Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah

Cities of the plain, in tradition and legend

According to Genesis, Sodom and Gomorrah were cities of the plain destroyed by fire and brimstone, while Lot and his daughters escaped. Their exact location is unknown, and scholars have proposed sites on both the southern and northern shores of the Dead Sea. A ridge called Mount Sodom, made largely of salt, rises at the southern end of the sea. Its caves and weathered pillars include a formation that visitors call Lot's Wife. The area evokes the story, but no archaeological evidence ties it to the biblical cities.

Glossary: Sodom and Gomorrah