TCD MS 3414 folio 9 recto
[1915]
in the middle of a dense date plantation: this site was believed by many to have been the Garden of Eden mentioned in Genesis, so much so that a tree in the village became known as “Adam’s Tree”, and a small compound as “Temptation Square.”
The present ”Dwellers in Mesopotamia” say that the site of the Garden of Eden is at Ramadi or “place of four rivers” near Opis & Hit on the Euphrates river. Traces of four rivers are still to be found there & these are taken to be the four rivers mentioned in Gen 2.10-14, namely the Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel & Euphrates, the latter [of] course exists today. This in all probability is the site of the Garden of Adam & Eve. The local theory as to Noah and the Ark is worth recalling. The Gen 7 v.4 Noah, at that time residing near Ramadi, was warned that he must make preparations for a deluge, he therefore built a “sophira”, the local dhow of today which closely resembles the Ark as pictured by our toy makers; by the 40th day all was flood. Levels show that it is possible that the country could be flooded from the Pushti-Khu <Mountains> to 40 miles west of the Euphrates, & from Ramadi or Opis to Basra or rather the sea, as it is extremely doubtful if Basra <then Zubair> existed in those times, the present site of Basra