Bab edh-Dhra

Bab edh-Dhra (bāb al-dhrā' ) is the site of an Early Bronze Age city, located near the Red Sea, in Wadi Wered.

Bitumen and petroleum deposits have been found in the area, which contain sulfur and natural gas (as such deposits normally do), and one theory suggests that a pocket of natural gas led to the incineration of the city.

The location of the site is (approximately) 31.253928°N, 35.534184°E (by correlating the maps at EDSP with Google Earth. The site can be viewed here.

Artifacts from Bab edh-Dhra are on display at Karak Archaeological Museum in Jordan; and the Kelso Bible Lands Museum housed at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Bab edh-Dhra EB mudbrick remains, view to NW

West gate at Bab edh-Dhra, view to NW

Some conservative Christians argue that this was the site of the biblical "Sodom", but archaeologists dispute this, as the village is too small, not in the designated geographical area and was not destroyed in the appropriate time frame.

External links

• http://vm.arts.unimelb.edu.au/report/babedhra.html
• http://www.dantiques.com/bab-edh-dhra/
• EDSP (Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain)