Southeast Turkey - Day 4

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Harran

Leaving the caravansary hotel, our bags are loaded onto the bus by the two staff members on duty that morning. The claim is that they are the tallest (7 feet) and shortest (about 3 feet) busboys in the world. They make an unusual contrast.

Back on the road, we head west to Sanliurfa, then south to Harran, another open air museum. As we travel down the southern road, we pass by about ½ dozen "huyuks," or "tels," large, flat, barren hills conspicuously rising from the plains surrounding them. These are sites of thousands of years of civilizations. Many of these sites remain unexcavated, and await future generations of archaeologists to investigate the various layers within.

Reaching Harran, we pass by another "huyuk," dating from Chalcolithic (Copper Age) times, currently under excavation. The entire site spills beyond the central "huyuk" and includes more recent city walls, a castle, mosque, medrese, house and church foundations, and the remains of the first Islamic University in the world (or maybe just Turkey; I can’t remember which. Of course, this area was part of Syria once). At the time of its flourishing, the university was a center for the study of astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. It is said that the instructors at this university taught more creatively than future universities in Anatolia; some of the world’s early scientific discoveries and theories came from this era. Our guide suggests, too, that this city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the world. The 8th century mosque ruins are the site of the first "standardized mosque," including a medrese, kitchen for the poor, bazaar, etc.

What sets Harran apart, though, from similar archaeological sites is the current village. Living among the ruins of the ancient city are people whose house-building technique goes back to the 3rd century BC. The current houses, about 200 years old, use tried and true technique of mud brick construction, built in the shape of cones; they are referred to as "beehive houses." Each cone is connected to another by an arched mud doorway. The shapes are stable, assisting in withstanding wind and the intense summer heat, and allow for efficient air circulation. They are quite extraordinary. The photographs I have of the interiors are from a large extended family home that has been converted into a retail shop for local crafts, none of which particularly interested me. But it was great to see the interior of such unique houses. The family lives in a somewhat more modern structure on the grounds. The people living in this village, unlike most other Turkish citizens, are Arabic; their first language is Arabic, the second, Turkish.

Our guide book (which I’m relying on more heavily than usual today because we have no electricity, hence no access to the Internet – again!) says that Harran is the location of Abraham’s sojourn. I will try to verify that if/when I can.

Sanliurfa – While traveling back north to SanliurfaBalikli , our guide explains that, until the 1980s, the town was called simply "Urfa." San (pronounced Shan) means "valorous." Sanli means "with valor." The sobriquet added to the town’s name refers to the valor shown by the townspeople during an early twentieth century battle, in which they repelled French attackers shortly after WWI.

Prophet Abraham's Birthplace?

Our first stop was to Lake Balikli (Lake with Fish) and the supposed site of Abraham’s birth. Our guide tells us that there is evidence that he was actually born in Ur (currently Iraq), but the legend lives on that he was born here and the site has become a pilgrimage destination.

The lake is actually a beautifully designed pool, full to bursting with fish that are considered somewhat sacred. It sits in the midst of one of the most beautiful urban parks we’ve seen in Turkey. There are actually two pools within the park, which sits at the foot of yet another spectacular promontory with a castle at the top. One of the most visible features of the castle are two tall columns overlooking the area.

Here is the story as to why this is such a sacred site and why the park is so beautifully designed and kept. Abraham, who was born in a cave in the hill (I have a photo of the cave), was feared by Nemrut, the king, because of the teachings of the great prophet. He ordered Abraham to be burned to death. But the fire created by the king’s soldiers was so intense that they could not get close enough to bring Abraham near it. Instead, they catapulted him from between the two columns on top of the hill into the fire below. Miraculously, though, the fire turned into a lake and the faggots in the fire turned into fish, the descendants of which we see today. Abraham emerged unscathed. Some versions of the story say he actually fell into a rose bush and thus survived. The King’s daughter, meanwhile, had fallen in love with the prophet and, thinking Abraham dead committed suicide by jumping off the same cliff. She, too, created a smaller lake where she landed, which still exists in the park.

Our guide, an archaeologist, points out that the two columns from which Abraham was catapulted were actually constructed many hundreds of years later, but the legend remains, as does the claim of his birthplace. Perhaps they simply represent a monument to the giant catapult of King Nemrut.

After visiting the sacred sites within the park, including a mosque with a very long, beautiful arched walkway, many of our fellow travelers requested free time to visit the large, convoluted old bazaar area. Larry and I preferred to stay in the heavily used park and take in its beauty and cool breezes. We took a brief detour, though, up the long stairs (in the hot sun) to the base of the castle, but did not go in, as we assumed the tour would resume there. But it didn’t. Instead, we headed to the hotel for dinner.

Our Turkish "Night Out" – After dinner, about half of our group walked to a local "Konuk," or mansion, which has been converted into a type of nightclub with folk songs, drums, and dancing, and servings of the local specialty: cif kofte, or raw meat balls. Yuk! We sat on large floor cushions, in a long, beautiful stone room, listening and clapping to the music. One drummer played the crowd down the center of the room, stopping to "encourage" the guests to stuff bills in the cables of his drum. This was fun.