In a very general way, I want to recount some historical highlights of the region of modern Iraq and some of the surrounding areas. From world history studies in school, we have all heard of the Fertile Crescent. It extends in an arc from the Persian Gulf south of Iraq and Kuwait northward along the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers to Haran, then southward along the Mediterranean Sea and down the Jordan Valley to the Nile River. It follows, of course, the rivers and seas and cooler mountains that sustain life. In the vast area underneath the Fertile Crescent is the Arabian Desert. The path of biblical history follows this Crescent as described above.

We heard in the news, after the museums were looted that artifacts dating back to the cradle of civilization were destroyed and stolen. Biblical scholars believe that the land between the rivers, Mesopotamia, was the site of the Garden of Eden. We do know that modern Iraq has a very ancient history, unlike America, for example.

The Bible describes that ancient location in this way in Genesis.

"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden and from thence it was parted and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasses the whole land of Havilah where there is gold. The gold of the land is good; there is dbellium and onyx stone. The name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasses the whole land of Ethiopia. The name of the third river is Hiddekel: that it which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is Euphrates. The Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Genesis 2:8-15.)

Two of these rivers are very familiar to modern readers: Hiddekel and Euphrates. In Assyrian monuments, the Hiddekel is a name which is also given to the Tigris. The other two names are not clearly identified with any known rivers. Modern Baghdad sits on both sides of the Tigris River. Due to the fertile soil for farming between the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers, most of the citizens of Iraq live in this area.

But what about the other two rivers, Gihon and Pison, that are unknown? Remember that the present geography of the world is not exactly the same as it was before the Flood of Noah’s Day. Some of the countries, rivers and oceans may bear the same names, but dramatic changes occurred during the Flood. God said to Noah,

"The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth." (Gen. 6:13.) The apostle Peter wrote, "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." (2 Peter 3:6.) Jesus called what happened, in the Greek language, a cataclysm. (Luke 17:27, Matt. 24:39.)

We could say that the Flood changed the face of the earth. Dramatic changes were caused by the power of the floodwaters. Peter wrote that those who deny the Second Coming of Jesus and the destruction of the present heavens and earth are willingly ignorant of the Flood. (2 Peter 3:5.) Therefore, the ancient Garden of Eden was destroyed by the Flood. The location and even direction of rivers changed. Mountains were formed; the waters gushing from beneath tore up the crust of the earth. The geography described in Genesis 2 does not exist in the present world, nor has it existed since the Flood.

Babel and Babylon (Genesis 11)

After the Flood, God commanded those on the ark to "be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth." (Gen. 9:1.) The people, who all spoke one language, decided that they would disregard God’s command to multiply and replenish the earth after the Flood. They wanted to make "a name for themselves lest they be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth." (11:4.) The place of the tower was called Babel because God confused their language and scattered them abroad. (11:9.)

The founder of the city of Babylon in the land of Shinar was Nimrod the mighty hunter. (Genesis 10:9-10.) This ancient city was built on both sides of the Euphrates River about 60 miles south of modern Baghdad. It became the capital of the old Babylonian Empire. The best known king who ruled Babylonia was Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC). He is not mentioned in the Bible, but history notes him due to the discovery of the Code of Hammurabi. The Assyrians took control of Babylon in the eight century BC. Babylon was destroyed and rebuilt in the 7^th century. The new Babylonian Empire began in 626 BC. Babylon achieved its greatest glory in the New Babylonian Empire. It became the site of the famous Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Babylon became one of the greatest cities of the world.

The history of the book of Daniel occurs in the city of Babylon. Daniel and his three young friends were carried away into captivity from Israel and rose to prominence under Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah foretold that Israel would remain in captivity for seventy years. (Jer. 25:11-12.) Daniel told about four empires from his day to the time when God would establish the Messianic Kingdom, beginning with Babylon. (Daniel 2.) Isaiah foretold the destruction of Babylon. His oracle is called "the burden of Babylon." (Isaiah 13:1.) In that chapter, Isaiah said,

"And Babylon, the glory of the kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts shall lie there." (13:19f.)

The Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 11:27-12:5.)

The ancient city of Ur is an important part of the biblical story. Terah, the father of Abram, Haran, and Nahor, lived there. They left Ur to go to Haran. It was from Haran that Abram was called to go to the land of Canaan. Scholars are not sure that they have located the ancient city or land of Ur. Some think that it is the modern city of Mugheir. There is a place called Ur in Iraq that claims to be the home of Terah and Abram.

