Places in the Bible Today:

Ur 1

Data

Translated NameUr
Typesregion or settlement
NotesAbraham’s Ur of the Chaldeans
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

4 Possible Identifications

  1. another name for Ur 2 (ancient): 70% confidence

    1. ruins at Tell el MuqayyarTell el Muqayyar

  2. Urfa (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. building at UrfaUrfa

  3. another name for Ura (ancient): less than 10% confidence

    1. cityscape of Bayburtwithin 150 km of Bayburt

  4. Urartu (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. panorama of Mount Ararat in UrartuUrartu

Verses (4)

Gen-Deut (3)
Gen 11:28, 11:31, 15:7
1Sam-Esth (1)
Neh 9:7

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Biblemapper.com965
Logos FactbookUr (city)
OpenBible.info (2007)Ur
OpenBible.infoa6cf75c (Ur 1)
TIPNRUr@Gen.11.28
UBS Names Databaseot ID_117
WikidataQ5373099

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Ur (place)
  2. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (1990): Ur of the Chaldees
  3. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013): Ur
  4. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Ur
  5. Carta Bible Atlas, 5th Edition (2011)
  6. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary (2008-2012): Gen 11:31
  7. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Ur
  8. ESV Bible Atlas (2010)
  9. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1984): Neh 9:7
  10. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Ur
  11. Hamilton, Genesis (1995): 11:27-32
  12. Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands (2007): Ur
  13. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011): Ur
  14. HarperCollins Concise Atlas of the Bible (1991)
  15. Hartley, Genesis (2000): 11:28 note
  16. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  17. Holman Illustrated Guide to Bible Geography (2020): page 41
  18. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Ur
  19. IVP Atlas of Bible History (2006): Ur
  20. IVP Old Testament Bible Background Commentary (2000): Gen 11:28
  21. Kidner, Genesis (1967): 11:27-32
  22. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Ur
  23. Matthews, Genesis (1996, 2005): 11:27b-28
  24. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2014): Ur
  25. New Bible Dictionary (1996): Ur of the Chaldees
  26. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  27. Oxford Bible Atlas, Fourth Edition (2007)
  28. Reader’s Digest Atlas of the Bible (1981): Ur
  29. Schlegel, Satellite Bible Atlas (2016): page 20
  30. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Ur (Place)
  31. Waltke and Fredricks, Genesis (2001): 11:28
  32. Wenham, Genesis (1987, 1994): 11:28
  33. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Ur
  34. Williams, Genesis (2000): 11:27-32
  35. Woudstra, Joshua (1981): 24:2 note 7
  36. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975)
  37. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
  38. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
  39. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): Gen 11:28

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others (in this case, another name for Ur 2), then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Places with Similar Names

Thumbnail Image Credits

M.Lubinski from Iraq,USA., Anadolu, Ben Bender, MEDIACRAT

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. The confidence levels add up to less than 100%, indicating that the modern location is uncertain. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.

The isobands you see on the map (gray areas with dark borders) attempt to give you confidence where a region is. Because many ancient regions aren't precisely defined, I consulted atlases to determine where the biblical region is located and used that data to build the isobands. The smaller isobands reflect more confidence that the given isoband is in the region, while the larger isobands reflect less confidence. Isobands are a kind of contour line that here indicate confidence levels.