kept closed. Nothing could correspond more exactly with the description in Surah 18, 95 - 96."

"If then, the Barrier in Surah 18, 95 - 98 refers to the Iron Gate near Bukhara, we are able to proceed to a consideration of the Gog Magog people with some confidence. They were the Mongol tribes on the other side of the Barrier, while the industrious men who did not understand Zul - qarnain's language were the Turks, with their agglutinative language, so different from the languages then spoken in Western Asia. The Barrier served its purpose for the time being. But the warning that the time would come when it must crumble to dust has also come true. It has crumbled to dust. Long since, the Mongols pushed through on their westward journey, pushing the Turks before them, and the Turks became a European power and still have a footing in Europe. We need not bother about the legends of the Gog Magog people. They were reputedly giants, and two tiny hills in flat Cambridgeshire are derisively called  the Gog Magog hills! Similarly the statues of Gog Magog in the Guildhall in London, which Maulana Muhammad Ali takes so seriously, only remind us how legends are apt to grow and get transported to strange places. In the Alexander legends of medieval Europe, Gog and Magog are said to have come with 400,000 men to the help of Porus whom Alexander defeated, They fled to the mountains, and Alexander built a wall with brass gates to prevent their irruptions."

On page 115 of 'The Cavendish Encyclopedia of Mythology', we find a 14th - century 'Mongol' painting linking Alexander with Gog and Magog. The caption reads: 

"The legends of Alexander the Great seem to have inspired the exploits of a number of Arabian and non - Arabian warrior kings called Dhul - Qarnayn, one of whom is mentioned in the Qur'an. In this 14th - century Il - Khanid 'Mongol' painting, Iskandar (Alexander) is shown extending his realm into the northern regions perpetually shrouded by fog beyond the Caucasus on the route to Gog and Magog."

The link, between Gog & Magog, Goemagog, Gog MacGog, (Mac, meaning son of) or Yajuj * Majuj, with England, was made by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 'History of The Kings of Britain', around 1136 A.D. The two figures now standing in the Guildhall of the City of London have been officially known as Gog and Magog for the past 300 years. So was Geoffrey of Monmouth just being "inventive" or is there any additional evidence to support his assertion that Britain, particularly the occupants of the Palace of Brute, now The City of London's Guildhall, bear any resemblance to their namesakes - Gog & MacGog, (Yajuj & Majuj)? It might be a valid interpretation of the iron gate that would keep GogMagog at bay until they manage to overcome it, on a day when according to the Qur'an "people will mingle with each other like waves", that it is the mastery of iron, i.e. modern technology, that finally gave them the upper hand in world affairs after the industrial revolution.

In a recent letter to Frank McManus (the present Lord Mayor of Todmorden), John Clark, Curator of Medieval London History and Collections at the Museum of London, pointed out that the link with the City of London and the giant Goemagog goes back to 1558, when wickerwork effigies of Goemagog and his captor, the Trojan Corineus, were carried around The City in the Lord Mayors' processions. In 1558 they were placed at Temple Bar to welcome Queen Elizabeth the Ist on a visit to The City of London having been used earlier on, to welcome Queen Mary and Philip II of Spain at London Bridge in 1554.

Giants have appeared in civic processions in London for more than five centuries, according to Jennifer Westwood, in her book 'Albion. A Guide To Legendary Britain'. In 1415 a pair welcomed Henry V home after Agincourt. Prior to 1554 they seem to have been called Sampson and Herculese. But in Tudor times the more ancient legends of Albion - the earlier name for Britain - came to the fore, and with them, the names of Gog Magog - Gog the Son of Gog.

