Gobeklitepe, The World's First Temple

Welcome to Şanlıurfa, “The City of Prophets”. Upon arrival, you will be greeted warmly and our day tour starts. Our guide will give us a brief presentation about Urfa and our day trip to Göbeklitepe for today. This city also goes by Şanlıurfa, named by the founder of Modern Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk because of the heroism shown here following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I when he led the Turkish National Movement in the Turkish War of Independence. After defeating the Allies, Atatürk embarked on a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms transforming the former Ottoman Empire into a modern, secular and democratic nation-state. Under his leadership, thousands of new schools were built, primary education was made free and compulsory, and women were given equal civil and political rights, while the burden of taxation on peasants was greatly reduced.

Our journey begins with challenging everything we know about human history with a visit Göbeklitepe. This archaeological site is still being excavated by a German and Turkish team run by Dr Klaus Schmidt. We will see obelisks carved with reliefs of wild plants and animals, T shaped obelisks, stylized human figures, 3D reliefs and much more. Göbeklitepe is unique not just by the size and beauty of the monuments, but the dates when they were built approximately twelve thousand years ago, dating back to the Mesolithic Age and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Age (Mid Stone ages). The artefacts are impressive: Famous T shape pillar, central pillars, the decorated belt of the pillar, sculpture of a bird with a human face, engraving of a female person, the Urfa Statue, the skin-head, the totem pole, life-size human head, a man with a beard, porthole stone even high relief of a predator on a stone slab, they all tell us the clues for 10000 years of history of ancient Göbeklitepe. Just outstanding!

After exploring Göbeklitepe we return to Sanliurfa to visit the Prophet Abraham's Cave next to the Urfa citadel and the holy fishpond. According to legend, there was a great fire where this pond is now. When the Prophet Abraham fell into the fire it suddenly turned into a huge pond and the woods became fish.

Time to travel to Harran, where the ruins of the world's first university and the first mosque to be built on Turkish soil can be found. In the Bible, Harran is mentioned as early as Genesis 13. The Torah mentions Harran as the city of Abraham. If you delve into ancient times, you will note the great temple of the Moon God, and Sin here. The existing, surreal-looking beehive houses known as Altınbaşa, although not dating back to the 4th century BC are very similar in style. We can walk to the Grand Mosque with its dazzling square tower built by an Arab Caliph in the 18th century; stroll around the central pool and explore the remnants of an Arab University – the oldest university in the known history of mankind. Harran has been the home of the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, Persians, the Alexandrian Empire, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, Ayyubids, and many other dynasties and empires. Harran has been known as a religious centre, a commercial and agricultural city.

Harran was famous for its cotton, honey, sweets, and measuring tools. From 718 to 913, Harran was in its’ golden era as a cultural and knowledge centre. Renowned Islamic scholars such as Thabit Ibn Qurra (826 – 901), Al-Battani (858-929) and Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328) came from Harran. During the Abbasid rule, Harran began losing both power and reputation. In 1098 the Crusades sent expeditions to Harran, and as a result, Harran lost more of its influence. Salahaddin Al-Ayyubi (1138-1193), commonly known as Saladin, arrived in Harran and returned it to power. Hospitals, bazaars, schools, and bathhouses were built during Saladin’s rule. Harran got the final blow in 1260 when Hulagu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, invaded the city. Mongol troops destroyed the city, including famous sites such as the Grand Mosque and the city gates. After this Mongol invasion, Harran transformed into a mere village with a small population.

At dusk, before we provide your transfer to Şanlıurfa GAP Airport we would like to invite you to a very traditional Turkish dinner. Şanlıurfa boasts immaculate regional tastes and delights. Just experience this.