Kharsag/Eden
is located 8 miles north of Mt Hermon at the south eastern end
of the Beqaa Rift Valley, which lies between the snow capped
mountains of the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges (at
the top of this satellite image of the Near East) - O'Brien
distinguishes the planted Highlands (ha'shemim), from the Lowlands
(arez) within the sheltered and relatively warmer Rift Valley,
running beyond Jericho and the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba
and the Red Sea.
Mount Hermon
(Jabal el-Shaiykh, Djabl a-Shekh, mountain of the chief and
snowy mountain)
The
Havens (below right) are those recorded in the Chronicles of
Enoch, which describe in detail Enoch's journey to meet the
Great Lord - Chapter 4 - Genius of the
Few
Map to
illustrate the Environs of the Rachaiya Basin and Mount Hermon
- p314 Genius of the Few
Proposed
Survey Area
Looking
south to Mt Hermon, over the Rachaiya North and South Basins,
with the village of Kfar Qouq on high ground to the left foreground,
and the town of Rachaiya in the right background. The shading
is the result of the satellite images taken at different times
of the year. This shows different levels of flooding in the
south basin
Christian
O'Brien in the Genius of the Few
provides the evidence that a dam was constructed and reservoir
formed in the narrow valley east of Kfar Qouq, and that an overflow
watercourse was built along the north bank of the south basin
to take surplus water into the Wadi en Neirab, middle right.
This would
have provided irrigation in what would in consequence have been
a large, dry, fertile and level area for livestock, crops and
orchards in a former lake-bed. The Sumerian cuneiform records
that the dam and watercourse were destroyed by a 1,000 year
storm. This event is dated to c. 6,200 BC from linked evidence.
Outline
Contour Map of the Rachaiya Basin with Speculative Placements
of Structures mentioned in the Kharsag Epics
Features
not to scale (p. 315 Genius of the Few) - The Great Watercourse
is shown running East-West from the Dam Wall Overflow to the
Outlet into Wadi en Neirab - Google Image showing the watercourse
below.
