Urfa
Urfa, officially called Şanlıurfa (Turkish pronunciation: [ʃanˈɫɯuɾfa]), is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. The city was known as Edessa from Hellenistic times and into Christian times. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates. Its climate features extremely hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters.
Urfa | |
|---|---|
City | |
| Şanlıurfa | |
Clockwise from top: View of Urfa, Urfa Castle, Ayn Zeliha, St. Johannes Prodomos Addai Church, Rizvaniye Mosque | |
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Emblem of Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality | |
| Nickname: City of Prophets | |
Urfa Urfa | |
| Coordinates: 37°09′30″N 38°47′30″E | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Şanlıurfa |
| Founded | 303/302 BC |
| Founded by | Seleucus I Nicator |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Zeynel Abidin Beyazgül (AKP) |
| • Governor | Abdullah Erin |
| Elevation | 477 m (1,565 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Urban | 596,637 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Website | www.sanliurfa.bel.tr |
About 12 km (7 mi) northeast of the city is the famous Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe, the world's oldest known temple, which was founded in the 10th millennium BC. The area was part of a network of the first human settlements where the agricultural revolution took place. Because of its association with Jewish, Christian, and Islamic history, and a legend according to which it was the hometown of Abraham, Urfa is nicknamed the "City of Prophets."
Religion is important in Urfa. The city "has become a center of fundamentalist Islamic beliefs": 620 and "is considered one of the most devoutly religious cities in Turkey".
The city is located 30 miles from the Atatürk Dam, at the heart of the Southeast Anatolia Project, which draws thousands of job-seeking rural villagers to the city every year.