The World's First Temple and that place from the Bible

Hi family, friends and fellow bipeds,

We arrived in Mardin earlier today, safe and sound. You can barely even hear the shelling and artillery fire from here. Totally kidding....

It is stunning here and I cant wait to share some pictures with you all but first, lets talk about the world's first temple and the site of the first forms of human architecture:Gobekli Tepe. Gobekli is about 15km's outside of Urfa and is an active archaeological site. Literally, the dig was in progress the day we visisted. We were the only tourists visiting that day and we had a front row seat (figurative seat). Lance and I are total geeks about this kind of thing - we think it is fascinating. It is approximately 6000 years older than Stonehenge and the pyramids. Does that blow your mind???? Google has more facts than me but I have pictures taken on Doro and Mark's camera that I think are pretty awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our stop at Gobekli, we drove about 50km south to the ancient town of Harran (which they tell me is mentioned in the Bible...I must have missed that verse...err...chapter....errr). Harran is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on earth (dating back over 5000 years) and is supposedly home to the first mosque in Anatolia and the first Islamic university.

 

We trecked across the site of ancient Harran. It was only about an 800 meter walk but it felt much longer in the heat. I cant imagine what August feels like. You can see the old minaret from the ancient mosque in the background.

 

 

Site of the first mosque in Anatolia.

 

 

 

Eight camel toes!

 

 

Harran is also known for its beehive shaped houses. The design of which may date back to the third century BC but these ones were built in the last 200 years. Apparently the design stems from a lack of timber and the ruins of previous ancient beehive houses provided a source of reusable bricks. These are unique in Turkey but can be found in northern Syria as well.

 

 

Shot from the courtyard of a beehive house accesible to tourists (Lance and I were the only ones there at the time!). Numerous domes are attached with different living quarters in each.

 

 

Here is a peek into one of the domes.

 

 

Okay, that is it for now. Lance and I are off to dinner at a restaurant by one of the first female restauranters in south eastern Turkey- and it is licensed (a rarity in this area)! We can't wait to have a bottle of wine and look out over the Mesopatamian plain.

 

Lots of love and we are totally safe family, so no worrying,

Lamy