The Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Paradise

According to biblical tradition, the Garden of Eden (Garden of Paradise) was located in the southern part of Iraq, in the city of El Qurna, where the rivers Tiber and Euphrates meet. Here, on the banks of the Tiber, in a small concrete square protected by low brick walls, stands an ancient dead tree. According to legend, this is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the tree Adam and Eve ate from.

A hard-tried, symbol-laden tree

Information about this tree of knowledge comes from very ancient times. On clay tablets found at these sites during excavations in ancient Mesopotamia, a clay seal dated to the 4th millennium BC and called the seal of temptation was found. It depicts a man and a woman reaching out to take fruit from a tree.

The tree is also linked to polytheistic traditions that have existed in the Middle East since ancient times. According to these traditions it is customary to plant another tree next to the sacred tree in its last stage of existence to continue its sacredness. Thus, there are several trees in various stages of decay, often very difficult to identify the original sacred tree.

As for the tree of knowledge in El Qurna, it is clearly a deciduous species, not a palm tree. The locals call it Nabucco, consider it sacred and believe that Adam ate its fruit. But no one can say for sure what species once stood there or how long it has been there.

The tree has stood the test of time. During World War I, British soldiers climbed the tree and broke it. It was repaired with cement. In 1950 a small park was built around it as a gesture of gratitude for the end of World War II. During Saddam Hussein's reign the shrine was preserved and even the small square and concrete platform were made. In 2003, during the American attacks, the concrete platform was damaged. Today the site is being restored again and there are several trees planted to continue the sacredness.

Although the shrine and the tree of knowledge are associated with the Garden of Eden story, shared by three major current religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - the symbol is virtually universal and perpetual in time. Discoveries in the area take the symbol far back to pre-monotheistic times. People from other parts of the country come on pilgrimages to pray at the tree, sometimes tying small pieces of green cloth to the branches as a sign of their faith.

(source: atlasobscura.com)