Biblical places
Ur
Abraham's hometown, mentioned in Genesis 11:31, archaeologically identified with Tell el-Muqayyar, a major city of Sumerian civilization. Some scholars propose the northern Mesopotamian city of Urfa (modern Şanlıurfa, Turkey) as an alternative, though this is a minority view.
Sources and location confidence
- Location confidence
- High
- Tell el-Muqayyar
- 30.9617, 46.1051
The archaeological consensus is Tell el-Muqayyar (southern Iraq), which OpenBible also supports at 70% confidence. The northern Urfa (Türkiye) theory is a minority view, included as a reference candidate.
Related Bible passages
These are selected indexed references, not an exhaustive list of every mention in the Bible.
Genesis 11:28
And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
Nehemiah 9:7
Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
Genesis 11:31
And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
Genesis 15:7
And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.