VeronicaNeffinger | Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com | Thursday, July21, 2016

An area in southern Iraq which many believe is the location of the biblical Garden of Eden has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site,according to ChristianToday.com.

据《今日基督教》称，在伊拉克南部有一块地方被很多人认为是圣经上的伊甸园的位置，此地被列为联合国教科文组织的世界文化遗产地。

Today,the area is known as the Ahwar of Southern Iraq. Much of the area consists of marshland and has been described by UNESCO as “unique, as one of the world’s  largest inland delta systems, in an extremely hot and arid environment.” 

如今，伊拉克南部的阿瓦尔被大家熟知。这块地方大部分是沼泽地，联合国教科文组织称之为“独特的，位于极端炎热干旱环境中的世界最大的内陆三角洲系统之一”。

The marshland was targeted by Saddam Hussein in the 1990’s because he feared that rebel forces would use them as a refuge. He therefore had much of the water drained.

这块沼泽地曾在20世纪90年代被萨达姆袭击，因为他担心这块地方会是叛军的藏身处。因此他抽干了其中大部分的水。

Today,however, the area is being restored and much of it is recovering its former habitat. 

但如今，这块区域在自我修复，并且大部分已经恢复原状。

In addition to wetlands, the Ahwar contains archaeological sites that some archaeologists believe include ancient biblical cities.

除了湿地，阿尔瓦地区还有很多考古遗址包括一些圣经上的遗址地。

"The archaeological cities of Uruk and Ur and the Tell Eridu archaeological site form part of there mains of the Sumerian cities and settlements that developed in southern Mesopotamia between the 4th and the 3rd millennium BCE," UNESCO reported.

联合国教科文组织报道：“烏魯克，吾珥和Tell Eridu考古遗址构成了在公元前三四千年时美索不达米亚平原南部发展的苏美尔文明的城市和聚居地遗迹。”

The city of Uris believed by some to be the biblical Ur of the Chaldees, the city that was the birthplace of Abraham and his brother, Haran.

有些人认为吾珥市是圣经上提到的迦勒底的吾珥，也就是亚伯拉罕和他的兄弟哈兰的出生地。

Many of Iraq’s historical sites have been targeted by ISIS militants.Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has thus vowed that Iraq will work to protect the Ahwar“despite the destruction and demolition of Iraqi heritage and antiquities by barbaric terrorist gangs.”

伊拉克很多的历史遗址都被伊斯兰激进分子毁坏。伊拉克总理阿巴迪宣誓说“即使伊拉克的文化遗产和文物会被野蛮的恐怖分子破坏和拆除”伊拉克也会保护阿瓦尔的。