TOMB OF ABEL, SON OF ADAM AND EVE

burial site of Abel, son of Adam and Eve, now occupied by a mosque,
courtesy, ArabAmerica.com

According to the Book of Genesis, Abel was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. Abel was a shepherd who offered his firstborn flock up to God as an offering. God accepted his offering but not his brother's. Cain then killed Abel out of jealousy. This was the first recorded murder in the history of mankind. According to tradition, Abel was buried in the mountains west of Damascus overlooking the Zabadani Valley and the Wadi Barada. This site later became the lands of the Syrians and Phoenicians who, beginning in the 1^st century, became followers of the Syrian Orthodox and Maronite churches respectively. In the 7^th century, the site was conquered and occupied by Muslim Arabs, and in the 16^th century, by Muslim Ottoman Turks. A mosque was built on the site in 1599 by the Ottoman Wali Ahmad Pasha to serve the majority Sunni Muslim, mainly Arab settler, population. Although often frequented by Sunni Muslims, it is also believed to be a ritual site for the Druze. Christians, especially the indigenous Christians, are prohibited from entering the site. Today, the tomb is just outside the Arab settlement of Souk Wadi Barada. There are several churches of various denominations nearby which serve, not only the indigenous populations, but also the Armenians and Greeks as well including various Armenian churches in Anjar in Lebanon, several Maronite churches in Zahle, also in Lebanon, several Syrian Orthodox churches in Damascus, the National Evangelical Church and the St. George Orthodox Church, both in Bloudan in Syria, the mainly Greek Orthodox churches in al Zabadani, the dominant town in the valley, and those in the Christian village of Maaloula.