Şanlıurfa

Important: Şanlıurfa is in proximity of Göbekli Tepe, due north of Syria.

**Şanlıurfa** is a Province in southeastern Turkey, and its capital is Şanlıurfa (or Urfa). Its population of over two million residents includes ethnic Turks, Kurds, and Arabs.

## Urfa

Şanlıurfa, Urfa for short, (Arabic الرها , pronounced [ʃanˈɫɯɾfa]; Kurdish: Riha; Syriac: ܐܘܪܗܝ, romanized: Ūrhāi; Armenian: Ուռհայ, romanized: Urrha) was known in ancient times as Edessa. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River.

Edessa (Ancient Greek: Ἔδεσσα, romanized: Édessa) was an ancient city (polis) in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (r. 305–281 BC), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Osroene, and continued as capital of the Roman province of Osroene. In Late Antiquity, it became a prominent center of Christian learning and seat of the Catechetical School of Edessa. During the Crusades, it was the capital of the County of Edessa. The city was situated on the banks of the Daysan River (Latin: Scirtus; Turkish: Kara Koyun), a tributary of the Khabur, and was defended by Şanlıurfa Castle, the high central citadel.

Osroene (Greek: Ὀσροηνή) was an ancient region and state in Upper Mesopotamia. The Kingdom of Osroene, also known as the "Kingdom of Edessa" existed from the 2nd century BCE, up to the 3rd century CE. The kingdom was ruled by the Abgarid dynasty who was generally allied with the Parthians. The Kingdom of Osroene enjoyed semi-autonomy to complete independence from the years of 132 BCE to 214 CE. Though ruled by a dynasty of Arab origin, the kingdom's population was mainly Aramean, with a Greek and Parthian admixture. In addition, the city's cultural setting was fundamentally Aramaic, alongside strong Parthian influences, though some Arab cults were also attested at Edessa.

The Syriac language, also known as Syriac Aramaic and Classical Syriac ܠܫܢܐ ܥܬܝܩܐ (in its literary and liturgical form), is an Aramaic dialect that emerged during the first century CE from a local Aramaic dialect that was spoken in the ancient region of Osroene, centered in the city of Edessa. During the Early Christian period, it became the main literary language of various Aramaic-speaking Christian communities in the historical region of Ancient Syria and throughout the Near East. As a liturgical language of Syriac Christianity, it gained a prominent role among Eastern Christian communities that used both Eastern Syriac and Western Syriac rites. Following the spread of Syriac Christianity, it also became a liturgical language of eastern Christian communities. It flourished from the 4th to the 8th century, and continued to have an important role during the next centuries. By the end of the Middle Ages Syriac Aramaic was gradually reduced to liturgical use.

The *Alphabet of Sirach*, written in the Middle Ages, may be an origin story of an "Adam and Lilith" who may have lived in the pre Edessa area. The Sirach manuscript was written in Aramaic, the prominent language of Osroene. A version of the Sirach manuscript was found in Constantinople, 1519; with one known complete copy preserved at the British Library. About thirty minutes northeast of Urfa, is Göbekli Tepe, an ancient cult site with evidence of ritual worship that was performed some 11 500 years ago. It is the oldest known site for evidence of the modern human, beyond the hunter-gather phase. Evidence for Göbekli Tepe, being a settlement with agriculture, is becoming more apparent with each dig.

The Tigris River is about 300km due East of Şanlıurfa, at Cizre in Şırnak, Turkey.

## References

1. ↑ Wikipedia Türkçe, Şanlıurfa
2. ↑ Wikipedia Türkçe, Edessa
3. ↑ Wikipedia Türkçe, Osroene
4. ↑ Wikipedia Türkçe, Süryanice
5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet\_of\_Sirach#Editions
6. ↑ Wikipedia Türkçe, Göbeklitepe