This would have provided irrigation in what would in consequence have been a large, dry, fertile and level area for livestock, crops and orchards in a former lake-bed. The Sumerian cuneiform records that the dam and watercourse were destroyed by a 1,000 year storm.

Christian O'Brien in the Genius of the Few provides the evidence that a dam was constructed and reservoir formed in the narrow valley east of Kfar Qouq, and that an overflow watercourse was built along the north bank of the southern basin to take surplus water into the Wadi en Neirab.

The watercourse went out of Eden to water the garden - parted by sluices into four heads or irrigation channels.

The watercourse has been under 10 meters of water for many years the Google map image is dated around mid to late 2006, whilst in our panorama section we have kindly been given images dated December 2005 showing the Southern Basin full of water.

The watercourse area close to Kfar Qouq is being used as an area for local people to dump building waste etc, other points along the watercourse have been ploughed over to provide larger fields. The larger rocks that formed the supporting walls of the watercourse are being used for walling or have been pushed to the edge of the field areas.