Urfa – Harran – Göbeklitepe

Sanliurfa, Harran and Gobekli Tepe

This day will be full of activity so make sure to get enough rest the night before. You will start the day with a visit to Harran, a destination that is famous in both the Bible and the Quran. You will then make your way to the infamous and recently renowned historical location of the Gobekli Tepe archaeological site, pertaining to ancient ruins that pre-date the pyramids by 6,000 years! You will visit 4 sites today; Ataturk Dam, Sanliurfa City, Harran City, and Gobekli Tepe

Ataturk Dam

On your way to Sanliurfa, you will have a quick stop at the monumental Ataturk Dam. You will be able to see an awesome view from here, before continuing your drive to Sanliurfa City

Sanliurfa City

The city is situated in the broader subregion of Sanliurfa province, the beautiful and historic ancient city that you will be visiting is filled with traditions and history dating back generations with their stories being told in religious texts. Nearby is the cave that Abraham was built, today a museum has been erected around for its preservation, visitors still stream to see the simple life his family lived before God sent him out into the world. Additionally, the Sanliurfa pool tells the story of God saving Abraham from a jealous king who attempted to throw Abraham into a large fire pit, however, just as he would have started to burn the fire was turned to water and the burning logs turned to fish. Today you can still see fish living in the pool.

Gobekli Tepe

This will be the true highlight of the tour, given it’s recent climb to glory after being discovered by a team of German archaeologists to be the oldest megalithic religious site in the world. Its name which literally translates to ‘Mound with belly’, was uncovered after being thought to be an artificially constructed hill atop a natural limestone plateau. The excavations there have found some truly groundbreaking discoveries, including the first signs of religious worship, complex depictions of multi-figure narratives, and the first astronomical alignments. What are confusing experts are its age and especially it’s size (dwarfing Stonehenge), as the hunter-gatherers inhabiting that area 12,000 years ago had just seen the end of an Ice-age and tools were not thought to be invented until a few thousand years later. With ground penetrating radar mapping out dozens of temples still underground, the mysteries of Gobekli Tepe are still unfolding.

Harran

Once a prosperous and important city during the era of Mesopotamia with its own history in the Northern part being dated back as far as the 3rd Millennium. As the region passed into the different culture it became a hub for trade routes between the Mediterranean and the Tigris Plains. As time moved on it was a focal point for different battles and wars, which included with being ruled by the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, the Seleucid Empire, Roman Empire, and the Muslim Arabs. The region saw fighting once again during the Crusades and the Mongol invasions of Syria. Today the modern city is a unique blend of an ancient building nestled and protected among current style buildings. The traditional and unique beehive buildings have been protected for their uniqueness across the world for being as tall in this shape with no extra supports.