Karakus

Sanli Urfa (Edessa)

•Other names : Orrha, Callirrhoe, Justiniopolis

•Sanli = means great, glorious. It was added to the name in 1984 in recognition of war of independence

•The city of Edessa was a powerful centre with churches, schools and monasteries

•1144 AD: siege of Edessa, most citizens slaughtered by Turks

•Under the Ottomans there were 3 Christian communities : Syrian, Armenian, Latin. The last Syrians left in 1924

•today: stronghold of governing AK party. Many Kurds, but assimilated

•Traditional birthplace of Abraham – a cave to the south of the city

•The legendary Pool of Sacred Fish : where Abraham was thrown into the fire of Nimrod

•The Great Mosque built in 1170 at the site of a Christian church

Viran sehir

•Name means destroyed town

•Ruins of Antoniopolis : destroyed by Persians 4th cent.

•Destroyed by earthquake 350 AD

•Rebuilt by Romans with castle and double wall & called Konstantina

•1644 : ruined again

•1908 : uprising by Kurds almost destroyed the town

                                                   Diyarbakir (Amida)

•2nd largest city in the SE

•Unofficial capital of Kurdistan

•Famous for watermelons

•The bones of apostle Thomas buried here

•Persians massacred the Romans after a siege of 73 days in 359 AD

                                                              Byzantine Walls