Urfa
Şanlıurfa, 150 km (93 miles) east of Gaziantep and 1,300 km (808 miles) southeast of Istanbul, is perhaps the most interesting and historic city in Turkey's southeastern region, with a uniquely obvious arab influence.
Turks know Urfa (as it's commonly called) as the Prophets' City because of legends telling that the Patriarch Abraham was born in a cave here. (The Bible does say he stayed at Harran, 50 km [31 miles] to the south.) The cave, and other legendary locations, are visited annually by hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims.
It's certain that Urfa, as it's commonly called, is very old, dating back at least 3500 years to Hittite times; and the world's first temple at nearby Göbekli Tepe dates from 11,000+ years ago.
Because Urfa is set right at the crossroads of routes to Europe, Asia and Africa, just about everyone important has marched through and left their mark, including the Babylonians, Egyptians, Alexander the Great, Greeks, Romans and Seljuk Turks under Saladin.
The Crusaders, no doubt attracted by the town's easily-defended promontory called the Throne of Nimrod, called it Edessa and made it the capital of the Latin County of Edessa, ruled by Count Baldwin of Boulogne.
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