SANLIURFA [EDESSA] THE CRADLE OF CULTURES AND RELIGIONS
Selami YILDIZ
Culture and Tourism
Director of Sanlıurfa Province
The ancient and sacred cities of the earth were the cradles of human
civilisation and culture, instrumental in developing history, the
sciences, law, the arts and letters. Among these cities are Athens and
Rome in the West, and Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem (al-Quds) and Urfa
(Edessa) in the East…
Archaeological finds indicate that Urfa is the oldest city in the world,
the cradle of the human history and the common ancestral hearth of
humanity. Urfa is a city where every pile of dust or stone is a witness
to history, marked by each successive age. Urfa is also a source of
history, a rich vein for archaeologists, each new find causing an old
chapter to be rewritten. Urfa’s history is too grand for the library
shelf: you must search history out in Urfa itself.
Archaeological evidence tells us that Urfa has been the stage for many
historical “firsts”. Archaeologists have uncovered numerous artefacts
from the Palaeolithic Age, including the first stone quarry, the first
temple, the first sculpture, the first wheel, the first settlement, the
first architectural structure, evidence of the first animal husbandry,
the first agriculture (as witnessed by the depiction of agricultural
scenes in Harran), the first writing, the first seal, the first
measuring and weighing instruments, and the first library.
“The Oldest Statue in the World”, carved over 11,500 years ago, and
unearthed at an archaeological excavation site near the Balikligol (Pool
of Abraham), is now on display at the Archaeology Museum of Sanliurfa.
“The Oldest Temple in the World”, erected 11,500 years ago at a site 17
km from the city centre, was recently unearthed and is regarded as the
most important archaeological find of the century. Other important
archeological finds include evidence of the first wheat and lentil crop
and the first carved stone figures, early developments in the plastic
arts that would lead to painting and architecture. Animal lovers will be
interested in the ancient ruins at Gobeklitepe, where the earliest
domestication of animals occurred. Other similar sites dating to the era
of Gobeklitepe still await exploration.
Urfa is among the top three cities in Turkey in its number of listed
cultural heritage sites. Further, it is regarded as “the locality with
the greatest number of sites awaiting archaeological excavations in the
world.”
In that context, the centres of four county seats have been declared
Protected Sites by their respective municipalities, and the District of
Eyyubnebi has been declared a Tourism Development Zone. The Harran
County seat has been taken into the Tentative List of World Heritage.
Urfa is an open air museum, where extraordinary stone carvings decorate
inns, bathhouses, fountains, mosques, churches, monasteries, mansion
houses, streets and arcades. The town is built with the dressed
cream-coloured limestone blocks locally known as the Hevara or Urfa
Stone. Therefore, the city is also known as the “Museum City Urfa”. The
historical city saw the development of diverse cultures and belief
systems, from the primitive religions, through polytheism to the
monotheist faiths. Urfa is therefore also a centre of pilgrimage. The
birthplace of several prophets and the sanctuary where notable sermons
were delivered, Urfa has a special place on the faith tourism trail.
Aside from being a city bearing the traces of all religions and having a
pluralist culture, Urfa is also one of those rare cities of tolerance
where civilisations rose, met, merged, and created structures to address
the spiritual needs of each individual (Custom’s Inn / Gumruk Hani –
Historical bazaars). Urfa is the home of many prophets, saints, and
honoured altruists and ascetics. Consequently the city is also called
the seat of sultans of hearths, or the capital of affection.
In Urfa our prayers assume a new dimension. The sound of the dhikr (the
repetitive chant of the 99 Names of Allah, and associated devotional
texts) that that has rung out for centuries at the Makam-ı İbrahim
(Abraham’s Station) does truly purify the heart and soul.
According to the oral and written sources, Adam and Eve settled in the
region and, on Harran Plain, sowed the first wheat, so beginning the
history of farming. Today Urfa is renowned as a gene store for poaceae
(agricultural grasses) and fabaceae (legume family). According to the
famous historian Bar-Hebraeus (Abu’l Faraj in Arabic) Urfa was one of
the first cities founded after Noah’s Flood.
The prophet Abraham was born in Urfa, and found himself in a legendary
fight with Nimrod. The miracle of Abraham converted the pyre into a
“cool and peaceful” rose garden. The last wish of Abraham was that his
son Isaac come to Harran and marry. Abraham’s grandson Jacob escaped the
wrath of his brother Esau and came to Harran. Jacob was married to the
daughter of his paternal uncle in Harran, and became a shepherd for 15
years. When his son Joseph was two years old, he moved with his family
to Canaan.
The Mizrahi Jews and Eastern Christians regard visitors to Urfa as
“pilgrims”. The Jews regard Urfa as one of the significant centres of
the Promised Land, home to
Abraham, Jacob and Moses. Christians see Urfa
as a city sanctified by Jesus Christ. An important relic, “the Holy
Mandylion (Image of Edessa) and the Holy Shroud” is from Urfa. This
invaluable relic is on display at a museum in Turin as “the shroud from
Edessa (Urfa)”. For Christians Urfa also meant the first kingdom, the
first church, the first Bible and the first Liturgical Music of Ephrem
the Syrian.
