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.
Gobekli Tepe about ten minutes from City of Urfa is known tobe the oldest (about 12000 years old) religious structure in the world. The mound under which nearly perfect structures are still being excavated by German and Turkish archeologists has an information panel also showing the pictures of the area before the discovery. There is no entrance fee and there…
Unique on earth. 12,000 years old monolithic temples. 7,000 years older than Stonehedge
It's a nice mosque next to the holy fish pond. We didn't go in as we weren't sure if foreigners were allowed to enter but the outside looked nice.
Unique on earth. 12,000 years old monolithic temples. 7,000 years older than Stonehedge – UK and much better in everyway. What else should we say.
As the cave functions as a mosque, even though there are separate caves for men and women, we still got lots of hostile glances inside it. However, it was interesting to see a place which is so important for Moslems.
This site is really unique in the word! It is by far the worlds oldest significant sign of civilization. Do prepare a visit by books, YouTube, BBC archive, National Geografic archives (2012) or read articles on Internet or from Deutsch Archäologishe Institut by prof. Kurt Schmidt. When you are there, do not expect much touristic information. There is an archaeological…
This was an amazing experience. The oldest known temple, about 9,000 BC. This place was old when the pyramids were new!
There are few people there and it's a shame because the giant stone pillars of this old temple are fascinating…and it's free. Definitely worth getting a driver and guide to show you this amazing historic site.
Close to Sanliurfa is Gobekli Tepe, a neolithic sanctuary on a mountain ridge. It dates back to 9000 BC. This archeological site was discovered less than 20 years ago and is one of the most exciting sites today. What man has found here changes everything we understood about early man and how civilization began. Huge T shaped limestone slabs (like…
What a fantastic experience to walk around Balikli Gol and feed the fish, then a leisurely sit in the cafe's drinking Cia before taking the walk up to the castle. At the top the scenery overlooking Sanliurfa is fab ….but when all the Mosques go off at once, the air is filled with such a beautiful harmonious sound ….. then…
This is one of the several sites where it is said the Abraham (ancestor of the Jews and Arabs, aka the prophet Ibrahim in Islam) was born. The cave is a sacred site. This is also the site where it is said a spring of water protected Abraham from being burned by King Nimrod. There is a reflecting pool nearby…