Harran

tuesday  11.24

Harran is “a very ancient city which was a major Assyrian commercial, cultural, and religious center, Harran is a valuable archaeological site. It is often identified with Haran, the place in which Abraham lived before he reached Canaan, and with the Haran of Ezekiel27:23, a city which traded with Tyre”  (Wikipedia).  An one hour dolmuş ride can get you to this village from the city of Şanlıurfa. 

When I got off the bus I was so surprise, especially when I didn’t really know where I was going.  I just went with the group.  It was an authentic village alright, with dirt and mud house, sheep, goats, cows, cats, dogs, and camels all around, and people in more practical daily village wear.  It was exciting to see this as I have never been to a village before.  We saw the traditional Harran house, made of mud and hay.

We visited the ruins of Ulu Camii (Grand Mosque of Harran), which was built between the years of 744-750.  It is the oldest Mosque built in Anatolia.  It is fenced off, but you an still see the site and look at the architecture.

We also saw the castle where the Hittites has occupied and Abraham and his wife stayed for 15 years.  This is where children started following us.  They were a lot of fun.  So much was going on in only one day: invited in for tea by strangers to being the attraction.