Cradle of humanity

The term Cradle of Humanity refers to a geographic region that includes fifteen countries falling within a 1,000 mile radius of the location described in Genesis as the birthplace of mankind.

The fifteen nations/territories that comprise the "Cradle of Humanity" are, in alphabetical order: Bahrain, the Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, the West Bank and Yemen.

The term is not identical in meaning to the expression "Cradle of Civilization."

Origin of the Term

According to Judeo-Christian belief, the "birthplace of mankind" is in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley region; more precisely, the point where, according to Genesis 2: 8-14,

"A river watering the garden flowed from Eden, and from there it divided. It had four headstreams. The name of the first is Pishon. It winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the great river Euphrates."

These words, written by Moses, describe rivers which still exist and flow today in much the same way as they flowed when Genesis was written. Those who interpret the Bible literally thus identify the location of Eden as the point just west of the border between Iraq and Iran and just above the northern shore of the Persian Gulf.

It is believed that the radius of 1,000 miles from Eden as the limit of the Cradle of Humanity was ‘fixed’ by early Arab Christians who were the dominant inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Syria and Egypt from the second century well into the ninth century, even after Muslim conquest of the region.

By the arrival of the Ottoman period (1516 - 1918), the term had become well accepted throughout the majority of the empire, which extended into parts of southern Europe and exerted much cultural influence for over 400 years. Early in the nineteenth century, Protestant missionaries began to arrive in the region and found that the term provided a common ground for introducing their teachings to the local population.

See also: Mesopotamia, Creation belief, Cradle of Civilization

Use of the Term

The expression Cradle of Humanity is frequently used when the term "Middle East" would seem ambiguous. The lands of the Cradle of Humanity are clearly defined within an unmistakable geographic limit. However, depending on the context in which the user applies the term "Middle East," it may or may not include countries in northern Africa, southern Europe and various parts of Eurasia east of the Ural Mountains.

Some cultural historians in Cradle of Humanity states also find the thinking behind the terms Near East, Middle East and Far East offensive, since they are vestiges of British colonialism; a period when such expressions where coined based on the distance between England and the region in question. They often argue that, unlike the West Indies, where the present dominant culture was indeed largely formed under the influence of the colonizing powers, most of the dominant culture in so-called Near, Middle and Far East lands, predated the colonials and has actually survived their sometimes destructive influence.

Further, a growing number of etymologists, religionists and others have begun to acknowledge that, whether the term "Cradle of Humanity" is accurate or not from a biological standpoint, the region’s influences on language, culture and religion may well justify its preferred use over the controversial term "Middle East," which, from a geographical point of view, seems completely out of place.