I continue eastward to reach Turkey's great pilgrimage cities, called "City of Prophets".
Sanliurfa
This is a stunning ancient city, mesmerizing with its terrific history and world's heritage sites, uniqueness and its own oriental mix of Turkish, Kurdish, and Arab flavour. I stayed there for 2 days and it wasn't enough for me, but you never know in advance is it "your place" or not.
The Sacred Fish Ponds
The city itself is most known for where the Prophet Abraham was born and began his teachings, and was thrown from the mountain into the fire by King Nimrod the ruler of Sanliurfa.
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However, God intervened to save him. A violent storm lifted Abraham into the air, and he landed unharmed at this very spot. The fire turned into water, and the coals turned into fish. This means that for believers this is a holy carp, visitors feed them, but do not eat. The local legend says that anyone who kills one of the carps will go blind but the one who'll see a white fish will open the door to the heavens. Sounds beautiful...
The complex Gölbaşi is located in the center of the city, in a well-tended park. The Sacred Fish Ponds (Balikli Göl) is in the courtyard of Halilur Rahman Mosque, built in 1211.
This is my first time in such a holy place, first of all for Muslims. They come here with their children. Tourists like us aren't many here, and they stand out in their comfortable European clothes.
It's very peaceful here.
The Cave of Abraham
Abraham’s Cave is believed to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham, who founded Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It's located within the Mevlid-I Halil Mosque on the other end of the gardens. Let's visit it!
Carp lives not only in a big pond, but also in a canal in the park. The fish is very large and there is more of it than in the most fishy place that I've seen so far - Plitvice Lakes.
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There are many places for recreation in the park. Relax in the shade or grab a bite to eat at the café.
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Here, the Mevlid-I Halil Mosque.
The cave is partly underwater and protected by a glass encasement. This area is divided into two parts, male and female, with separate entries. Here is a praying area too.
My acquaintance with this amazing city has just begun. Thanks for your precious time, and stay tuned!
And while you're waiting, you can check out other my posts on pinmapple.
Please note, that all photos used in my posts are taken and owned by myself. Nobody can use them without my consent.
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