The story has it, that, Feniusa Farsa was, according to Robert Graves in his 'The White Goddess', "an ancestor of the Irish Milesians". "Why", he says "is  Feniusa Farsa described as a Scythian, a grandson and founder of the Milesian race? Gog and Magog are closely connected names. 'GogMagog', Gog the son of Gog - was the name of the giant whom 'Brute the Trojan' is said to have defeated in Totnes in Devonshire in his invasion of Britain at the close of the second millennium. But from where did Gog mac Gog originate. The answer is to be found in Genesis X,2, where Magog is described as the son of Japheth (who figures in Greek myth as Iapetus the Titan, the father of the goddess Asia of Atlas, Prometheus and Epimetheus) and as a brother of Gomer, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meschec and Tiras - who are generally agreed to have been the Cimmerians, the Medians, the Ionians, the Tibarenians, the Moschians and the Tyrrhenians. The Moschians and the iron - working Tibarenians were tribes of the south - eastern Black - Sea region; the wandering Black - Sea tribe of Cimmerians eventually became the Cymry; the Ionians ranked as Greeks in historical times but were perhaps Aegean immigrants into Greece from Phonecia; the Tyrrhenians were an Aegean tribe some of whom emigrated from Lydia to Etruria... Gog is identified with the northern tribe of Gagi mentioned in an inscription of Amenhotep III, and 'Gogarene', in Strabo's day, was the part of Armenia, lying to the east of the territory of the Moschians and Tibarenians. Magog's grandfather was Noah, and Noah's Ararat [of course Noah's ark landed on mount Judi] was in Armenia, so that Magog is usually held to stand for Armenia; though Josephus interprets the word as meaning 'the Scythians', which was an inclusive name for all the Black Sea tribes of his day." This follows on from an earlier mention of Magog where he quotes the following from Keating's 'History of Ireland': 

"Feniusa Farsa, a grandson of Magog and King of Sythia, desirous of mastering the seventy - two languages created at the confusion of Babel sent seventy - two persons to learn them."

Another point worth remembering, is the fact that in Gaelic, Jesus is called Isa Mac Maryam - Jesus the Son of Mary.

Another interesting fact is that many words in Irish are similar to Urdu and Persian. Ireland is supposed to be the Land of the Aryans. In Dublin you can find Aryan symbols. The Swastika Laundry for example; and some Irish script is similar to Indian.

It is also interesting to note, that, when Mikhail Gorbachev addressed a gathering at a  Guildhall banquet in the City of London, mention was made of "our common European home...". From the foregoing, we can see  that Gog and Magog at one level, is a blanket term for all the people of Central Asia, Russia, including the earlier Scythians and the present day survivors of the Khazars, the Ashkenazi Jews. What ever the case may be, Gog and Magog were considered to be descendants of Noah, and as such, human beings; albeit, rather tall. Similar, perhaps, in stature to Goliath, the Giant killed by the Holy Prophet David, peace be upon him. Whether or not they were all tall, the fact remains that men of giant, stature and formidable military prowess existed, and are made mention of in both the Bible and the Qur'an. It could, of course, simply be a metaphorical reference to their military achievements, like those other military "giants" Alexander and Genghis Khan. There is evidence to support the claim that they were the Mongol precursors of Genghis Khan, thwarted by Alexander or Dhul - Qarnain, who still survive. We often hear Shakespeare being referred to as one of the "giants of literature", but he was, to the best of our knowledge, of average height physically.

Following hard on the heals of finding the Ark of Noah, located as stated in the Qur'an on Mount Judi, and corresponding exactly to the biblical dimensions of 300 cubits long x 50 wide (515ft x 135ft), which have recently been carbon dated as being 100,000 years old, we have yet another archaeological find of major significance, which establishes that some accounts in the unaltered scriptures can be taken as literal truth. In 'Wake up!' a publication by 'British Israel', July/August 1994, we find the following information: 

