Researcher claims he's found the Garden of Eden and reveals where the mysterious location is
Topics: World News, Religion, Science
Ella Scott
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
Topics: World News, Religion, Science
A scientist who carefully analyzed copies of the holy Christian Bible and the Quran has claimed he knows where the ‘real’ Garden of Eden is.
A biblical paradise bursting with lush vegetation, cute critters, and housing the so-called Tree of Life and its forbidden sibling, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil - the Garden of Eden is one of the more popular stories from the Old Testament.
Religious believers are taught that God the Almighty created Eden to shield Adam and Eve, the first humans who defied his orders and gave in to temptation.
After Eve plucked the apple from the Tree of the Knowledge, she and Adam were cast out of Eden, never to return. Their exile signals the beginning of the human condition of sin and mortality, or so the story goes.
Advert
Like many biblical objects and places, experts have never been able to nail down exactly where this earthly utopia could be… Until now, it seems.
Enter Mahmood Jawaid, a chemical engineer based in Texas.
In his 2025 study, which has not been peer-reviewed, he argued that by reading Bible verses, Quran ayahs, and studying descriptions of Adam and Eve, it has been deduced that the fabled promised land is situated in Africa.
Jawaid noted that the Garden of Eden may have been situated in the highlands of Bahir Dar, a fertile region in northwestern Ethiopia.
The researcher reasons that the region sits about 6,000 feet above sea level, and is wrapped in abundant vegetation, plays host to wildlife, and is situated near the Blue Nile - a major tributary of the Nile River that contributes over 85 percent of its water.
And we have to admit, a description like that pretty much fits the bill, right?
Explaining his decision to name Bahir Dar as the Garden of Eden, Jawaid wrote: “All clues point to Bahir Dar, near Lake Tana, a region of striking beauty, abundant vegetation, and the source of the Blue Nile, which fits the ancient description of Eden's rivers.”
In his research, the American refers to what he believes could symbolize the ‘flaming sword’ which God placed at the entrance of the garden to prevent other humans from accessing the Tree of Life after Adam and Eve were banished.
He suggested it could have been the volcanic ridges surrounding Lake Tana in the Ethiopian Highlands, as per the Daily Mail.
“Considering that the valley is surrounded by historically active volcanoes, it is very much possible that the active volcanoes formed the flaming sword mentioned in the Bible,” Jawaid explained.
The engineer also said that the proposed region’s temperate climate, rich soil, and plentiful water supply mirror the biblical depiction of a place free from hunger, thirst and oppressive heat, the outlet reported.
“Since according to the Quran, Adam and Hawwa [Eve] were protected from the sun and heat, Bahir Dar must have been the ideal place, where they could enjoy different kinds of fruits, hear the bird sing, and smell scented breeze,” the study stated.
Interestingly, Jawaid isn’t the only person to propose a Garden of Eden location this year.
In April, computer scientist Dr Konstantin Borisov published a study claiming it was actually situated in Egypt.
He even alleged the Great Pyramid of Giza was built upon the spot where the Tree of Eternal Life once stood.
So what do we think? Was the Garden of Eden in Ethiopia, Egypt, somewhere else completely, or maybe it was just a fictional idea? Answers on a postcard, please.