The city of Urfa (Sanli Urfa), dates back to the second millennium B.C. when it may have been the capital of a Human state. It has been known variously as Orrhoé, Orhai, and Osrhoene. One of the early Christian communities developed here. Their language was not Greek but rather Syriac. According to the early church historian Eusebius, the first church in Edessa began when Jesus answered a plea for help from the king, Abgar. Thus the community claims to be pre-crucifixion in its origin.
According to tradition, Nimrod had Abraham immolated on a funeral pyre, but God turned the fire into water and the burning coals into fish.
In the second century A.D. a member of that community, Tatian, produced a Syriac “harmony” of the Gospels which was used in the church there. For fifty years Crusaders held the area in the twelfth century and built a citadel. Within the citadel are two columns on one of which there is a Syriac inscription.
These were part of the winter palace of King Abgar. A spring at the foot of the citadel feeds pools of fish sacred carp, according to Muslim tradition. This tradition also states that Abraham stopped here. No remains of any great antiquity are visible In the city although there is a thirteenth century square minaret and a seventeenth century Islamic religious school, the Adb-er Rahman medresesi.
The mosque built on the site where prophet Abraham is believed to have been born.
Göbekli Tepe is an ancient religious site that was quite recently discovered. The site itself is still under excavation and more remains mystery than can be explained.
Without knowing the story there may not be "much to see" but even the location of the site is magnificent. You can see so much and so far that it really makes you…
Arrived on a holiday – very crowded. Part of a park complex where the rest of the Abraham story took place. According to legend, he got in political hot water, and was thrown on the funeral fire, and suddenly the flames turned to water, and the burning wood to fish, and he landed a distance away. So the park includes…
The fish in the lake or pools of Abraham are protected, but unlike most carp, who don't move unless the have to , these guys roil the waters and practically chew on your hand, their scales iridescent in the sun. It's great to meet them and astonishing to think of Abraham beginning here, in southeastern Turkey, and ending up in…
I visit this on going archeological site every year. I am privileged to be an on looker to this discovery. Every year something new. This place excites me and sends a shiver up my back. Huge t shaped stones which are engraved set in circles. A place where hunter gatherers grouped and eventually put down roots. A must on your…
This was a wonderful little outing, a short taxi drive from Sanliurfa, located in the surrounding. Take your own water, because there are no concessions there, save for the boy selling tourist pamplets.
This site is known in Turkish as Gobekli Tepe, where "tepe" means "hill." Search for it under that name on Wikipedia to find out more about it….
Pilgrims from Iran, Europe, Turkey and other countries gather together at the birth place for a common major person in their religion (Abraham, Ibrahim). If not present in your mind, please prepare the visit and read the Bible (Old Testament) about Abraham and King Nimrod. Enjoy the friendly and very varied visitors in and around this holy place.
Beautiful. The Ottoman-era Rızvanıze Mosque, built near the cave where the prophet Abraham was born, overlooks the pool where he was allegedly spared death. Known as Balıklıgöl (Pool of Sacred Fish), it is home to a thriving population of carp. Visitors drawn by the story of the prophet as well as the graceful arches and lush greenery surrounding the pool,…
After watching "Ancient Aliens" on History Channel, I was thrilled to visit the site and I found it fascinating. All the monoliths and carvings make you think about ancient civilizations' power twice. There has been an excavation still going on since 1994. If you are interested in archaeology and ancient civilizations, Gobekli tepe (Potbelly hill), you should not miss this…
Most of what u hear is from Tradition rather than Historical Fact.
Great Place to have a Lunch or respite from afternoon Sun.
beatuful Place to Walk Around and has lot of Interesting sites
Being someone who is fascinated by archaeology, simply standing at Gobekli Tepe was breathtaking. This site is currently rewriting everything we thought we knew about human civilization. Built during a time when we were supposedly hunter gatherers, the level of organization and construction is way beyond what traditional archaeology would have us believe we could do at this time.
This…