HARRAN

It is said that this is the place referred to as "Haran" in the Torah. Islamic historians attribute the founding of the city to Kaynan, a descendant of Prophet Noah, or to Aran (Haran), the brother of Prophet Abraham. Ibn Shaddat, a historian from the 13th century, states that Prophet Abraham lived in this city before going to Palestine, and therefore Harran is associated with Prophet Abraham. It is written that Harran is also called the city of Abraham, and that there is a house of the Prophet Abraham, a mosque bearing his name, and a stone on which he leaned while sitting in Harran. Harran is located at a point where important trade routes coming from Northern Mesopotamia and connecting to the west and northwest intersect. Because of this feature, Harran was one of the important stopping points for Assyrian merchants who had close trade relations with Anatolia. The fact that trade flow between Anatolia and Mesopotamia took place through Harran for thousands of years led to the formation of a rich cultural accumulation in this historical city. Harran was also famous for being one of the important centers of Paganism (idolatry), based on the polytheistic beliefs of the Assyrians and Babylonians in ancient Mesopotamia, where the moon, sun, and planets were considered sacred. This is why astronomy advanced so much in Harran. The "Harran School" is one of the three great schools of philosophy in the world. Many world renowned scholars have been educated at Harran University, whose existence has been known since antiquity.