Ancient city of Zoar

An etiology explains the city’s subsequent name of Zoar, ‘small’ according to Gen. 14.6, it former name was ‘Bela’. This due perhaps during Abraham’s time, King Bela ruled Zoar.

Zoar was one of the ‘five cities of the Plain’ southeast of the Dead Sea to which prophet of Lut fled to from Sodom and Gomorrah. The other cities are Admah, and Zeboiin.

Zoar escaped the fate of the other cities of the valley and provided a temporary refuge for Lut and his daughter.

The Talmud refers to ‘Zoar the city of palms’. In the Roman and Byzantine periods a town called Zoara flourished south of the Dead Sea.

Zoar continues to be attested in records until the Middle Ages.
Ancient city of Zoar

Ancient city of Sodom

Sodom was city where Abraham’s nephew Lot settled. It was one of the most ancient cities of Syria.

The entire plains of the Sodom area was included 5 cities in all. Sodom, the chief of the five confederate cities, built around the inland sea; the four others were Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Zoar.

The origin of the name Sodom is linked to an old root meaning ‘abundance’ especially of water. This area is now the Dead Sea area.

The original cities are under the sea or closely around it. Their inhabitants seem to have been of Canaanitish blood; but they were horribly corrupt, given over to impiety, to iniquity of every kind and to the most infamous vices.

In 1897 BC Sodom and other city was destroyed, Lot and his two daughters escape to cave in the hills.
Ancient city of Sodom