I visited Sanliurfa as a stopover between Gobeklitepe and Diyarbakir WHS. It is a very enjoyable and laid back city nicknamed the "City of Prophets". Its highlight, the Sacred Fish Lake or Abraham's Pool, is squeezed between the city proper (now also known as Urfa or Edessa in ancient times) and its imposing castle.

Sanliurfa was at the cross-roads of civilisations and was conquered repeatedly throughout history, and has been dominated by many civilizations, including the Ebla, Akkadians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites, Hurri-Mitannis, Assyrians, Medes, Persians, Ancient Greeks (under Alexander the Great), Seleucids, Armenians, Arameans, the Neo-Assyrian Osrhoenes, Romans, Sassanids, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuqs and Ottomans. According to Jewish and Muslim sources, Sanliurfa is believed to be Ur Kasdim, the hometown of Abraham, the grandfather of Jacob whom God named Israel. Sanliurfa is also one of several cities around the world that have traditions associated with Job (green tomb in photo, beneath the castle fortifications).

According to tradition, Nimrod had Abraham immolated on a funeral pyre, but God turned the fire into water and the burning coals into fish. The pool of sacred fish remains to this day and is believed to have healing properties. Any visitor can enter the glass floored praying area over the fish pond for free. The Islamic architecture and gardens around this pond are in a remarkable state of conservation and its decorations and architectural elements give a better idea of how places which are now in ruins, such as Medina al-Zahra in Spain, once were. 

Surrounding the fish lake/pools are the Halil'ur Rahman Madrasa and Mosque, the tombs of great intellectuals such as Buluntu Hodja, Haci Mustafa, etc. It is also a pleasant place in the shade to enjoy a cup of tea or eat. Parking is readily available for a small fee just opposite the site, in front of the luxurious El Ruha Hotel, a great place to stay too. Unfortunately, the small road to Harran was completely being paved from scratch when we visited, so I decided against covering Harran as well but wouldn't mind visiting as well if the Archaeological Site of Zeugma ever makes it to the list. With around 85 tWHS, I was always bound to make such decisions as it is impossible to cover all the sites in one go, especially since most deserve the extra time and effort to cover them well. Even if not one of Turkey's top WHS, I still think that Sanliurfa would deserve to make it on the list. Perhaps also Mardin could be added to Harran and Sanliurfa as a serial WHS.