Young believers flee a pagan king and sleep in a cave for 309 years. Where exactly is debated; Ephesus is the oldest claim.
[Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, "Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance."
Quran 18:10
Source: Quran, Ibn Kathir ·
Borders come from the open historical-basemaps project (GPL-3.0) and are approximate. Dates before 1000 BCE are estimates, and for the earliest prophets the Quran gives the order of events but not their years. Sources: the Quran, Sahih al-Bukhari, the Seerah of Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Kathir's al-Bidaya wan-Nihaya, and standard histories. See also the villains of Islamic history, from Iblis to the Dajjal.
