 However, amongst communities in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia) and the Arabian Peninsula, khat-chewing has a long history as a social custom dating back thousands of years.Ancient Egyptian imperial cults considered the khat plant a sacred substance, which was capable of realizing a user's divinity.These early Egyptians consumed the plant ceremoniously in attempts to transcend into "apotheosis" and or garner and manifest mystical experiences, systemic trances, and other metaphysical experiences rather than habitual recreational use or abuse.