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CULTUREL
DETAILS OF ŞANLIURFA Şanlıurfa’s
Archaeological and Historical Tourism A City of Museums This historical
city has seen the blending of rich cultures ever since the dawn of archaeology
in the Neolithic Age, and the marks of all of them can be seen in its monuments
today. Most significant in terms of the world’s cultural heritage are the many
architectural landmarks left in Urfa by the Ottomans, who were the last to put
their stamps on the city. Urfa has preserved
its Ottoman character right up to the present day, and with its hundreds of
old houses, each as beautiful as a palace, leaves the visitor full of wonder
and admiration. With its ancient
khans, hamams (Turkish baths), mosques, fountains, bridges, covered bazaars,
and traditional handicrafts, Şanlıurfa is one the very few Anatolian cities
to preserve an authentic charater even today. World-Famous
Ruins in the Şanlıurfa Vicinity In and around Urfa
there are numerous historical ruins. Chief among the attractions are Harran,
the Bazda Caves, the Han el-Barür Caravanserai, the ruins of the city of Şuayb,
the ruins of Sogmatar, and the village of Eyyup Nebi, all of which can be taken
in during a single day’s tour. Harran Harran is situated
44 km. southeast of Şanlıurfa, in the middle of a broad plain which bears the
same name. Indeed, the name Harran comes down to us unchanged after four thousand
years, and the city was once home the Septimites, ancient Mesopotamian idolaters
who worshipped the sun and planets. The world-famous
university at Harran, which dates back to antiquity, has educated a number of
luminaries, including Sabit bin Kurra (born 821), one of the greatest mathematicians
and physicians of his time, who translated the Greek phiosophers into Arabic;
Battani; who correctly calculated the distance from the Earth to the moon; Cabir
bin Hayyan, discoverer of the atom; and the theologian Ibn-i Teymiyye. Harran’s place
in the universal heritage is also assured by the tomb of Sheik Yahya Hayat el-Harrani,
a renowned Islamic scholar who lived in the 12th century; the citadel and city
walls; the tumulus; Anatolia’s first mosque; the cami elfirdevs or Ulu Mosque;
and the distinctive Harran houses with their conical domes. Sights Worth
Seeing in Harran The Harran Houses The number one
tourist attraction in Harran are the curious houses in the shape of a cone,
and these are what first come to mind when the name of Harran is mentioned.The
architectural fabric made up by these homes is unique in the world. The houses
have been built by the villagers using bricks collected from the Harran ruins,
and have the shape of a conical hat resting on a square. Inside, two cones will
be joined by an archway, and the result is a very livable spaciousness. Perfectly
suited to the climate of the region, the houses provide cool shelter in the
torrid Harran summer. The folk claim
that in these houses hens lay more eggs, horses and other animals are more docile,
onions sprout more quickly, and food stays fresh longer. The City Walls
of Harran The city walls
of Harran, which make a full circuit of some four kilometers, are still visible
today. There are 187 turrets, and all told six gates: The Aleppo Gate on the
west; the Anatolia Gate on the north; the Lion, Musul and Baghdad Gates on the
east; and the Rakka Gate on the south. Of these all have crumbled except the
Aleppo Gate, which is still standing. The Harran Fortress This fortress was
built abutting on the walls southeast of the city. Three storeys tall, and used
at various times as the sovereign’s palace, the fortress today stands partially
in ruins. The original date of construction is not known, but the fortress was
restored in 1059 by the Muslim Fatimids. Harran’s Ulu
(Great) Mosque This mosque, which
stands just northeast of the Harran Tumulus, was built in 744-50 by the Ommiad
ruler Mervan II. In some documents it is called the Camiel Firdevs (The Mosque
of Heaven) or the Cuma (Friday) Mosque. It is the oldest and largest mosque
in Anatolia , and has the richest stone-work ornamentation. Divided into four
parts by three row of columns parallel to the mihrab, the Ulu Mosque had no
dome but, as archaeological evidence confirms, was roofed entirely in wood
which caved in due to a fire. Still standing
are the inscription wall, the kibleh wall, the mihrab, the central arch giving
access to the interior from the north, and the square minaret. Among the remains
are highly ornate stone capitals and arch-stones. The Tomb and
Mosque of Sheik Hayat-el Harrani Sheik Hayat-el
Harrani was an Islamic scholar and sage who lived in the 12 th century. He died
in Harran in 1185 A.D., and in 1195 a tomb was erected for him in the cemetery
northwest of the city walls. The tomb attract many visitors, and is said also
to hause the mortal remains of Azer (Tarah), father of the Prophet Abraham.
