To an average tourist, Turkey is little more than Istanbul. But a city once known as Edessa, Urfa or Şanliurfa is situated on the edge of a wet part of the Taurus Mountains, a river source that runs through this town to join the Euphrates. An oasis, Urfa is home to a large limestone statue at Balikli Göl, dated as 10,000–9000 BC, rendering it the first ever stone sculpture.
Ancient Urfa:
In fact, Urfa has a lot to offer. The legendary Pool of Sacred Fish (Balikligöl) where Nimrod threw the Biblical Abraham into the fire is a must-see. In the courtyard of Halil-ur-Rahman’s mosque is the pool, built in 1211 by the Ayyubids, surrounded by beautiful gardens. The courtyard is very serene and the legend goes that if you see a white fish, you’re sure to go to heaven.
Prehistoric Göbekli Tepe: Barely six miles from Urfa is the prehistoric and most magnificent temple complex site, Göbekli Tepe or Pot Belly Hill. Situated in southeastern Turkey, this ancient city is home to one of history’s most amazing discoveries—where 12,000-year-old large carved stones were crafted by the local prehistoric people to make a temple. And these were not people who had developed tools for their trade nor had they discovered pottery.
This megalithic complex—Göbekli Tepe—is much older than Stonehenge by a whopping 6,000 years. Schmidt, a German archaeologist who has been excavating the area, is sure that this is the world’s oldest temple since civilization. The complex is set in circles and has pillars that are partially excavated.
Each ring or circular shape has two large central T-shaped pillars, about 16 feet high, with carvings of vultures, scorpions, foxes and lions. This is not the only element of religion here at Göbekli Tepe. This place is also known to be the birthplace of two Bibical characters—Abraham and Job.
It’s wonderful to be at the world’s first ever manmade holy place. From here, at a height of over 1,000 feet above the valley, you’d be looking at the tip of what’s called the Fertile Crescent. This is a tip of the very fertile area ranging from present-day Persian Gulf to Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt.
Neolithic Nevalı Çori: Very near Urfa is another early Neolithic settlement, Nevalı Çori, situated on the middle Euphrates, Şanlıurfa province, eastern Turkey. The people here are located at 490 meters above sea level at the foothills of the Taurus mountains, on both banks of a tributary of the Euphrates, the Kantara stream.
It is home to some of the most ancient monuments and temples. Along with Göbekli Tepe, it has dramatically changed our understanding of the Eurasian Neolithic Age. The Temple of Nevali Çori boasts having had a Neolithic settlement in 8000 BC, which now lies buried below the Ataturk Dam waters, though some relics can be seen above the watermark. Obviously, this too is worth a visit, especially for history buffs.
The temple here is 16 meters long and had 12 T-shaped stone pillars, each measuring 3 meters. They were engraved with etchings of human hands. The construction style is similar to the temples of Göbekli Tepe, about 20km away and to the ones in Malta, though 4000 years younger.
The Harran Plain:
Again in the province of Sanliurfa is another site, the Harran Plain, which spans an area of 80,000 sq. meters. Near the Syrian border, 44 km southeast of Urfa, lies this prehistoric town. In its heyday, this was an important Assyrian city which controlled the point that linked Damascus to the highway linking Nineveh and Carchemish. Assyrian inscriptions have several mentions of this city under different names, one of them being Harranu.
In Biblical terms, it was called the Garden of Eden, from where Adam and Eve were banished for eating the forbidden fruit. This is a manmade mound, located on the top of the plain, measuring 300 meters in diameter and 15 meters in height. Another Biblical reference is its pseudonym, the City of prophets,’ since it is believed that the Biblical prophets Abraham, Job, Elijah and Jacob lived in the Harran Plain.
Apart from its impressive history, it is also known for its beehive houses which are nothing more than mud-baked huts. Mud keeps the temperature constant throughout the year. But it will always be remembered for being a contemporary of Göbekli Tepe.