Good storytelling begins with knowing what a source can—and cannot—tell us.
Our starting references
- Royal Hashemite Court, 9 October 2019: a record of the modern visitor centre opening and the official description of the site.
- Jordan Tourism Board, Tracing Islam in Jordan: a tourism account of the tree tradition.
- Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhi 3620: a transmitted narrative, with differing assessments noted on our history page.
- Qur’an 14:24: a tree metaphor, used for reflection and not as an identification of this tree.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2320: a teaching on planting and charity.
Three kinds of writing
Documented event: an event supported by an identifiable record. Tradition: an account preserved or repeated in religious or local memory. Reflection: the author’s response or suggested practical lesson. We aim to keep these categories visible.
What we do not infer
We do not use a modern estimate to prove a precise age, or a narrative mentioning a tree to prove the identity of a surviving specimen. A source link is a way to examine a claim, not a guarantee that every statement in the source is independently verified.
Corrections and artwork
Corrections should be recorded in the relevant article. The main tree artwork was generated for this publication and is an artistic interpretation. It is not evidence of the site’s appearance. Visual guide layouts and text are original editorial work.
Source review date: 5 October 2026. Links and grading descriptions should be rechecked when articles are updated.