Ur and Abraham
By Sergeant S.W. Foster

Over six thousand years ago mankind's first recorded civilization lived between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers North of the Persian Gulf. This land has become known as Mesopotamia and the city was called Ur.

Ur is located in modern Southern Iraq, near the city of Nasiriyah and is now within the perimeter of Tallil Air Base occupied by American Forces.

Ur is thought to be the oldest city in the world with over 50,000 citizens at one time.

At the site today is a grand ziggurat which is still in amazingly good shape. The ziggurat is a temple dedicated to the Sumerian Moon God Nanna. Around Ur's ziggurat lay the ruins of the ancient city.

The Bible speaks of Ur so as the age of Archaeology began over the last few hundred years, the hunt for ancient Ur became fervor-pitched as proof for biblical accounts as well as for the treasure it surely held.

The ruins of Ur were discovered and excavated in 1919 by the British. As expected, Ur held a treasure cove of gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, and ancient Art.

The excavations confirmed and expanded the historical accounts stated in the Bible.

Ur is one of the most revered sites in all of Islam and is sacred to Christians and Jews as well. Although Ur is mentioned many times in the Old Testament, the main interest in Ur from devotes of these "Abrahamic religions" are in reference to Abraham. Ur was the birthplace of Abraham.

Both the Old Testament and the Qur'an, state that Abraham was a patriarch blessed by God and is the Father of the People of Israel. The Qur'an calls his son, Ishmael, the father of the Arabs. Abraham is considered by Muslims to be one of the five most significant prophets. Christians, Muslims, and Jews accept Abraham as a role model of faith because he sacrificed his son Isaac to prove his love for God.

According to all three religions, Yahweh, (Hebrew name for God) told Abraham to go to "the land I will show you", and promised to bless him and to father the nation.

God then gave Abraham 10 tests, the most significant being his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. God then promised the land of Israel to his children, which became the first claim of the Jews to Israel.

To learn more about Abraham, please see the following sites:

The Place of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) in Islam, Christianity and Judaism

Time Magazine's "The Legacy of Abraham"

To learn more about Ur, please see the following sites:

Treasures from the ROYAL TOMBS of UR

The Jewish Encyclopedia's Page on Ur