The Garden of Eden, where God placed the first humankind, was surrounded by four rivers – Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. Researchers have identified the locations of rivers Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. However, studies are still ongoing to determine the location of the Pishon River. Archaeologist Joel Kramer discovered the leading candidate for the lost river of Eden.
The Lost River of Eden
Joel first referred to the Biblical location of the Pishon River. Genesis 2:11-12 says, “The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.)”
According to the Bible, the lost river surrounded the ancient land of Havilah. So, to look for Havilah, Joel looked into Genesis 25:18, which says, “They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria.”
Havilah, therefore, was located in the land known today as Saudi Arabia. To further support his claim, Joel identified Saudi Arabia as a land with a good source of gold, having 56 gold mines. They also have good trade deals with their onyx and resin products.
However, upon looking at Saudi Arabia, no current river flows across the Arabian peninsula. Yet, Joel looked into the historical and archaeological records and found that there was indeed a river that flowed during ancient times called Wadi Ar Ruma.
So, Joel and his team traveled to Saudi Arabia and traced the dry riverbeds of Ruma. The banks were filled with rocks that seemed to flow from the Hijaz mountains in the western region. When it rains, the ravines from the mountains get full, and the water flows down and joins together to form the river.
The Ruma once wound across the Arabian peninsula until it met and joined with the Tigris, Euphrates, and Gihon Rivers in the borders of Iraq.
With this evidence, Joel believes that the dry Wadi Ar Ruma was the ancient Pishon River.
