Page 22 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

People have to have water as they travel on foot as surely as modern-day vehicles must have fuel in
order to make a journey. The “fertile crescent” is easily spotted on this map by the areas of green.
Abram’s journey to the Promised Land naturally took him to Harran as he traveled from Ur. Anyone
headed to or from Egypt and Ur would have traveled by this path. The two photographs are of
homes in Harran (top) that would be similar to those of antiquity, and the famous Ziggurat in Ur that
dates back to 2100 BC.

Ancient Ur is known for the great Ziggurat of ancient Ur, which was built by King Ur-Nammu, who ruled
the area of ancient UR around 2100 BC. This was about 250 years after the great Flood. Archaeologists
estimate that there were approximately 24,000 people living in the city of Ur when Abram lived there.
People living there worshipped many gods, but principally the god Nanna, the moon god. The people of
Ur lived in one of two main areas of the city: a very religious sacred place (near and in the Ziggurat) or in
a larger common district.

Abram may have lived in this area of town, but perhaps did worship this false god when the Lord spoke
directly to him. However, Abram was from the godly line of Seth through Shem, and contrary to his
culture, may have worshipped the Lord. We really don’t know.

The common district was filled with marketplaces, schools, libraries, and many of the people were very
wealthy. People had very elaborate homes with lush gardens and many conveniences for the day.

It was from this city that God asked Abram to move
his family to a new promised land that God would
show him (Genesis 12:1). God promised Abram a
land, multiple descendants, blessings, and a “seed”
who would come to be the Savior of all mankind. In
obedience and faith, Abraham packed up his goods,
and with his wife, Sarah, and nephew, Lot, along
with his father, Terah, journeyed up the Fertile
Crescent, finally arriving in Haran or Harran, a city
whose ruins lie within present-day Turkey. Note that there is a large desert between Abram’s starting
point in Ur and his final destination in Shechem. All travelers going to Egypt had to travel this route.

Haran was a place where Terah and Abram temporarily settled. He lived there until he was 75 years old
before continuing his journey south. Although Abram’s nephew Lot accompanied him to Canaan, other
descents of Terah remained in the area where Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, sought his parent’s relatives,
namely Laban, for whom he worked twenty years in Haran (Genesis 31:55). Also, Abraham sought a
wife for Isaac from the family of Nahor, who was his older brother living in Haran (Genesis 11:27-32).
So, Haran is a significant location on our map in Bible geography and history!

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