Ur of the Chaldeans
Genesis begins Abram’s family movement from Ur. Tell el-Muqayyar is the leading proposal, but other identifications have been suggested.
Genesis 11:28–31; 15:7Biblical Maps • Genesis 11–22
Abraham’s Journey
Trace the biblical movement from Ur to Haran and then into Canaan. The places are mapped according to leading modern identifications; the connecting lines are intentionally approximate because Genesis does not preserve Abraham’s exact roads.
How to read this map: The sequence follows Genesis 11–22, but the dashed line is a teaching aid, not a claim that Abraham traveled those exact modern paths. Ur itself has competing proposals, although Tell el-Muqayyar in southern Mesopotamia is the leading identification in the OpenBible geographic dataset. Egypt is shown only as a broad destination because Genesis does not identify Abraham’s Egyptian stopping place.
Map key
Certainty is part of the lesson.
Strong / leading location
Modern site has substantial geographic or archaeological support.
Proposed / generalized location
The biblical place or exact point remains less certain.
Approximate journey
Shows biblical sequence, not a verified ancient road.
Places to know
Follow the call geographically.
Haran
The family settled at Haran before Abram obeyed God’s call to go to the land God would show him.
Genesis 11:31–12:5Shechem
Abram’s first named stopping place in Canaan, near the oak of Moreh, where God reaffirmed the promise of the land.
Genesis 12:6–7Bethel / Ai region
Abram pitched his tent east of Bethel and built an altar. The city identification is strong; the exact campsite is not known.
Genesis 12:8; 13:3–4Egypt
Famine drove Abram into Egypt temporarily. Scripture names the country but not a precise city or settlement.
Genesis 12:10–20Hebron
Abram settled by the oaks of Mamre near Hebron, and the region became central to the patriarchal story.
Genesis 13:18; 18:1; 23:2Beersheba
Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech and later residence connect the patriarchal story with the southern Negev.
Genesis 21:22–34Reference approach
Locations cross-checked before publication.
Coordinates and confidence notes are cross-checked with OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding: Tell el-Muqayyar for the leading Ur proposal, Harran for Haran, Tell Balatah for Shechem, Beitin for Bethel, Tel Rumeida for Hebron, and Tel Beer Sheva for Beersheba. The map intentionally does not convert those confidence levels into claims Scripture itself does not make.