Location of Garden of Eden ?

My question concerns the location of the Garden of Eden. My thought is this: Of the rivers mentioned, are all pre-flood? I imagine after the flood the terrain changed dramatically. How do we know that the rivers we think are these rivers, were really the rivers before the flood? How do we know that this is the same area?


Your question lies at the root of the mystery surrounding the exact location of the Garden of Eden. Nobody knows for sure! The pre-flood world was very different indeed. The landscape was different, the water cycle was different, the atmosphere was different. However, Scripture does give some evidence as to the location of one of the rivers mentioned. Genesis 2:14 gives the most solid geographical clue concerning Eden.

"And the name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates."

It is unanimously agreed upon by scholars and historians the Tigris in Genesis is the same as the Tigris today, due to the fact it is said to have run east of Assyria. Since the earliest recorded existence of mankind, the Tigris has run east of Assyria, or the area that would come to be known as Assyria. The Euphrates, thus, by association is believed to be the same as well. Though this cannot be verified with 100% absolute certainty, thousands of years of history and tradition seem to believe such.

The other two rivers of Eden mentioned, however, remain a mystery. This is where the debate is focused on. Satellite images, as discussed above, have provided interesting evidence of an ancient river which, at one point, ran through the entire Saudi Arabian continent, from east to west. This dry river bed has been spotted buried below the sand dunes of the desert. This dry river bed would fit in with the Genesis description of Eden.

It is also interesting to note the Persian Gulf was thought to have been a dry river valley up until 8,000 B.C. This has led some to believe the land of Eden once inhabited the valley at some point prior to 8,000 B.C. It was only then the area began to take on the appearance it has today.

All of this, of course, leads to further searching, and debating. As technology continues to improve, so will man's ability to search out the past!