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Urfa
City in southeastern Turkey / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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Urfa | |
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City | |
Şanlıurfa | |
Clockwise from top: View of Urfa, Urfa Castle, Ayn Zeliha, St. Johannes Prodromos Addai Church, Rizvaniye Mosque | |
Nickname: City of Prophets[1] | |
Coordinates: 37°09′30″N 38°47′30″E | |
Country | Turkey |
Province | Şanlıurfa |
Founded | 303/302 BC |
Founded by | Seleucus I Nicator |
Government | |
• Mayor | Mehmet Kasım Gülpınar (New Welfare) |
• Governor | Abdullah Erin |
Elevation | 477 m (1,565 ft) |
Population (2022)[2] | |
• 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.[3] 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."[1]
Religion is important in Urfa. The city "has become a center of fundamentalist Islamic beliefs"[4]: 620 and "is considered one of the most devoutly religious cities in Turkey".[5]
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.[5]