Place Old Testament
Ulai
Ulai, a river in Elam, near Susa, where Daniel received a vision of a ram and a goat (Dan. 8:2, 16). Mentioned in 2 verses across 1 book, first at Daniel 8:2.
Why it matters. A river in Elam, near where Daniel saw a vision
- Primary passages
- Location
- 32.179, 48.225 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Ulai
The Ulai is a river mentioned in the Book of Daniel, located in the ancient region of Elam, near the city of Susa (Dan. 8:2). In Daniel's vision, he finds himself beside the Ulai Canal, where he sees a ram with two horns standing beside the river (Dan. 8:3). The ram is later interpreted as representing the kings of Media and Persia (Dan. 8:20). As the vision continues, Daniel sees a male goat coming from the west, which defeats the ram (Dan. 8:5-7). The goat is interpreted as the king of Greece (Dan. 8:21). The Ulai River is mentioned again when the angel Gabriel approaches Daniel to explain the vision (Dan. 8:16). The river's location in Elam, combined with the mention of Susa, suggests that the Ulai may be associated with the ancient city of Susa, which served as one of the capitals of the Persian Empire. The Ulai River is thus connected with important prophetic visions in the Book of Daniel, which foretell the rise and fall of major world empires and their impact on God's people.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.