Harran

History: Harran

Harran, about 40 kilometres south-east of Şanlıurfa, was founded more than four thousand years ago and became a major Mesopotamian centre, famous for its temple of the moon god Sin. It is identified with the biblical Haran. Genesis says that Terah set out from Ur of the Chaldees with his son Abram, Abram's wife Sarai and his grandson Lot, and that they settled in Haran, where Terah died; Abram left Haran for Canaan at the age of seventy-five. Later, Jacob fled to Haran to escape his brother Esau.

Christians took an interest in the city because of Genesis, but Harran long kept its old religion: a bishop appointed in 361 preferred to live in Edessa. Under Islamic rule it flourished again, briefly serving as the Umayyad capital from 744 to 750. Its ruins include the Grand Mosque and the city walls, and the modern village is known for its beehive-shaped houses.

An interesting detail

Harran's beehive-shaped mud-brick houses recall buildings that already stood here in ancient Mesopotamian times.