There is not much left of Harran's once turbulent history. What stones remained from the rubble fields of history were used by the families who immigrated from Iraq for their beehive houses. You can visit these with a personal guide for a few euros. Since there aren't many houses of this type in the world, a tour is interesting. The houses remain relatively cool even in extreme heat. There isn't much else to see inside, the hanging goat skin for making ayran is curious. Right next to it is the castle, which is still impressive today and unfortunately cannot be entered. On the way back to Urfa you automatically pass the polished city walls with the last city gate. From a distance you can take a look at the outer wall of the Islamic university, then you have seen everything in Harran.

So much history is going to waste because the government sees this an investment for a tourist trap. Instead of letting it be like it was supposed to, they are rebuilding the whole thing. In a couple of years you will barely be able to see what's old or new, just like Malta, just like Gobekeli Tepe beeing set under roof so it's impossible to enjoy the stones and stars at the same time.

It is definitely one of the must-see historical places in terms of its history and artifacts.

We were able to tour inside 15 years ago, they closed it down and a ridiculous restoration was done.

are there still that many zombies? last time i was here, it wasnt safe for sure, but it was fun to run around the roofs.

Harran is a district of Şanlıurfa province. It is a district close to the Syrian border. It is 44 kilometers away from Şanlıurfa. Harran University in Şanlıurfa also took its name from this district. It is one of the ancient settlements of Northern Mesopotamia…

If you want a tour guide, one will appear by himself and pretend to be a friendly, helpful local. But then he'll ask for an excessively large tip. So either politely refuse from the beginning or agree a price.

Another area covered on the tour. Prophet Abraham was supposed to have stayed in this area. The houses are amazing and are replicas of the originals. They are redone every few years. It's a very poor village that depends on tourism.

The ruins of the city gate, the mosque and the university blend together. The area is under restoration but you can still see much. This is worth a drive fro Urfa for a nice outing

It is a city with a very old history. However, it is a pity that the ruins inside were taken by the people of the surrounding villages and used as building stones for houses. For your information, when you enter, there are locals who start by just telling you something, never leave your side, and eventually make you feel guilty and ask for money. Haran houses are privately owned and you have to pay a fee if you want to visit them. It can be visited and seen.

We found this to be interesting, we visited one that was 300 plus years old the woman told us that her grandfather had 7 wives her along with 45 children. There was no cost to visit we just left money as a tip. Our guide seemed to be a little apprehensive in this area not sure why. We would recommend visiting if you have the chance, there is a castle in the area as well as an old Mosque (Millet Camisi) of sorts. 3btraveler

good

Wery nice

I went to this place with a local guide so I didn't meet any children asking for money. The houses are located, in a middle of a village that is not well maintened,.so it may look confused and scary to get there. To be honest houses are beautiful and it's possible to visit the inside, an antique medresa (coranic school) is being renovated, which is great. If you are visiting Gobekli Tepe and have time to stop in Harran, why not but the visit is super short (10min) so it is clearly not a must do

Super

Interesting place to visit but I doubt the clay house were original.

The ruins of the city of Harran, called Haran (Hebrew: חָרָן, Ḥārān) in the Hebrew Bible, might lie within present-day Turkey. Haran first appears in the Book of Genesis as the home of Terah and his descendants, and as Abraham's temporary home.