Tomb Of Mother Eve

According to Arab tradition, Eve, the mother of all mankind, is buried near Jeddah, along the Red Sea. This would be difficult to prove, as there is no evidence outside the bible that there was a woman called Eve. The site has been revered for such a long time that it’s origin is shrouded in legend and mystery. The tradition pre-dates Mohammed by many centuries. It seems Adam and Eve lived the last part of their lives separated, and Adam ended up in Ceylon, where the faithful can find his tomb. Adam had something to do with the erection of the shrine at Mecca, then he left for other parts of the world. Eve came here to Jeddah, the port for pilgrims heading to Mecca, 38 miles away to the east. She was buried about a mile north of town.

The tomb is of an unusual shape, being almost 400 feet long and only ten feet wide. The common legend has it that Eve was one hundred and eighteen feet tall. The proportions of the burial tomb causes problems unless Eve was exceedingly thin. In any case, there is a small whitewashed shrine at each end of the site, with a third small shrine in the center. The central shrine is also whitewashed, and the faithful have penciled in their names. The thousands of names extend as high as a man can reach and covers the entire outer surface.

This tomb is readily accessible to the Muslims. The few Christians living in Jeddah are, for all practical purposes, confined to their neighborhood during the pilgrimage season [all summer]. While there is no restriction against a Christian entering the temenos of Eve’s Tomb, it certainly is not encouraged.