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Harran Biblical History

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HobWahid
HobWahid
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Harran: Biblical History

  • August 8, 2005
  • Rated 3 of 5 by HobWahid from Damascus, Syria
Harran: Biblical History

Driving south from Urfa, the landscape slowly gives away to the Mesopotamian plain. What was once a brown, dry, relatively infertile land is slowly being changed as a part of Turkey’s ambitious Güneydogu Anadolu Projesi, or GAP, the Southeastern Anatolian Project. The project consists of a series of dams on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers designed to create artificial lakes that will be used to create millions of hectares of arable land. The project, which is drawing concern from environmentalists and the ire of Turkey’s southern neighbors, Syria and Iraq, has so far been a great success for the residents of southeastern Turkey. The area, mostly with disenfranchised Arabs and Kurds, has long been Turkey’s poorest region, but as the project brings in new investment and agriculture, those fortunes are starting to change. Therefore, what you see now as you drive south towards the Syrian border is vastly different from what you would have seen as little as 5 years ago. Old is giving way to modern as the brown land gives away to green. One place where you can still see vestiges of older southeastern Turkey is in the small town of Harran, just 10km from Syria.

Harran is another in a long line of religiously important cities in Turkey. Having been mentioned in the Bible, ancient Harran was where Rebecca found water for Jacob, and where the prophet Abraham, having been born just to the north, decided to move to Canaan. In ancient times, Harran was an extremely important city in the region, famous for its philosophers and thinkers, and is also near to the site where the ancient tablets carrying the Epic of Gilgamesh were found. Today, what remains of the ancient and medieval city of Harran is mostly walls and a palace, as well as the a few churches and mosques, but the reason people, albeit very few, come to Harran is because of the unique style of living shared by the inhabitants.

The inhabitants of Harran, related to those farther down the Euphrates Valley in Syria, have traditionally lived in what are often referred to as "Beehive houses." These mud-brick houses, held together with logs, take a conical shape and can actually be large elaborate structures with multiple rooms. They provide excellent abodes for this region because they are cool in Harran’s hot summers, but warm in the bitter winters. Although the majority of residents do not live in this style of house today (they are mostly used for storage) in the ruins of the old city, you can still find a cluster of them open for you to visit. They are set up for the specific purpose of tourism, but built the same as the traditional houses, and will provide you with an excellent idea of this ancient living style shared throughout the Mesopotamia. But don’t be surprised if a so-called "traditional house" turns out to be a rug shop. Harran gets very few tourists, so expect some extra attention from people trying to act as guides.

From journal Driving Eastern Turkey Part 1: Ankara - Van

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