
The Great Ziggurat of Ur, partially restored
Ur
Ancient Sumerian city on the Euphrates in southern Mesopotamia. Abraham's birthplace, called 'Ur of the Chaldeans'.
Ur was a major Sumerian city on the Euphrates, in what is now southern Iraq. By Abraham's day around 2000 BC it was already an old city, famous for its ziggurat to the moon-god Nanna. Genesis 11 calls it 'Ur of the Chaldeans'. It was from here that Abraham's father Terah took the family north to Haran, and from there Abraham was called by God to leave for the land he would be shown.
“Ur.” Atlas. Accessed 2026. https://fcbh-atlas.vercel.app/en/place/ur









- placeEgypt
Ancient kingdom of the Nile. Refuge of Abraham and Joseph, then a house of slavery, then the place from which …
- figureAbraham
Father of the Hebrew people. Called from Ur to Canaan and given the covenant promise. Lived around 2000 BC.
- customsFoot-washing
The hospitality act of washing the dust off a guest's feet on arrival. In a society of dusty roads and open sa…
- conceptCovenant
A binding agreement between two parties, sealed by a sign — a meal, a sacrifice, a mark on the body. Used thro…
- bookGenesis
First book of the Bible. Origin of the world, the flood, and the patriarchs. Tradition assigns authorship to M…
- figureEzra
A priest and scribe "skilled in the Law of Moses," Ezra led the second return of exiles in 458 BC and devoted …