Sodom and Gomorrah are two cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis of the Old Testament and believed to have been destroyed by the wrath of God. It is estimated that these cities remained under the shallow waters of the Dead Sea. Together with Admah, Tseboim, and Tsoar, they form the five plains cities mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis, it is described that these two cities were “destroyed by fire falling from the sky because of the sins they committed”. It is also thought that the destruction of these cities may be due to earthquakes. The cities are thought to have been destroyed by an earthquake in the Great Rift Valley in 1900 BC.
Archaeological findings show that the region was arable in the Middle Bronze Age and there were sufficient fresh water resources for agriculture. That’s why Hz. The nephew of Prophet Ibrahim, Hz. The Valley of Siddim (where the Prophet Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah are located)Dead Sea) is thought to have chosen it as a grazing place for its animals. It is thought that the sulfur and fire mentioned in the Bible resulted from the explosion of underground oil and natural gas resources during the earthquake that completely changed the geological structure of the region. The name of the city of Sodom comes from Mount Sodom at the southwest end of the sea.
Archaeological Studies in the Region
In 1924, an ancient city was found as a result of archaeological studies in the southern region of Ölüdeniz. These excavations were made to prove the existence of Sodom and Gomorrah. The discoveries of archaeologists are very close to the stories of these two cities in the Bible. Archaeological excavations in the area called Bab edh-Dhra in 1924 suggested that the ancient city located there was Sodom. However, the data obtained necessitated a search for Gomorrah as well. The ancient city, which was found as a result of excavations in the area called Numeira in 1974, made us think that the other part of the story, the city of Gomorrah. However, the results of these archaeological excavations did not scientifically prove that the two ancient cities were mysterious cities of the past. Many common points in the stories ensured that this belief was kept alive.
Unburied human corpses and traces of severe destruction encountered in the archaeological excavations prove that they were also destroyed as a result of a sudden disaster, as in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. The explanations made by scientists for this common destruction are that they may have been destroyed as a result of an earthquake, volcanic eruption or a military attack. Physiological deformities in the human bones found are presented as evidence of the famous twisted relationships that form the basis of the story. This is accepted as an important piece of evidence in terms of its suitability for the story. However, although it is known that many of the ancient tribes had such distorted relationships, it is not certain that the deformities in the bones occurred entirely for this reason. Therefore, it is thought that more research should be done on this subject.
Archaeological studies about these two cities show that they were at a very different and advanced level from the Early Bronze Age civilizations and the Egyptian civilization of the period. Although this development is large cities suitable for life, they were forgotten and left after the disaster. This is very interesting in terms of the parallelism of the story. However, whether the story actually happened is debatable, according to scientific sources. While some believe that the Dead Sea is Latin, historians also put forward their predictions that there may be an earthquake in the region.
The Story of the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is found in chapter 19 of the Bible book of Genesis. The story tells of the two towns in the Jordan River valley, Sodom and Gomorrah, whose inhabitants were destroyed by God when they sinned. Hz. The Prophet Abraham asked God for mercy, saying that the sinless should not be killed along with the wicked and sinners. God also says that if he can find 10 believing people in total from the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah, he will waive the punishment and sends his angels to investigate. At the end of the story, these two towns are destroyed and submerged in shallow water south of the al-Lisan Peninsula, southeast of the Dead Sea in Israel.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the important stories told in the Old Testament and the Qur’an. The main characters of the story are Hz. Prophet Ibrahim and his nephew Hz. Lût is Aleyhisselam. Both of them are grazing their herds in the land of Canaan and they decide to separate between them due to the increase in the number of animals to graze. Hz. Prophet Abraham, St. Lot gives the right to vote first. Hz. Lot Aleyhisselam chose the abundant watery plain of the Jordan Valley north of the Dead Sea and settled near Sodom, one of the “five rich cities of the basin”.
Lut Aleyhisselam warns the people of Sodom to stop their bad behavior. However, his people ignore the advice of Lot Aleyhisselam and continue their sins. God sends two angels to save Lot Aleyhisselam and his family and exposes his people to a rain of sulfur and fire. While God rained sulfur and fire on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Hz. The wife of Lot Aleyhisselam looks behind him curiously and turns into a statue of salt. As a result of this rain, the city and all the people are destroyed. Lot Aleyhisselam, Hz. He is a prophet who acted together with the Prophet Abraham. His name is mentioned 27 times in the Quran.
