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TOPIC: Garden of Eden

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: May 18 09:34 2007

Snake cults	Permalink

Pre-Islamic Middle Eastern regions were home to mysterious snake cults, according to two papers published in this month's Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy journal. From at least 1250 B.C. until around 550 A.D., residents of what is now the Persian Gulf worshipped snakes in elaborate temple complexes that appear to have been built for this purpose, the studies reveal. The first paper, by archaeologist Dan Potts of the University of Sydney, describes architecture and relics dating to 500 B.C. from Qalat al-Bahrain in Bahrain. Two rooms in what is now known as the Late Dilmun Palace each contain 39 pits, some of which surround what appears to have been an altar. At least 32 of the pits housed ceramic vessels containing bones from rat snakes and sea snakes. Read more __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Jun 21 18:36 2006

Dilmun Solstice	Permalink

A Saudi archaeologist hoping to prove his theory that the Dilmun civilisation celebrated New Year on the first day of summer, which falls today, is a step closer to achieving his goal. Nabiel Al Shaikh will make his annual pilgrimage to watch the summer solstice at the 4,000-year-old Saar settlement this evening. However, this time he will not only be accompanied by casual spectators, but government officials as well. Information Ministry assistant under-secretary for culture and national heritage Shaikha Mai bint Khalifa Al Khalifa has agreed to visit the site to observe the phenomenon. She will take a tour of the settlement along with archaeologists from Bahrain National Museum and geologists from Saudi Aramco. Mr Al Shaikh has been visiting the settlement annually for the past nine years as he attempts to validate his beliefs that the Dilmun civilisation celebrated New Year on the first day of summer. The archaeologist, who works for the Dammam Regional Museum in Saudi Arabia, is delighted to finally gain at least some recognition for his theory. Mr Al Shaikh says an ancient temple at the settlement, which features an oddly positioned triangular corner room, was used as an astronomical device to measure the position of the sun, letting priests know it was the beginning of the New Year. If correct, Mr Al Shaikh's hypothesis means the Dilmun civilisation would have been one of the first to base its calendar on the movement of the sun, making it different to other societies of the time such as Mesopotamia, Iran and Egypt. But the expert has received little support for his theory as the sun no longer sets over the corner of the temple and is offset by around 10 degrees. However, he argues this can be explained by the natural movement of soft sand beneath the settlement, which stands on raised ground. The archaeologist hopes growing interest and awareness of his theory will lead to it being officially recognised. Source __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: May 21 14:14 2006

Umm al Binni lake	Permalink

Umm al Binni lake. This is perhaps the site of a devastating meteor impact in the Middle East that happened around 2300 BC. Latitude 30.355096° Longitude 48.640148° __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: May 21 13:24 2006

Garden of Eden	Permalink

A scientist from Boston University, Farouk El-Baz, while studying alluvial deposits in Kuwait and satellite photos of the Arabian peninsula spotted the unmistakable signs of a dry fossil river channel cutting across the desert. Originating in the Hijaz Mountains near Medina, the ancient waterway, currently concealed beneath sand dunes, runs northeast to Kuwait. Dubbed the Kuwait River by its modern discoverer, it once joined the Tigris and Euphrates at the head of the Persian Gulf. Then because of climate changes, it dried up, the archaeologists say, sometime between 3500-2000 B. C. Centred on Latitude 28.623900° Longitude 46.146331° The agreement of all of these details of the Kuwait River with the biblical description of the River Pishon mentioned in the Bible, has led some scholars to make the obvious connection. "it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and onyx stone are there." - Moses’ description of the Pishon River (2:11-12). "Bdellium" is usually understood to be a fragrant resin, found in abundance in Arabia. Many scholars have tried to locate the Garden of Eden and have failed. The only thing the Bible tells us concerning the Garden of Eden’s location is found in Genesis 2:10-14, "A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold…The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates." The exact identities of the Pishon and Havilah is unknown, but the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are well known. "Havilah" is generally associated with the western or southern regions of the Arabian peninsula. Around 6000 to 5000 B.C., there was a period called the Neolithic Wet Phase. The recent satellite photos have revealed two dry riverbeds flowing toward the Persian Gulf near the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates.. This may account for four rivers in the vicinity. The origin of the term "Eden", may be linked with the Akkadian edinu which derives from the Sumerian E.DIN. The latter words mean "plain" or "steppe". Due to sea level rise Eden is now probably underwater. The island of Bahrain entered recorded history 5,000 years ago when it was known as Dilmun to the Sumerians, the first great civilization of the Middle East. It too has been suggested that the island may have been the inspiration for the Garden of Eden. Bahrain remained an important trading and commercial centre throughout ensuing millenia, visited and at times occupied by Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Portuguese, and British. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pishon __________________

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