Archaeologists Identify Possible Location of Ancient People of \u2018Ad and Legendary City of Iram in Southern Jordan
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\nRecent archaeological research suggests that the ancient people of \u2018Ad and the fabled city of Iram, mentioned in the Qur\u2019an, may have been located in southern Jordan, challenging centuries of belief that placed them in Yemen.<\/p>\n
According to new studies \u2014 including work by Ahmad Al-Jallad \u2014 and findings from Nabataean inscriptions, evidence indicates that both \u2018Ad and Iram were situated near Wadi Rum and Jabal Rum, regions known for their ancient temples and rock inscriptions.<\/p>\n
Archaeologists Savignac and Horsfield earlier discovered a Nabataean inscription at a temple near Jabal Rum referring to \u201cthe great god in Iram.\u201d Another inscription from Ayn al-Shallalah mentions Lat, the chief deity of Iram, confirming the city\u2019s religious and historical significance. A further text found in Wadi Rum refers explicitly to the people of \u2018Ad in connection with the construction of a temple, pointing to their settlement in the area.<\/p>\n
A 2015 excavation also unearthed funerary inscriptions mourning members of the tribe of \u2018Ad, indicating their long-term presence in southern Jordan.<\/p>\n
Al-Jallad proposes that verses 6 and 7 of Surah Al-Fajr should be read as \u201cbi-\u2018\u0100di Iram dh\u0101t al-\u2018im\u0101d\u201d \u2014 meaning \u201cthe people of \u2018Ad of Iram, the city of lofty pillars.\u201d In this reading, \u2018Ad refers to the inhabitants and Iram to their city, clarifying their relationship and resolving interpretive ambiguities in classical exegesis.<\/p>\n
Epigrapher Arash Jamshidpour supports this interpretation, citing Nabataean inscriptions that directly record the names \u2018Ad and Iram in temples across the region.<\/p>\n
Experts say these discoveries not only shed light on the historical geography of the Arabian Peninsula but also provide valuable insight into the Qur\u2019anic narrative, suggesting that the legendary city of Iram \u2014 often called \u201cthe Atlantis of the Sands\u201d \u2014 may have truly existed in what is now southern Jordan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Archaeologists Identify Possible Location of Ancient People of \u2018Ad and Legendary City of Iram in Southern Jordan ——————————————– Recent archaeological research suggests that the ancient people of \u2018Ad and the fabled city of Iram, mentioned in the Qur\u2019an, may have been located in southern Jordan, challenging centuries of belief that placed them in Yemen. According …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[10878],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archaeology"],"yoast_head":"\n