AbraMelin lived and maybe still lives in 1700s Egypt. He lived in the soundless desert on a hill surrounded by lush green trees. For miles in all directions was nothing except white flat sand continually ebbing and flowing with the winds.
AbraMelin was a mage with extraordinary skill and power. We might not even know of his existence today if not for a man called Abraham, a Jew who traveled the known world back then seeking a great master to teach him the art of magic.
Magic is the result of what a mage can do.