An immense site uncovered by archaeologists may be the ruins of the biblical city Sodom.
After decades of conducting the dig, researchers investigating the region of Tall el-Hammam in Jordan believe the remnants of a colossal Bronze Age city match descriptions of the doomed metropolis as told in the Bible.
Lead archaeologist Steven Collins from Trinity Southwestern University in New Mexico, told Popular Archaeology it was a "monstrous" site compared to others in the area from the same period.
"When we explored the area, the choice of Tall el-Hammam as the site of Sodom was virtually a no-brainer since it was at least five to ten times larger than all the other Bronze Age sites in the entire region, even beyond the Kikkar of the Jordan."
As described in the Bible, the purported Sodom is located to the east of the River Jordan circa 3500 and 1540 BC.
The archaeological find is believed to have been suddenly abandoned.
"It became an uninhabited wasteland for over 700 years but then, after those seven centuries, it started to flourish again – as indicated by the huge iron gate that leads into the city," Collins divulged.
The tale of the destruction of Sodom and its twin city Gomorrah was enlightened in numerous portions of the Bible – both Old and New Testaments - and in the Qur'an.
According to the ancient texts, God destroyed the wicked city of Sodom with brimstone and fire but allowed one good man, Lot, and his family to escape providing they did not witness the conflagration. Lot's wife failed to heed God's warning and turned around to look.
She was promptly turned into a pillar of salt for disobeying.