Location
Overview
Ur of the Chaldees was a great city of southern Mesopotamia and the original home of Abraham. It is where the story of God's covenant people begins.
The home of Abram
Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his grandson Lot "out of Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan" (Genesis 11:31). It was from Ur that God first called Abram, as Stephen and Nehemiah both recall (Acts 7:2–4; Nehemiah 9:7).
A call out of the city
Ur was a prosperous, sophisticated centre devoted to the moon-god. God's call drew Abram away from it toward a land and a destiny he did not yet know — "by faith Abraham... obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went" (Hebrews 11:8).
The journey begins
The family travelled north-west to Haran before Abram continued on to Canaan, carrying the promise that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed.
Events Here
Terah leaves Ur with Abram, Sarai, and Lot for Canaan
Scripture References
3 versesGenesis3 verses
Genesis 11:28
And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
Genesis 11:31
And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
Genesis 15:7
And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
Archaeology & History
Ur is identified with Tell el-Muqayyar in southern Iraq, excavated by Leonard Woolley in the 1920s–30s. His digs uncovered a great ziggurat to the moon-god Nanna and the astonishingly rich "Royal Tombs of Ur," revealing a wealthy, advanced city of the third millennium BC — the cultured world Abraham left behind.
People who appear here
Frequently asked about Ur of the Chaldees
Where is Ur of the Chaldees today?
Today, Ur of the Chaldees corresponds to Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq.
What happened at Ur of the Chaldees in the Bible?
Key biblical events at Ur of the Chaldees include terah leaves ur with abram, sarai, and lot for canaan.
Where is Ur of the Chaldees first mentioned in the Bible?
Ur of the Chaldees is first mentioned in Genesis 11:28.
How often is Ur of the Chaldees mentioned in the Bible?
Ur of the Chaldees is mentioned in 3 verses across 1 book: Genesis.
Where was Ur of the Chaldees?
In southern Mesopotamia, identified with the ruins of Tell el-Muqayyar in modern Iraq, near the Euphrates.
Why is Ur important?
It was Abraham’s birthplace and the city from which God called him to journey to the Promised Land — the beginning of the covenant story.