Garden Of Eden In Iraq Is Possibly Located In Qurna

Qurna is believed by many to be the location of the Garden of Eden in Iraq. I am talking about the perfect garden from the Bible found in the book of Genesis. You know, the story of Adam and Eve.

Many think this is just a story. I know it is real because the Bible says so. Many in Iraq believe it is real, not because it is in the Bible, but because they believe it is located in Iraq.

In the Arabic language, Qurna means "corner". About 74 kilometers Northwest of Basra there is a corner. This corner is located where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers come together. Local Iraqis say this particular corner is what is left of the garden from the Bible.

Read Genesis 2:8-14 for the biblical account. Could this be the actual place where Adam and Eve walked and talked with God? In the Bible, this incredibly beautiful place is described as the most perfect spot to live. God designed this garden especially for his highest creation--Adam and his wife, Eve.

A lot of Bible scholars have placed the first garden in the Bible in the fertile plains of Southern Iraq. The locals of Qurna claim that they live in the Garden area.

They claim it is just history, not a holy site, although Abraham was reported to have visited there about 4,000 years ago.

There is a large, now dead tree next to the water there that is called Adam's tree. The locals want it to be called Abraham's tree. The children there climb the massive tree. Sadly, there is grafitti all over the surrounding concrete that says, "Down with America" and "Down with Israel".

Qurna is a small and poor town. Its residents call the garden there Janat Adan. Shias populate the town there at the Garden of Eden.

Saddam Hussein, in his efforts to control the Shias, deprived the people of this town of water. Once a beautiful and lush area of date palm groves, the few date palm trees left do not look like they are part of a paradise. Many trees were bombed and burned during the Iran-Iraq war.

The garden is surrounded by concrete walls and a tiled floor that is cracked along with a fountain in similar condition.

The claimed Garden of Eden In Iraq is located between the Tigris River banks and a series of houses made out of mud bricks that are now falling down.

Before the Iran-Iraq war, Qurna saw many tourists, but this much-needed source of income stopped in 1980 due to the war.

Saddam tried to restart the tourism industry here once the Iran-Iraq war stopped. He had the Qurna Tourist Hotel built next to the first garden in the world but the tourists did not return.

The Qurna Tourist Hotel was abandoned until May of 2003 when supporters of the Ayatollah Muhammad Baqr al-Hakim took over the hotel. He was the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. He was killed in August of 2003 in a car bombing in Najaf. He was 63.

The Garden of Eden in Iraq, the most famous garden ever, has the potential to be a worldwide tourist attraction and moneymaker once again, but not until there is peace in the land. This could really help the local economy once the country is war-free.

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