Page 83 - Perished Nations

The Springs and the Gardens of ‘Ad

Today, the landscape that someone who travels to Southern Arabia
would most frequently come across is vast desert. Most places, with the
exception of the cities and regions that have been later afforested, are cov-
ered with sand. These deserts have been there for hundreds and maybe
thousands of years.
But in the Qur’an, interesting information is given in one of the verses
recounting ‘Ad. While warning his people, Prophet Hud (as) draws their
attention to the springs and gardens with which Allah had endowed them:
Now fear Allah, and obey me. Yea, fear Him Who has bestowed on you
freely all that ye know. Freely has He bestowed on you cattle and sons,-
And Gardens and Springs. Truly I fear for you the Penalty of a Great Day.
(Surat ash-Shuara: 131-135)
But as we have noted before, Ubar, which has been identified with the
city of Iram, and any other place which is likely to have been the residence
of ‘Ad, is totally covered with desert today. So, why did Hud (as) use such
an expression while warning his people?
The answer is hidden in the climatic changes of history. Historical
records reveal that these areas which have turned into desert now, had
once been very productive and green lands. A great part of the region was
covered with green areas and springs as stated in the Qur’an, less than a
few thousand years ago, and the people of the region made use of these
endowments. The forests softened the harsh climate of the region and
made it more habitable. Deserts existed, but did not cover such a vast area
as today.
In Southern Arabia, important clues have been acquired in the regions
where ‘Ad lived, which could cast a light upon this subject. These show
that the inhabitants of that region used a highly developed irrigation sys-
tem. This irrigation most probably served a single purpose: agriculture. In
those regions, which are not appropriate for life today, people once culti-
vated the land.
Satellite imaging has also revealed an extensive system of ancient canals
and dams used in irrigation around Ramlat as Sab’atayan which is estimat-
ed to have been able to support 200,000 people in the associated cities. 25

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