Explore our archives database and discover more than 8,000 years of history.
The Madain Project is a very unique resource for the study of history and archaeology of three major Abrahamic Faiths. The Madain Project presents the material evidence without the influence of the religious beliefs.
An extensive index of terms, names, places, people and artefacts.
Explore Our GlossaryThe Prehistoric City of Akrotiri, located on the island of Thera (modern-day Santorini), is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the Aegean region. This ancient settlement, dating back to the Neolithic period and flourishing during the Bronze Age, offers a unique glimpse into the sophisticated urban and cultural life of the Minoan civilization. Explore Prehistoric Akrotiri
The tombs were carved deep into the limestone cliffs, often consisting of multiple chambers and corridors, richly decorated with elaborate wall paintings depicting religious texts, such as the Book of the Dead and the Amduat, meant to guide the deceased through the afterlife. These tombs were filled with treasures, furniture, and provisions for the pharaohs’ journey to eternity. Explore Tombs
This book is a magnificent excursion led by R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz to the monuments, ruins, statues, and bas-reliefs of the temples of Karnak. With nearly 600 photographs by Georges and Valentine de Mire, more than 450 of which are full-page plates, this volume is the only complete photographic record of this important historic site.
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Civilization was born eight thousand years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place.
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Venerated for millennia by three faiths, torn by irreconcilable conflict, conquered, rebuilt, and mourned for again and again, Jerusalem is a sacred city whose very sacredness has engendered terrible tragedy. In this fascinating volume, Karen Armstrong, author of the highly praised A History of God, traces the history of how Jews, Christians, and Muslims have all laid claim to Jerusalem.
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This exceptional read written by Eckart Frahm who is professor of Assyriology in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale. At its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen. Here, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history.
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These magnificent frescoes, which were often created on plaster surfaces in palatial and domestic settings, depict a range of scenes from daily life, nature, religious practices, and mythology. The list includes frescoes from key archaeological sites, such as Knossos, Akrotiri, and Tiryns, as well as other Aegean locations.
Explore FrescosAncient Corinth was one of the most influential city-states of classical Greece, situated on the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, connecting the Peloponnesian peninsula to mainland Greece.
Explore Ancient Corinth
While the purpose remains uncertain, these tunnels are believed to date back to the Old Kingdom, potentially serving as part of the Sphinx's construction, restoration efforts.
Explore Sphinx Tunnels
The Court of the Lions, built by Muhammad V, is the centerpiece of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, celebrated for its exquisite Islamic architecture and intricate design.
Explore Court of the Lions
The Barran Temple, located in Marib, Yemen, is an ancient Sabaean temple dedicated to the moon god Almaqah, the principal deity of the Sabaean kingdom. Known as the "Throne of Bilqis" in local tradition, it dates back to the 7th century BCE.
Explore Barran Temple
Pompeii was a thriving Roman city, and its homes ranged from modest dwellings to opulent villas like House of the Faun, with distinctive architectural features such as atriums, peristyles, and decorative mosaics.
Explore Pompeii Houses
Ephesus, located in modern-day Turkey, was one of the most important cities in the ancient world, particularly during the Greek and Roman periods. Founded around the 10th century BCE, it became a major trade, cultural, and religious center.
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Ancient Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by King Darius I around 518 BCE, and located in present-day Iran, near the city of Shiraz. It was one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, famous for its grandiose architecture, impressive palaces, and monumental reliefs.
Explore Ancient Persepolis
Ancient Timgad was a Roman colonial city founded around 100 CE in North Africa, located in modern-day Algeria, near the town of Batna. It was established by the Roman Emperor Trajan as a military outpost and quickly grew into a thriving Roman city, known for its impressive urban planning, architecture.
Explore Ancient Timgad
Taq Kasra, also known as the Arch of Ctesiphon, renowned for its massive size and architectural innovation, is a monumental archway and one of the most significant architectural remnants from the ancient city of Ctesiphon, the capital of the Parthian and Sassanian empires, located near modern-day Baghdad in Iraq.
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Theban Mapping Project
There is evidence of human activity in northeastern Africa since the Middle Pleistocene Period. By the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, between 90,000 to 10,000 years ago, there was a gradual movement of hunter-gatherer populations into the prehistoric Nile Valley and the drying lake and savannah regions of the Eastern Sahara precipitated by climatic changes. Traces of these early peoples survive in the forms of stone tools and rock carvings on the higher terraces along the Nile (including the western Theban plateau) and in the oases. As the nomadic hunter-gatherers came to settle along the edges of the Nile Valley, a transition to a settled lifestyle dependent on agriculture took place.
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Explore Theban Mapping Project
Ancient Egypt
The Great Ziggurat was built during the Third Dynasty of Ur by King Ur-Nammu around 2100 BCE and was completed by his son, King Shulgi, in the 21st century BCE. The ziggurat was dedicated to the Sumerian moon god Nanna (also known as Sin in Akkadian).
Watch on Youtube / Explore the Ziggurat
The tomb designated as KV9, located in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile, was built for Ramesses VI, who ruled during the 12th century BCE. He was the fifth pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty and the last ruler of the New Kingdom's Ramesside period.
Watch on Youtube / Explore KV9
The Hagia Sophia, also known as Ayasofya in Turkish, is a historic Byzantine era architectural marvel located in Istanbul, Turkey. Originally built as a cathedral during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, the construction of Hagia Sophia was completed in 537 CE.
Watch on Youtube / Explore Hagia Sophia
Who built the first Ishtar Gate?
The ishtar gate was constructed during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II in the sixth century BCE. Adorned with vibrant blue-glazed tiles depicting awe-inspiring dragons and divine beings, the Ishtar Gate served as the southern entrance to the ancient city of Babylon, acting as both a symbol of the city's power and a magnificent homage to the goddess Ishtar, the Babylonian deity of love and war.
The gate itself served as the northern entrance to Babylon and was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, the deity of love, fertility, and war. It was not just a functional gateway but also a symbolic passage into the heart of Babylon, meant to awe and inspire all who entered.
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The Madain Project is an online archive of Abrahamic History and Archaeology.
Abrahamic History & Archaeology is the study of history and archaeology with respect to the three Abrahamic Faiths without considering the religious and theological aspects. The goal of Abrahamic History is to understand how and why the religious doctrines and behaviours have evlovled and changed over time. Searching for patterns in the evolution of significant cultural events such as the development of farming, the emergence of cities, or the collapse of major civilizations for clues of why and how these have influenced the three major Abrahamic religions.
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