For Muslims Urfa is the city of Abraham and Job. Job, a descendant of
Abraham, arrived from Damascus and settled in the Eyyupnebi (Prophet
Job) District. Job became a master of perseverance in suffering. Job
died before the arrival of Elisha (al-Yasa in Arabic) who was travelling
to see him, and was buried in the Eyyubnebi District.
The ancient cities of Jethro (Shoaib in Arabic / Suayp in Turkish) and
Urfa inherited the perseverance of Job. Moses, who had fled Egypt after
killing an Egyptian, took sanctuary with Jethro. Moses lived as a
shepherd and received his famous staff from Jethro before climbing Mount
Sinai. Jesus Christ also sanctified Urfa, and sent one of his disciples,
St. Jude Thaddeus to spread religion in the region. So many religious
leaders were born and bred in Urfa, and the region is so closely
associated with the prophets, that the city has been called the “City of
Prophets” or “Realm of Prophets” throughout its history.
The ancient city of Harran is 44 km from the centre of Urfa. Recent
archaeological finds indicate that Harran dates to 7000 BC. Harran has
been recognised by the three major monotheistic religions as the
motherland of Abraham. In its long past Harran was the home of principal
Sin (the Semitic name ascribed to Nanna, the Moon Deity of the
Sumerians) Sanctuary E khul khul (House of Joys), and served as the
capital of the Babylonians, Assyrians, and of the Umayyad Dynasty. The
city’s standing remains comprise an earthen mound, university, mosque,
mud brick corbelled beehive-houses, 3-storey fortress, and city walls
that run for 4km, strengthened with bastions and watchtowers.
Besides its architectural heritage, Harran was also a significant centre
of religion, culture, arts, philosophy and astrology. Historians have
identified around 200 scientists, including 20 women, who lived in
Harran and played an important role in conveying the ancient knowledge,
arts, and sciences to the European civilisations through authoring and
publishing compendia and translations. In this context Harran played a
role in Mesopotamia and Anatolia that was similar to the role ascribed
to Andalusia in Europe. It was Jabir ibn Hayyan, the famous physicist
from Harran, who first proposed idea of the divisibility of an atom.
Algebra spread to the world from Harran.
Harran extended as far as The Tomb of Sheikh Hayat ibn Qays Al-Harrani
(Seyh Hayat El-Harrani Türbesi) and the Jacob’s Well (Hz. Yakub Kuyusu)
at one end of the city, and the Tomb of Imam Muhammed Al-Baqir (Iman
Bakir Turbesi) at the other. For its architectural, historical, cultural
and scientific importance, Harran is nominated for the UNESCO Tentative
List of World Heritage, and should be inscribed to the “World Heritage
List”. Harran is an exotic city where visitors feel the sun, moon and
stars watching from above.
The
Eyyubnebi District is the other important destination in the Harran
region. Along the tourist route between Harran and Eyyubnebi are the
Shepherd’s Caves (Coban Magaralari), Bazda Caves, Han al Barur
Caravanserai, and the Jethro (Shoaib/Şuayp) Ancient City, which is
regarded as the Ephesus of the South-eastern Turkey. The Souk al-Matar
(Sogmatar) Ancient City as an important cultural centre for people who
used to worship stars, planets, moon and sun. The Well of Moses in the
Souk al-Matar ancient city is located along the same route. Further on
the route, are the Fortress of Cimdin, and the Palace of Maidens (Qasr
al-Banat/Kızlar Sarayı). The tombs of Rahme, the nameless wife of Job in
Christianity, and Elishe (Al-Yasa) are also in the same district.
Urfa is famous for its scientists, religious leaders, philosophers,
scholars, essayists, poets, travellers, painters, artists, and singers.
Many poems, legends and laments about the city have been composed. Urfa
and its cultural heritage are still mystical and authentic sources of
inspiration for many people. Urfa was renowned for its Academy where
Jewish, Christian and Sabian scholars studied between the 2nd and 5th
centuries AD, and the Harran School which was famous as a centre of
learning and sciences between the 6th and 13th centuries. Harran made
its major contributions to the development of Western civilisation by
providing translations from Latin and Syriac into Arabic and it is where
the Syriac language, writing, and literature were born. On the merits of
such rich heritage, it is also known as the “Culture Capital Urfa”.
At the centre of modern Urfa, near the Lake of Khalil al-Rahman
(Halil’ür-Rahman Gölü) is ancient Edessa City. Here, Roman era cave
tombs and other structures are decorated by Syriak and Greek
inscriptions, reliefs and floor mosaics. One mosaic, which was unearthed
in the Hasek Village of Siverek County, was dated to 3400 BC, and is
regarded as the oldest mosaic of the world by the archaeological
literature. Mosaics, then, are also children of Urfa. There are so many
magnificent mosaics awaiting archeological attention at sites scattered
around the province of Urfa that together they would fill a specialist
museum. In 2005 plans were laid for a park oriented towards religious
tourism. The park was to occupy a plot at the Haleplibahce (Alleppian
Gardens), along the Daysan Stream, an inspiration for many folk songs.
