Harran City
Ancient Harran City
Harran, a prominent city in the northern area of Mesopotamia, its history can be dated back to the 3rd millennium on Ebla tablets which describe one of the royal family becoming queen of Harran. It is thought that it remained part of the Elbaite kingdom for some time. Some of the clearest records after show that in the 20th Century BCE Harran was an outpost for merchants and trade for the Assyrian Empire aid to establish trade routes between the Mediterranean and the plains near Tigris. During the height of this ancient city, it remained part of the evolving Assyrian Kingdom, with small moments when it was controlled by the Hittites, although this was a short time.
In the 6th Century, Harran fell to the Persian Dynasty after the Assyrian kingdom fell, it remained under Persian control until Alexander the Great entered with his soldiers. The city was ruled by Alexander the Great until he died which left the city in contention until Seleucus I Nicator joined with the Seleucid Empire, becoming the capital of one of the provinces. Prospering under the rule of the Seleucid Empire it eventually becomes powerful enough to become an independent state becoming a buffer for the rivalling cultures in the region.
During the Roman period, Harran becomes the location for a battle where the Romans were defeated by the Parthians in 53 BCE. While the city remained in Roman Control until 6100 CE, they experience loss in battles and the murder of an Emperor. In 640 the town and region were conquered by a Muslim Arab General. During the early days of this Muslim reign, Harran became a seat of government, with this government, required the locals to follow one of the religions that had a written book to follow, this included Judaism, Christian or Islam. Some chose to follow their own pagan religion but adopt a Muslim word to become protected however in 1032 their temples were destroyed by an urban Muslim militia.
During the time of Crusades, the region saw battles, with different accounts of where the battle took place some claiming it was at Harran while other suggested it took place a 2-day journey away. By the 1260s the ancient city was completely destroyed and left abandoned during the time of Mongol Invasions of Syria.
Modern Harran
Today the town of Harran has a unique mix of ancient buildings and modern life together. Near the new building built by locals, there are mud-brick ‘Beehive’ houses, these ancient homes are built with a gently sloped roof that resembles the build of a natural beehive. These types of ancient homes can be found all across the world thanks to their cooling ability, however, Harran’s are unique thanks to their way of not requiring wooden supports to hold the shape.
The Grand Mosque is one of the oldest mosques built in Anatolia, built-in 744-750 it draws people from all over the world to Harran to visit the ‘Paradise mosque’. The nearby City of Sanliurfa offers a look into the history of a famous religious icon for both Christianity and Islam, the Prophet Abraham.