Harran

Harran is a district of Şanlıurfa Province in the southeast of Turkey. The district is near the border with Syria, 44 km southeast of the city of Şanlıurfa, at the end of a long straight road across the hot plain of Harran. Harran is an archaeological site of great value as the ancient city was the centre of a considerable commerce, trading with Tyre (Ezekiel 27:23), and one of its specialities was the odoriferous gum derived from the stobrum tree. The legends surrounding Harran go back to the beginning of man; it is said that Adam and Eve set foot here when they were expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Historical Harran is very, very ancient too. This was a centre of Mesopotamian culture which in its prime controlled the point where the road from Damascus joins the highway between Nineveh and Carchemish. This location gave Harran strategic value from an early date. It is frequently mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions as early as the time of Tiglath-Pileser I, about 1100 BC, under the name Harranu, or "Road". After the Shupiluliuma-Shattiwazza treaty, Harran was burned by a Hittite army under Piyashshili in the course of the conquest of Hanilgalbat.

Harran is famous for its traditional 'beehive' adobe houses, constructed entirely without wood. The design of these makes them cool inside (essential in this part of the world) and is thought to have been unchanged for at least 3,000 years. Some were still in use as dwellings until the 1980s. However, those remaining today are strictly tourist exhibits, while most of Harran's population lives in a newly built small village about 2 km away from the main site.
At the historical site the ruins of the city walls and fortifications are still in place, with one city gate standing, along with some other structures.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Harran
• beehive
• houses
• Şanlıurfa
• Province

[erdalkahyaoglu]

hi Maria , First of all I would like to say thanks for sharing such as amazing videos and I congratulate you. I would like to learn the tune that plays in the background of this video . I really liked it. Who is singing or what is the name of music ?

Thank you

[MariaJBogaerts]

@erdalkahyaoglu Merhaba Erdal, rica ederim! Sorry for not responding before, have not been on YouTube for almost two years because it was banned in Turkey, where I now live. The music is Bana Seni Gerek by a band of Turkish musicians in The Netherlands, called Leylim. Whether the band still exists is uncertain. It was formed in 1982 by Ceylan Utlu, teacher of Turkish and Arabic music in Amsterdam. This recording dates back as far as 1994. It is indeed very beautiful, I agree. So serene ...

[MariaJBogaerts]

@erdalkahyaoglu Merhaba Erdal, rica ederim! Sorry for not responding before, have not been on YouTube for almost two years because it was banned in Turkey, where I now live. The music is Bana Seni Gerek by a band of Turkish musicians in The Netherlands, called Leylim. Whether the band still exists is uncertain. It was formed in 1982 by Ceylan Utlu, teacher of Turkish and Arabic music in Amsterdam. This recording dates back as far as 1994. It is indeed very beautiful, I agree. So serene ...

[ilyasss]

Thank you very much MariaJBogaerts...

[MariaJBogaerts]

Rica ederim!

[ElDuendeVideo]

You're pure class. I just watched your

"saklikent" also. Not a second was wasted.

Beautiful, interesting, informative.

THANK YOU "tidurme"

[MariaJBogaerts]

Hello,

Thank you for your kind response. I've just come back from yet another two marvellous weeks in Dalyan, Turkey. Meaning more Turkey material is coming up soon!

Kind regards,

Maria

[m96918]

Arabs are good people Urfan

[m96918]

Turkish music

[mindakhilikaraki]

@NextLife77 Yes you are right.

[ismaelkurd500]

kurdish cultur.harran as je te xeribemm.

[iett112]

Harran is one of the most interesting and beautiful places in Turkey, thanks for refreshing my memories in Harran. Two thumbs up for you

[HughJason]

Very, very beautiful. Thank you.