An ancient city (modern Tell Hariri) in SE Syria from which a huge cache of ancient documents have been recovered that shed helpful light on life during patriarchal times.
Most of the documents recovered in Mari came from about 1800-1760 BC. With more than 22,000 inscribed clay tablets of various kinds, the documents make Mari one of the best documentated cities of the ancient world. Although Mari is not mentioned in the Bible, many of the cities mentioned in the Bible such as Hazor, Harran and Nahor, are mentioned in the documents. They paint a picture of life in the ancient Near East remarkably similar to the Genesis accounts. Mari scholar Abraham Malamat says, "Mari is not the Patriarchs, but it is of their world and it is closer to them than any other extrabiblical source."
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