"Goliath's skull found near Jerusalem: The Kingdom Times, Belfast, May 1994, carried the story of how a leading archaeologist had found Goliath's scull in a valley west of Jerusalem with the stone from David's slingshot still embedded in his forehead! Dr. Richard Martin says the discovery proves that David's battle with the 10 - foot giant happened just like the Bible said it did, 1,000 years before the birth of Yahshua... " This is the archaeological find of the century, if not of all time," Dr.Martin told reporters at a conference in Jerusalem. "Many people, including scholars and clergymen, would have us believe that the biblical account of David and Goliath is little more than an interesting piece of fiction," he said. "But we found this skull in the valley of El'ah, in the Judean mountains, where David's battle with Goliath was said to have taken place. Even more intriguing, the skull is huge and clearly belonged to a man of enormous stature... And if you believe the Bible, you know that Goliath was 9 feet 8 inches tall... But the most telling piece of evidence is the small round rock we found embedded in the forehead. The Bible tells that David killed Goliath with a stone thrown from a leather sling." Dr.Martin found the skull during an archaeological survey 20 miles south - west of Jerusalem on the 23rd of March, 1993. He and his assistants instantly realized that the find was important; but, it was only when they had performed tests which showed the skull to be between 2,900 and 3,000 years old that they began to think they had found the remains of Goliath. "As I said before, the skull that we had found had a rock stuck in the forehead. There was also evidence to suggest that the head had been severed from the body by a sharp object, most likely a sword. There can be little doubt that this is Goliath's skull. To be perfectly frank, I'm staking my career on it," said Dr.Martin.

It seems difficult to deny, that Gog -Magog are descendants of Noah, upon whom be peace, along with the rest of us. They were, and still are, a people with an overriding desire, and ability to create mischief, havoc and corruption as the means of attaining their objectives. Objectives, which, they believe, always justify the means. It is interesting to note that when discussing the various prophetic traditions about Gog and Magog, the tafsir of Al - Qurtubi, identifies them as the Slavs as the main group of descendants of Japheth, which throws yet another ray of light on the current conflict in the former Yugoslavia as well as previous events in the Balkans that destroyed world peace. Many of the Ahadith quoted describe the tribes of Gog and Magog as numerous and ferocious people who will degenerate into wild and bestial ways.

Further light is shed on the information given by Robert Graves, in the footnotes to Genesis, in the Scofield reference bible. It states: 

"A prophetic declaration is made that from Japheth will descend the "enlarged" races (Gen.9:27). On Genesis 10.2, it gives as the descendants of the 'Sons of Japheth' the following tribes:

1. Gomer, Progenitor of the ancient Cimerians and Cimbri, from whom are descended the Celtic family.

2. Magog: From Magog are descended the ancient Scythians, or Tartars, whose descendents predominate in the modern Russia."

Note: Tartar, The New Encyclopedia informs us, was the name employed in China and medieval Europe for the mounted nomads of Central Asia. "Under Gengis Khan and his successors they established the empire of Tartary and from 1238 to 1462 they dominated Eastern Europe. In the form Tartar the name survives in Russian use... The Tartar Republic is an autonomous republic of the USSR. It is situated between the Chuvash and Bashkir and was formed in 1920. Kazan is the capital. People of Turkic speech". "Tartary. The Name, formerly used to describe the land between the Pacific and the Dnieper River which constituted the Mongol Empire. In terms of cities sacked and lands conquered, the Mongols were the mightiest of all the nomadic peoples. In 1206, Temujin, the son of a Mongol chief, who was slain, united the Mongol tribes under his unchallenged leadership. In  that same year he was declared Gengis Khan, 'Ruler of the World'." Genkis Khan's pillaging conquests are well known. Continuing in true Ma'Gogian tradition, the Merciless Great Khan, Timur, had 20,000 people massacred after taking Baghdad in 1401. These descendants of the Gog and Ma'Gog family created the largest empire in history. Other branches would keep up the family business. Genghis Cohen perhaps?

Scofield Continued:

"3. Madai: Progenitor of the ancient Medes.

4. Javan: Progenitor of those who peopled Greece, Syria, etc.

5 .Tubal: Tubal's descendants peopled the region south of the Black Sea, from whence they spread north and south. It is possible that Tobolsk perpetuates the tribal name. A branch of this race peopled Spain.

6. Meshech: Progenitor of a race mentioned in connection with Tubal, Magog, and other northern nations. Broadly speaking, Russian, excluding the conquests of Peter the Great and his successors, is the modern land of Magog, Tubal, and Meshech."

7. Tiras: Progenitor of the Thracians."