History of Şanlıurfa

Şanlıurfa (also referred to as just Urfa) is a real Mesopotamian city, set 80 kms east of the Euphrates River.  Urfa is the most Middle Eastern-feeling of any Turkish city. The city has been inhabited since antiquity and is believed to be the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham.  This ancient history, combined with a population that is a mix of Turks, Arabs and Kurds gives Urfa a real eastern mystique.  

BALIKLIGÖL (Lake of fısh)

Nimrod threw Abraham from the hill where the castle sits today into a burning fire as payback for destroying pagan idols.  God saved Abraham by turning the fire into a lake and turning the burning embers into fish.  That lake is the balıklı göl (lake of fish, also called the Sacred Pool of Abraham) that sits in the center of Urfa today.  The lake is filled with “holy carp” – the descendants of the burning embers.  The lake is considered a holy site by Muslims and it is forbidden to eat the fish (superstition says you will go blind if you do).  The two pillars at the top of the castle mark the spot where Abraham was thrown from the hill.  You can climb up to the castle to explore and take in a beautiful view of the area.

The park surrounding the balıklı göl is lovely.  It is green, shady, and full of benches, cafes, and families enjoying the surroundings.  It’s a great spot to enjoy tea, lunch, or to just rest and do some people watching.

GÖBEKLITEPE

Older than Stonehenge by 6,000 years, 7,000 years older than the Great Pyramids, and 1,000 older than the walls of Jericho, formerly believed to be the world’s most ancient monumental structure, Göbekli Tepe in south-eastern Turkey has literally rewritten human history.

The BEEHIVE HOUSES of HARRAN