By Al Monitor
Wassim Bassem
Wassim Bassem
A convoy from Babil province traveled nearly 250 miles in early April
to visit Adam’s Holy Tree, also known as the “Tree of Knowledge.” For
the thousands of Muslims who come each
year, praying at the tree brings blessings, forgiveness and realization
of their dreams. It also draws Christian tourists who believe it is the
tree Eve ate from in the Garden of Eden.
Local cleric Abdul Hussein al-Hashimi told Al-Monitor that visiting
the tree in Qurna, a town in southern Iraq just northwest of Basra, is a
religious duty, part of the country’s historical and religious heritage
that had been preserved through the generations.
Um Abbas, 70, was among the visitors. “I’m visiting the tree for
blessings and forgiveness,” she told Al-Monitor. “I also come here to
pray for health.”
The Tree of Knowledge used to stand alone in Qurna, located at the
delta between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, allegedly where the
Garden of Eden was located. In 2005, the Ministry of Water Resources
spent 6 million Iraqi dinars (about $5,000) to build a park around the
tree with tables and umbrellas as well as a pier on the bank of the
Tigris.
A large billboard there reads in Arabic and English, “This spot was
blessed by the visit of the Prophet Ibrahim 2,000 years ago,” explaining
that Ibrahim prayed in that very spot and said that a tree similar to
Adam’s Tree in Eden would one day grow there.
The site has also interested Westerners with an interest in
Mesopotamian culture. Norwegian scientist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl
visited the location 40 years ago in a simple boat he built out of balsa
wood to prove to the world his theory that early man could navigate the
oceans.
On March 16, an international tour group from France, the UK, Germany
and the United States included the tree in its tour of Mesopotamian
civilizations.
Um Mohammad, another visitor, said in a video that the atmosphere of
the place gives her happiness and serenity, “just like visiting any of
the shrines across the country.”
Abu Ali, who volunteers to help keep up the place, told Al-Monitor,
“The tree is blessed. People come here and pray and recite the Quran by
the tree. People report that the tree’s energy helps with mental and
social problems.”
People also hang colorful cloths on the tree’s branches. “People
throw them up to thank Allah for granting their requests and curing
their illnesses,” Abu Ali explained.
The tree’s trunk bears writing in Latin and Arabic as well as names
that visitors have carved over the years to commemorate their pilgrimage
and to ask for blessings.
Ibrahim Khalil al-Allaf, a professor of modern history at the
University of Mosul, told Al-Monitor, “The actual age of the tree has
not been scientifically determined, but it goes back hundreds of years.”
“Adam’s Tree is a holy site for Iraqis. Travelers and tourists visit
it and have written about it in books,” Allaf said. “This dry tree looks
like it has no life in it, but it has been standing firmly for
generations. This gives people hope in life, for sustainability and
connections between generations. People feel assured and comforted when
they find a safe haven in sacred things.”
Christians also recite prayers by the tree. Fawzi Behnam, a Christian
pilgrim, told Al-Monitor, “Christians believe that this place is the
Garden of Eden from the Old Testament.”
Cleric Abdul Hussein al-Khaffaji told Al-Monitor that there were
“accounts that suggest that Ibrahim or Abraham, recognized by Muslims,
Christians and Mandaeans as a prophet, planted this tree where the two
rivers crossed to mark Mesopotamia, the area between two rivers.”
The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources rehabilitated the two rivers’
convergence point in 2017 to improve the tourism potential of the area.
However, a spokesman for the ministry told Al-Monitor on the phone that
there are currently no plans to rehabilitate the location and launch
large-scale tourism projects there. Junaid Amer Hameed, a writer and
archaeological researcher for the Iraqi National Museum, told Al-Monitor
that the site should remain as close to its original state as possible,
rather than building new touristic facilities.
Yet Mohammad al-Malki, the head of the municipal council in Qurna,
has high hopes. He told Al-Monitor, “Hopefully, the park around the tree
will be further developed and turned into a well-designed religious and
touristic site that will generate revenue for the town and of course
the project itself. It will be a new recreational place for Iraqis in
addition to a source of healing.”
