Write: Melih Uslu, Photo: Ahmet Bilal Arslan

Şanlıurfa in 8 Steps

Known as the city of prophets, Şanlıurfa is a true museum-city with its sacred sites, authentic markets, outstanding cuisine, and historic firsts. Here are eight reasons to go there.

1. Historic Mosques
When you come to Urfa, one of Anatolia’s most important religious centers, you are greeted by the octagonal architecture of the Great Mosque of 1170. Rıdvaniye Mosque north of Fish Lake is an Ottoman monument, and Halil-ür Rahman Mosque at the southwest corner of the lake is the alleged birthplace of the Prophet Abraham. Another multidomed place of worship, Hasan Paşa Mosque was commissioned by the White Sheep Turcoman chieftain Uzun Hasan. Besides the mosques, the cave where the Prophet Jacob’s patience was tested and his tomb are two more of the city’s sacred sites.

2. Fish Lake
Halil-ür Rahman (or Fish) Lake in the area surrounded by Urfa’s historic mosques looks at first glance like a pool covered by a canopy. Regarded as sacred in Islamic belief, this lake has an interesting story. The Prophet Abraham rose up against the cruel King Nimrod. When Nimrod tossed Abraham into a fire, the king’s daughter, Zulaikha, who believed in the Prophet, threw herself in after him. But on the command of Allah the fire was transformed into water and the burning logs into fish. Halil-ür-Rahman Lake formed at the spot where Abraham was thrown in  and Lake Zulaikha  formed at the spot where the young woman threw herself in.

3. Urfa Bazaar
Historic Urfa Bazaar is the best place for finding the local products unique to the city. With its vaulted corridors, narrow lanes and thousands of merchants, this market, one of Anatolia’s oldest shopping centers, is a riot of sound and color. There is nothing that can’t be found in here in this complex of eight overlapping covered bazaars. Fabrics, carpets, flat weaves, felt, spices, tea, jewelry, prayer beads, pocket watches and much, much more. And Gümrük Khan, a former customs house and market landmark, is bustling all day long with its courtyard and open-air coffeehouse.

4. Göbeklitepe
The setting for one of the most exciting discoveries in archaeology, Göbeklitepe Mound is twenty kilometers from Urfa, near the village of Örencik. Claimed by archaeologists to be the site of the world’s first known
temple, the area has witnessed more than twelve thousand years of history. Numerous architectural ruins from ancient ceremonial sites have been uncovered with the excavations  under way in the area since 1995. The most striking finds are the obelisks bearing figures of plants and wild animals.

5. Harran
Harran, southeast of Urfa, was founded in the center of the plain of the same name. With its domed houses, historic castle, sacred sites and remains of the first Islamic university, Harran is Anatolia’s gateway to Mesopotamia. A leading center of astronomy in its day, the region exhibits traces of its five-thousand-year history. One of the most striking structures in the area is the observation tower, a relic left standing from the historic university.

6. Urfa Cuisine
Urfa’s kebab is legendary. If you have tried it and the region’s unique çiğ köfte (raw meat patties flavored with crushed dark red pepper) and bitter “mırra” coffee, then you are ready for a “sıra” night. Performed to promote the local culture and music, sıra nights represent the pinnacle of Urfa hospitality. The table is laid on the floor and the guests sit around it eating and talking long into the night as the music is performed. This traditional entertainment will make your Urfa trip unforgettable.

7. Halfeti and Rumkale
Famous for its black roses, Şanlıurfa’s celebrated town of Halfeti surprises visitors with its quiet beauty typical of a riverbank settlement. Perched on slopes overlooking the Euphrates River, the town boasts flat-roofed houses made of the white cut volcanic stone unique to the area. Rumkale, which can be reached by boats departing from Halfeti, bears witness to a three-thousand-year history with its intriguing rock formations and mysterious caves.

8. Bald Ibises
The next-door-neighbor of Halfeti, Birecik is the main habitat on earth of the bald ibis. Once facing extinction, the bald ibis has begun to multiply today thanks to dedicated efforts and a breeding farm set up in the region in 1977. In a welcome development, bald ibises have begun returning to Birecik when migrating after being absent for many years.