Abram's oasis
Al Asad is located just a few short clicks from the Euphrates River about 180 kilometers due West from Baghdad. This base is built on a historically biblical site.......the local population has maintained for thousands of years that Abram, Sarai, and Lot stopped here and camped a short time while travelling from Ur to Haran. This spot is so revered, that it is one of the reasons Saddam Hussein built his premier airbase here. It is well known that he spent a lot of time on this base, and used it to train Iraqi Olymic teams alongside the military.
The oasis is tucked away on a protected area of the base, and is only a two mile run from the barracks. Standing here felt surreal.....what a priviledge to have somewhere quiet to retreat to from time to time that is sacred to Christians, Muslims, and Jewish faiths alike.
The picture can only capture a fraction of how beautiful this spot is.....I can't help but be struck by the beauty of the desert here........the date grove surrounding the oasis is lush, full of color, and bursting with life.
2 comments:
Wow.......this is surreal!! Abram lived so long ago....hard to realize that things from that time still exist....unless you're standing next to it taking a picture. ;-) Good to see you're having some down time...even if only for a few minutes.
Thank you! We've had some time to rest over the past 24 hours. My words don't do justice to how beautiful the oasis really is....
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