SHUAYB CITY

The ancient city of Şuayb is located 13 km from Hanel Ba’rur and 39 km from Harran. Şuayb is a settlement dating back to the Late Roman period (4th-5th centuries AD). It is believed that the Prophet Şuayb once lived here, and the ancient city takes its name from this legend. A cave in the area is still visited as the resting place of the Prophet Şuayb. Research conducted by scholars at various times in this settlement has led to the consensus that the name Şuayb means "City of the Ancient People" in Arabic, and that the houses within the settlement were summer residences for people living in the Harran Plain. The houses here are built in the typical Roman style, consisting of a triangular pediment, a roof, a walled courtyard, and a cellar carved into the bedrock beneath the house. Each house has a water well. Entrance to the houses is through doors in the courtyard walls, which open onto grid planned streets.