Abutting on it to the south is a mosque. The Harran Tumulus The tumulus is
located in the heart of the city of Harran, and saw its first dig with a joint
Turco-British team of archaeologists in 1951. That proved to be the only archaeological
activity at the tumulus until 1983, when a new excavation was begun by a team
under Dr. Nurettin Yadimci, which turned up finds ranging from the second millennium
B.C. to the 13 th century A.D. By far the most importand were the ceramic cuneiform
fragments dating from the time of the Babylonian king Nabonid, in which both
he and the Temple of Sin at Harran are mentioned. The excavations continue to
this day, and the finds unearthed are on display in the Urfa Museum. The Bazda Caves These large caves
lie 18 km. Northeast of Harran on a road named for the Han-e Barür Caravanserai,
and have gradually come into being over the centuries as stone was quarried
for construction in the cities of Harran and Şuayb. The largest of the caves
in places has two levels, and is made up of long galleries and tunnels. The Han-el Barür
Caravansereai This Seljuk caravanserai
stands in the village of Göktaş, 20 km. east of the Harran ruins. The road is
paved, so the caravanserai can be reached by car or bus. The building occupies
a space measuring 65x66 meters, and on its northern portal bears an inscription
declaring that it was erected in 1128-29 by el Hac Hüsameddin ali Bey Imad Bin
Isa. The Ruins of
Şuayb The ruins of this
city lie 45 km. From Harran and 25 km. from the Han-el Barür Caravanserai. The
road is paved and accessible to cars and buses. Here one finds
buildings constructed, of ashlar, upon hundreds of rock tombs. Remains of some
wall sand foundations have survived to our day. The city is quite extensive,
and surrounded by walls the traces of which are still visible in places. A cave home among
the ruins of Şuayb attracts many visitors as the place of the Prophet Shuayb.
The Ruins of
Sogmatar These ruins lie
60 km. from Harran and 15 km. from the city of Şuayb. The road is paved and
accessible to cars and buses. There is a tumulus at Sogmatar and upon it the
remains of walls and turrets dating from the second century A.D., while within
the village are the remains of a temple. Sogmatar was a
center for Septimism, which derived from the Cult of Sin (the moon god) in Harran,
and also for the cult of Marillaha, lord of the gods. The city’s most important
remain is that of an open-air temple where the sacred planets were worshipped
and sacrifices performed. In another temple, this one a cave hollowed out of
the rock (the Pognon Cave), the walls bear Syriac writing and reliefs depicting
human figures who represent the planets. There are in Sogmatar
many rock caves dating from the Roman era, and in the northwestern sector of
the village three tombs perched on hilltops. The Tombs of
eyyub Nebi Village Leaving Sogmatar
one takes the Urfa-Mardin road and turns north 5 km. before reaching Viranşehir,
reaching the village of Eyyub Nabi 15 km. further on via an asphalt road. The
village contains three tombs, one belonging to the Prophet Job (Eyyub), another
to his wife Rahime, and the third to the Prophet Elyasa. The tombs had fallen
into disrepair and ruin, but in 1992 were completely restored by the governorship
of Şanlıurfa. Deyr Yakup (The
Church of Jacop) This spot is known
popularly as “Nemrut Tahti,” Nimrod’s Throne, and stands in mountainous terrain
southwest of the place of the Prophet Job. There is no road, but a 45-minute
walk from the place of Job brings one to the site, with its ancient temple of
idolatry, its rock tombs, cisterns and monumental tomb. The last dates from
the first century B.C. and bears an inscription according to which the tomb
was built for Ameshshemes, wife of Abgar’s son Aryo. The Çimdin Castle This fortress stands
in the Tek Tek Mountain area 10 kilometers from the turnoff (to the right)
70 km. from Urfa on the Mardin highway. Rising on a hilltop,
the castle is surrounded by a moat hewn out of rock. A faint inscription, in
the style of arabic writing known as “nesih,” implies that the structure was
built during the Seljuk-Eyyubid The Urfa Museum The museum stands
downtown in the Şehitlik districh. Its ground and upper floor consist of three
halls for archaeological finds and one for artifacts of an ethnographical nature,
administrative units, a hall for lectures, exhibitions and the like, and a library,
while in the basement there are storerooms, a laboratory, and photographic studio.
The first hall on the ground floor is devoted to Assyrian, Babylonian and Hittite
artifacts. In the second and
third halls of archaeology there is a great range of items: Chalcolithic (7000-5000
B.C) fired earth ceramics with painted and non-paint geometrical designs, seals,
burial cubes (pithos), and necklace bits of faince; and bearing figurines, animal
figures, idols and other remains of the early Bronze Age (3000-2000 B.C.). The ethnographic
section offers clothing of a local type, silver and bronze jewelry, handicrafts,
woode doors and window frames carved and inscibed in the distinctively Urfan
Way, examples of calligraphy, and handwritten Korans. Arranged chronologically
about the grounds in the open air there are statues, mosaich, and such architectural
elements as columns and capitals.
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