A convoy from Babil province traveled nearly 250 miles in early April to visit Adam’s Holy Tree, also known as the “Tree of Knowledge.” For the thousands of Muslims who come each year, praying at the tree brings blessings, forgiveness and realization of their dreams. It also draws Christian tourists who believe it is the tree Eve ate from in the Garden of Eden.

Local cleric Abdul Hussein al-Hashimi told Al-Monitor that visiting the tree in Qurna, a town in southern Iraq just northwest of Basra, is a religious duty, part of the country’s historical and religious heritage that had been preserved through the generations.

Um Abbas, 70, was among the visitors. “I'm visiting the tree for blessings and forgiveness,” she told Al-Monitor. “I also come here to pray for health.”

The Tree of Knowledge used to stand alone in Qurna, located at the delta between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, allegedly where the Garden of Eden was located. In 2005, the Ministry of Water Resources spent 6 million Iraqi dinars (about $5,000) to build a park around the tree with tables and umbrellas as well as a pier on the bank of the Tigris.