U.S. service members and a Department of Defense civilian look around Abraham's Oasis during a tour of the site aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, March 12. The tour, orchestrated by the religious ministry team of Multi National Force - West, gave the visitors a chance to see a site of historical and cultural significance to the Iraqi people. Photo by Cpl. Jo Jones

Service members and Department of Defense civilians aboard Al Asad Air Base received a dose of biblical history when they recently toured an oasis and palm grove aboard the base. Dubbed ‘Abraham’s Oasis,’ this patch of fertile land in the otherwise barren Iraqi desert is thought to have been visited by Abraham, a prominent figure in the Old Testament who has been called the “father of monotheistic religions,” and is well-regarded in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths.

“Legend has it that Abraham and his family drank from the well,” said Cmdr. William Payne, deputy chaplain for Multi-National Force – West. “This was originally thought to have been one of the last stops for Abraham during his 700-mile trip after he left the land of Ur.”

The camouflage utility-clad and weapon-toting tourists met at Al Asad Air Base’s Memorial Chapel and rode buses to the small, luscious plot of water, reeds, and palm and date trees, a scene strikingly different from its dusty desert backdrop. Once there, Payne delivered a brief history of the site, its biblical significance and ongoing efforts to renovate the oasis, which houses its own small ecosystem, including various species of birds, fish and frogs.

Before 1920, the sanctuary was relatively untouched by humans except for the occasional visit by nomads passing through the area. In the 1920s, six families moved to the area and settled there for the next 65 years, scratching out a living by farming in and around the palm grove.

However, in 1985, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used the land surrounding the oasis to build an air base and paid the villagers to relocate. As years passed and the air base grew to totally envelope the oasis, it became neglected and unkempt.

In 2003, coalition forces gained control of the Al Asad Air Base, and two years later U.S. service members began picking up the trash and debris that had collected at the oasis, restoring dilapidated buildings and cleaning up a small cemetery containing the remains of veterans of the Iran-Iraq War.

A year later, the U.S. Army’s 67th Area Support Group, Host Nation Section, worked with local Iraqi citizens to restore the entire oasis and palm grove area. This effort included the removal of weeds, trash and the planting of date trees that produce 15-20 varieties of dates.

Today, the oasis sits inside the perimeter of Al Asad Air Base and on the outskirts of Camp Mejid, the headquarters for the 7th Iraqi Army Division. Working hand-in-hand with their Iraqi partners, the Marines and Sailors of Military Transition Team 7 recently began another series of efforts to restore the oasis with the assistance of engineers from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. These new projects included the building of a dock and gazebo, and the reinforcement of an existing stone plaque detailing the history of the oasis written in both Arabic and English.

After the brief by Payne, the 30 ‘tourists’ were free to roam the oasis to take pictures, walk along the paths lined with palm trees and fallen dates or step out on the newly-built dock over water that may have been once touched by Abraham.

U.S. service members, an Iraqi soldier and a Department of Defense civilian stand on a recently built dock in Abraham's Oasis during a tour of the site aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, March 12. The tour, orchestrated by the religious ministry team of Multi National Force - West, gave the visitors a chance to see a site of historical and cultural significance to the Iraqi people. Photo by Cpl. Jo Jones

“It was interesting to see the oasis because of the historical and religious significance,” said 2nd Lt. Kathryn Fahrner, an assistant safety officer with MNF-W.

While some historians debate the legitimacy of the claim that the oasis was a waypoint during Abraham’s journey from Ur to Jerusalem as detailed in the book of Genesis, the fact that many Iraqis hold on to the belief makes it significant to Coalition leaders.

“I also think people should see the oasis because it’s important to the Iraqis,” added Fahrner.

According to Payne, the organized tours of Abraham’s Oasis provide service members and civilians a break from the norm.

“This is a good opportunity to interface with Iraqi history and see a different side of Al Asad,” said Payne.

DVIDS
Story by Cpl. Jo Jones

The oasis at Al Asad was once believed to be the biblical “Abraham’s Well.” Though research has proven otherwise, the importance of the oasis still holds a rich historical and cultural significance to the people here.

For most Soldiers serving here, it’s hard to imagine a small pond with lush green life around it in the middle of this sand-filled country. However, this oasis is located on the border of Camp Mejid on Al Asad Airbase, and is home to several species of wildlife.

According to Maj. Randel Rogers, the plans and policy officer for support operations, 371st Sustainment Brigade and an avid naturalist, it was believed that Abraham and his family stopped at the Al Asad oasis and camped there during his journey; however, through the years it has been proven that Abraham actually stopped in Canaan which is located on the western shore of present day Turkey.

Through the centuries, the oasis at Al Asad has remained and was a stopping point for the Bedouins during their travels. It wasn’t inhabited until around 1920, when a group of families built a village, planted date palms and started a small community.

According to Rogers, a Galloway, Ohio, native, Saddam Hussein had the villagers that were in the area evicted so he could build Al Asad Airfield in 1985. Some of the settlers were able to hide around the oasis, but when the base expanded in 1995, the rest of them were forced to leave.

The villagers used the date palms as their main cash crop, according to Rogers, and when the base expanded, the palms and oasis were left intact.

Since the arrival of Coalition forces to Al Asad, several efforts have been made to keep the area clean. Since he has been deployed to the area, Rogers has worked to gain awareness for its protection and preservation.

“I’ve always been interested in watching wildlife,” Rogers said. There are several clean-up efforts currently in place and, eventually, Rogers would like to see the historical and cultural sites in Iraq handed over to the Iraqis.

Rogers said that he is currently working with a group called Nature Iraq, a non-governmental organization dedicating itself to the restoration of Iraq, to take the lead on cleaning efforts and continue the cultivation of the palm groves.

Rogers said there are close to 70 different species of birds, about three different species of canines, between 15 and 20 types of dates from the palm groves and several other types of plants, animals and other wildlife living in the oasis, and it is important to protect them.

“The oasis has a cultural significance to the local area and there is a great potential for ecotourism in the future,” said Rogers.

MNF-I
By Charlotte Martinez
215th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment