What is "mashu"

Mashu, as described in the Epic of Gilgamesh of Mesopotamian mythology, is a great cedar mountain through which the hero-king Gilgamesh passes via a tunnel on his journey to Dilmun after leaving the Cedar Forest, a forest of ten thousand leagues span. Siduri, the Alewife, lived on the shore, associated with "the Waters of Death" that Gilgamesh had to cross to reach Utnapishtim, the far-away.

The corresponding location in reality has been the topic of speculation, as no confirming evidence has been found. Jeffrey H. Tigay suggests that in the Sumerian version, through its association with the sun god Utu, "(t)he Cedar Mountain is implicitly located in the east, whereas in the Akkadian versions, Gilgamesh's destination (is) removed from the east" and "explicitly located in the north west, in or near Lebanon". One theory is that the only location suitable for being called a "cedar land" was the great forest covering Lebanon and western parts of Syria and, in consequence, "Mashu" is the whole of the parallel Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges, with the narrow gap between these mountains constituting the tunnel. The word Mashu itself may translate as "two mountains", from the Babylonian for "twins". The "twins", in Semitic mythology, were also often seen as two mountains, one at the eastern edge of the world (in the lower Zagros), the other at the western edge of the world (in the Taurus), and one of these seem to have had an Iranian location.

MASHU was a Canterbury scene improvisational supergroup that lasted from 1995 to 1998. The name is a reference to Mashu (a mountain in the Epic of Gilgamesh) and a combination of the first two letters of the band members' first names: MArk Hewins (guitar), SHyamal Maïtra (percussion), and HUgh Hopper (bass).

Hopper and Hewins had already been collaborating as a duo when they were joined by Maïtra, formerly of Gong. The band debuted in February 1995 at the Vortex Jazz Bar. A European tour followed in April 1995 from which is taken their only release, Elephants in Your Head? (1996). Saxophonist Frank van der Kooij guested on the first tour date, with saxophonists Didier Malherbe and Elton Dean guesting at a later show.

The band played a handful of shows in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Since then, Hewins and Maïtra have continued to work together in other projects.