One of the most productive researches and excavations in the whole field of Biblical archaeology has been carried on at Mugheir. It has been a joint effort by the University of Pennsylvania and the British Museum. It began in 1922 and yielded its most amazing treasures in 1929. The work has continued year by year since then. (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, "Ur of the Chaldees," 3039.) The place is about a day’s journey by train south of Baghdad. The ancient city of Ur was believed to once have been a seaport city near the Persian Gulf at the mouth of the Euphrates River.

Archaeologists found a ziggurat that rises 92 feet high and is built on a base that measures 130 feet by 195 feet. Remember that Nebuchadnezzar built an image of gold 60 cubits or 90 feet high. (Dan. 3:1.) A picture is available in ISBE noted above, page 3039A. This is the most conspicuous building in Ur and suggests the religious nature of its ancient inhabitants. It was a land of idolatry. Flights of steps led to the top from opposite sides to the entrance to the shrine. The ziggurat looks much like a pyramid with a shrine sitting at the top. It was not a place of worship, but a palace of the gods. Worshippers went individually to pray, but it was not a place for worshippers to assemble. In the excavations around Ur, there was also found strong evidence of human sacrifices. No wonder that when God called Abram from that idolatrous land, he would teach him that sacrificing his first-born son was never to be done in the new land. (Genesis 22.)

Another interesting find at Ur was evidence of a great flood. They found a bed of solid water-laid clay about eight feet thick with the ruins of another city beneath it. The eight feet of sediment argues strongly for the Noachian Flood and the rapid way in which the city beneath was destroyed. Ancient Ur had once been a leading city of the world until Babylon grew in prominence.

Karbala is located southwest of Baghdad on the Euphrates River. It is a holy place in Shi’ite Muslim history. Over the past few days, a religious celebration was held there. Under Saddam Hussein’s rule, the Shi’ites were not permitted to make pilgrimages and celebrate their rituals.

Christians celebrate the passion of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:3); Shi’ite Muslims remember the passion of Husayn, the grandson of Mohammed the prophet of Islam. In the news recently, we saw people walking around with blood streaming from their heads. Even little children are cut on the head with a sharp razor to remember the death of Husayn. Towels around their necks soak up the blood.

Historically, this is what happened at Karbala. Warring factions developed after Mohammed’s death. A group broke off from Sunni Islam under the leadership of Ali, who married Muhammed’s only surviving daughter, Fatima. Mohammed died without appointing a successor; therefore, various leaders arose claiming authority over the disciples of Mohammed. Ali and his two sons were killed by the other Muslims. In a fierce battle at Karbala in 680 AD, Husayn the grandson of Muhammed made a valiant stand against great odds. He, along with about 70 followers, was killed. The Shi’ites remember his death to this day. (The World’s Religions, Norman Anderson, 104.) The Shi’ites are the most militant extremists among Muslims.

Muhammed’s death has no religious significance to Muslims (though they believe that he ascended to God from Jerusalem), but Husayn’s death does. The Shi’ite Muslims believe that there is some significance for their salvation through the death of Husayn and their mourning for him. They celebrate a Passion Play re-enacting his death each year on the tenth of Muharram. The religious texts, connected to the martyrdom of Husayn, are believed to be strongly influenced by Christian texts on the passion of Christ. Husayn is said to have been given a key to Paradise and this is used only for those who have mourned over his death during the ceremonies of Muharram. This annual pilgrimage to Karbala and mourning over his death has become the most important communal ritual for the Shi’ites. The month of Muharram is significant also because this is the month that wars are prohibited among Shi’ites; Muslims are not supposed to shed blood during this month.

On the tenth of Muharram, Muslims beat themselves with chains and cut their heads. This is to remind them of the pain and the horrors the martyrs went through. This mourning and self-mutilation is considered highly meritorious. Husayn’s death is commemorated with Passion plays, poetry and prose resounding with grief about the tragic fate of the Prophet’s beloved grandson. Lively and beautiful story telling heightens real incidents of the heroes’ lives. Gaps are filled in with details according to the imagination of the story-teller. The mourners are told how Husayn’s body was trampled in the mud and his head was taken to Damascus, where Yazid is said to have beaten it with a stick to keep it from reciting the Quran.

Children are encouraged to participate in the event re-enacting the tragedy as the orphaned kids abandoned in Karbala experienced it. All expressions of emotions are exaggerated and kids are encouraged to beat themselves lightly, cry, shout and even scream. In a video revealing this event with children, the young boys lined up with towels around their necks. A man with a sharp razor cut the tops of their heads!

Muslim women are not encouraged to participate in the ceremony because men march around with their shirts off beating their backs.