The park, to be within the boudaries of Edessa Ancient City, would
surround the Khalil al-Rahman Lake, and reach up to the Fortress of
Urfa. When the ground work commenced in 2006 a floor mosaic was found.
An archaeological excavation was undertaken by the Directorate of the
Museum of Sanlıurfa, and a thirteen-room palace was unearthed, every
floor paved with mosaics. The excavations also unearthed a row of villas
along the banks of Daysan Stream and a bathhouse with under-floor
heating. The Haleplibahce did not accept the themed park as planned and
revealed its own theme through the unearthed mosaics. The Haleplibahce
Mosaics are believed to be from the 5th century AD. One of the mosaics
depicts the hunting scene of the four Amazon queens. This is the “first
example of mosaics depicting the warrior queens of the Amazon using
their Greek names.”
The first of the floor mosaics of the Palace of Edessa depicts the
KTICIC. The word literally means creation, but a common motif, as here,
is a lady personifying the foundation of a building. The second mosaic
shows Achilles, the great hero of the Trojan War. A third mosaic shows
KENTAUROI KHEIRON, the mythological
centaur who educated Achilles.
THETIS, the water-goddess mother of Achilles, is shown in a fourth
mosaic. A final mosaic shows ODYESSUS, the hero brought the Trogan War
to an end with his plan of building the Trojan Horse. The mosaics are
among the most elaborate and valuable mosaics in the world, each
containing over 5,000 tiny pieces per square meter, each individual
stone ranging from 1 to 5 mm. The masterful workmanship, the artistic
design, and interest of the scenes depicted make these mosaics worthy of
an Emperor’s palace. Urfa could appropriately be known as the “City of
Mosaics”.
Urfa sits on some of the most fertile soil in Turkey, and has developed
as both an agricultural and industrial city. An international airport
serves the city, which offers diverse opportunities for visitors: The
Karacadag Skiing Centre for “Winter Sports”, Karaali Springs and Baths
for “Thermal Tourism”, the unique and rich flora and fauna of Karacadağ
and Tek Tek Mountains for “Hunting and Trekking in High Pastures”; The
Atatürk Dam Reservoir Lake and Halfeti Town for “Water Sports”; the
newly formed beaches along the shores of the lake behind the dam where
the cool and serene waters of the Euphrates merge with the waters of
heaven “Lake and Shore Tourism”; the endemic Northern Bald Ibis,
partridge and doves of Urfa for “Ornithological Tourism”; traditional
handcrafts, rich cuisine to satisfy the most discriminating palate,
world renowned musicians, and the authentic mysteries of local folklore
for “Cultural and Folklore Tours”. Urfa is the heart of Northern
Mesopotamia, and is the gateway to Mesopotamia and the Middle East. It
has the potential to maintain its past strategic importance into the
future.
Urfa is renowned in the history of the Turkish Republic for its
legendary resistance and made its mark as the “city that liberated
itself” on the 11th of April 1920. The liberation of Urfa was an
inspiration for the national struggle, and the city became a symbol of
national unity and solidarity. The city represents the sacrifice
undertaken for the independence of the country, a struggle that brought
together heroes and numerous martyrs who left their blood on the land.
For its legendary resistance the Grand National Assembly of Turkey added
the title “Glorious” to Urfa Province in 1984.
In summary:
If you wish to see your ancestral land, the land where human history
begun, the oldest city of the world, the 11,500 years old Statue of
Balıklıgöl, the archaeological find of the century, the Temple of
Göbeklitepe, the most heavily excavated province in Turkey, the fifth
largest museum in Turkey in terms of number of artefacts, and the world
renowned mosaics, then you must visit Urfa…
If you wish to see the historical city of Harran, a centre of culture
and learning that housed the first University in the world, or the
Jethro (Shoaib/Şuayp) Ancient City which is considered the Ephesus of
South-eastern Turkey, or the Souk al-Matar (Sogmatar) ancient
settlement, site of moon, sun and star worship, then you must visit
Urfa…
If you wish to follow the traces of the cultures and beliefs of the
primitive, polytheist, and monotheist religions, the tolerant and
pluralist culture of the three Abrahamic religions, the sacred
localities of the prophets and holy persons, the generosity and
hospitability inherited from Abraham, the perseverance under suffering
inherited from Job, the capital of affection and tolerance that was
sanctified by Jesus Christ, where civilisations met and intermingled,
then you must visit Urfa …
If you wish to see the magnificent buildings of Turkish Islamic
architecture where the stone was carved with the intricacy of lace, the
traditional handcrafts, to enjoy the rich cuisine, a world renowned
musical tradition, and a living authentic mystical culture, then you
must visit Urfa …
If you wish to see the fertile land where agriculture was first
practiced, the capital of the old Mesopotamia and the present day GAP
(South-eastern Anatolian Project, the project of damming the waters of
Euphrates and Tigris for hydroelectric generation and irrigation), the
Ataturk Dam and the largest reservoir lake in Turkey, the sixth largest
in the world, the Halfeti town, a hidden paradise from where boat tours
set out on the lake, then you must visit Urfa.
