*Tarim Basin-Tocharian Mummies
This is called The DNA of God Project because seven  graves along the Old Silk Road have been linked with Biblical stories,
and with each other as a family. They may have traveled here following the history of many dispersed tribes of Israel.
A comprehensive  archaeological survey will be done at each site, led by local archaeologists from each country. Where DNA
can be recovered (as through strands of hair or a small bone fragment) the DNA will be analyzed and compared with the other
graves to see if they are indeed related. The DNA will further be compared with modern claimants who believe these graves
are their ancient ancestors. The DNA will help determine if the family of Jesus were connected with local Pashtuns (HERE  and
HERE) or ancient  Tocharians (HERE).  The graves are in three countries along the Old Silk route: Pakistan, India (Kashmir) and
China, as shown on the above map.




NOAH-MANU

This grave is located in Tanda, a small village a few miles north of  Sialkot. It is one of a series of Barrow style graves (HERE)
on a hillside, each about 30 feet or 98.4 meters in length (also known as tumulus or kurgan style graves). A local historian,
Mohammed Zaman Khokhar thoroughly researched these graves for years. He wrote a book in six volumes (published in
2000) "The Ten Yard Graves of the Beloved of Pakistan."

JOSEPH (Father of Jesus)

In Pashtun, the predominant local population and language, Joseph becomes Yusaf, thus the name Yuz Asaf, as 'son of
Joseph' links Joseph the father with Jesus, his son buried nearby in Srinagar. Several years ago Pakistan TV aired a
documentary film about this grave. It is alleged to be the grave of Joseph, father of Jesus. The documentary was made by a
local independent film crew based on the legends surrounding this grave. Since then, the film had been forgotten and is now
lost. Efforts are underway to relocate the site and include this grave in the project.

MARY (Mother of Jesus)

The grave of Mary is well known. It has been written about extensively around the world. It is situated on a hilltop in the
Himalayan Mountains, in an area known as the Punjab (Rawalpindi). The name of the town is now Murree. It  was originally
known as Mari, named after Mary (Hazrat Mariam in the Quran).  Local residents have always supported efforts to locate this
grave and move it to a safer location. The site has been disturbed several times by construction and by bomb attacks against
the transmission tower on the hilltop.

There is another  interesting legend associated with this grave. It is about the donkey that pulled the cart of Mother Mary up the
steep mountain for her burial. It had made the long journey from the Holy Land with Mary. Soon after Mary's burial on the
mountain, the donkey collapsed of exhaustion and died in the region around Muzaffarabad. Following an ancient Egyptian
tradition, Jesus buried the donkey with full honors. I made several attempts to locate this grave in the heavily forested
mountains but was unsuccessful. There have been no plans to retrieve the donkey's DNA.





Aaron  (Brother of Moses)

This is a barrow-type grave called a cairn. Built above-ground of rocks, it is situated on the site of the Fourth Buddhist Council
in Harwan, Kashmir. The name Harwan is derived from the name Aaron (Aaron-Haroon-Harwan). The area has been set aside
and maintained as a historic Park by India and the State of Kashmir. Aaron's grave is located half-way up the hill and the
foundations of his home are still visible. An etched stone once marked his grave and identified him, but this has disappeared,
probably carted to  archives in New Delhi  for safe keeping. Aaron was the ancestor grandfather of Mother Mary, and Jesus may
have inherited this land from his mother and he may have been present as an elderly advisor during the Fourth Buddhist
Council. Research-author Aziz Kashmiri mentioned there is also a grave for Tanook (Tanuk), a grandson of King David,
somewhere in the region.

MOSES

This grave of Moses is also in the Himalaya mountains of Kashmir, in an area known as Bandipore. Some efforts have been
made to associate this name with the Biblical burial site of Moses called Beth-Peor. Beth (Heb: home-place of )Peor
(Heb:opening in the mountains, a pass).

"Moses was buried not far from there "in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor, but no one knows his grave to this
day" (Deut 34:6).

There are perhaps three or four different locations associated with the grave of Moses.  In the Himalayan mountains are two
sites associated with Moses. The grave located in Bandipore is  a kistvaen-type grave located on a forested
Himalayan mountain just on the border with Skardu,  (also known as Azad Kashmir, one passes through here following the
Old Silk Road as it eventually  leads to Kashgar, and to the grave of Bibi Injeel. The description of her grave is in the China
section below).


JESUS (Yuz Asaf-Issa)

Jesus is believed by many to have survived the crucifixion and later journeyed  along the Old Silk Road, settling in Kashmir,
where he died of old age. The reason he chose this location is because his ancestors (including those listed above) had been
coming here for generations, and he was following their custom. He came here to die and be buried among them, as his
mother had before him.

There are several families the belief that Yuz Asaf is their ancestor, and some of these families possess ancient scrolls with
their genealogy. Bashrat Saleem had given several interviews about his claims  before his death, but there was only mild
interest in his family scrolls at the time. Now with the great advances made in DNA testing, the Shaheen family and others are
keen to know who Yuz Asaf really was, and if he is indeed their ancestor as they believe. If proven true, then any search for a
so-called 'Grail child' may lead to Kashmir, and may be full of unexpected surprises.

Yuz Asaf is buried in the Khanyar district  of Srinagar, in a tomb known as Roza Bal. The original burial place may be a cave or
stone room carved out in the ground, with a simple shelter built over it to hold the false casket that was once full of artifacts
associated with Jesus-Yuz Asaf.   Ever since the site was first recorded in circa 112 AD, it has attracted visitors from around the
world who believed since ancient times, even before the advent of Islam in the region, that this was the grave of the prince, Yuz
Asaf (which means son of Joseph). It is primarily for the claims of the local families that DNA will be gathered.




BIBI INJEEL
Bibi Injeel translates to 'the Lady from the Bible' but no more is known about her. It is probably one of the Marians, perhaps
Magdalene, or Mary of Bethany, or Marjan (wife of Yuz Asaf) or Mariamne who was married to Moses.  Bibi Injeel's  grave is
above-ground and still visited by locals to this day. Kashgar (Kashi) is on the Old Silk Road at a major point where
north-south-east-west traffic all converge. It was once an important hub of Buddhism, and later Christianity that spread all
across China and the world from here. It is located in the region of the Taklamakan Desert where many Tocharian mummies
have been discovered. Looking at the mummies, and at depictions of Jesus, one immediately sees a resemblance, which
raised the prospect that Jesus and his family may  be linked to the Tocharian mummies. This will be easy to prove because
the DNA of Tocharian mummies has routinely been gathered for years. It is also possible that Jesus will be related to the
nearby Afghan Pashtuns who have inhabited the area for centuries and claim their ancestry from  dispersed Jewish tribes, the
so-called "Lost Tribes of Israel.".
INDIA-KASHMIR
PAKISTAN
CHINA (Kashgar)
ADDITIONAL DNA  PROJECT RESULTS