In Sanliurfa we photographed the biblical Abraham’s Pond and also Abraham’s Cave and Mosque in the afternoon.

We visited Karahantepe, an archaeological site in Sanluirfa, where we saw the oldest structures that have been discovered, and were built some 12,000 years ago. This was the first temple built by a mysterious civilization and considered the cradle of our civilization. Some 250 obelisks with animal carvings have been uncovered on this large site. This is very close to another well known archaeological site Göbekli Tepe, which is just 46 kilometers away, and built by the same mysterious civilization. This site is more than 1000 years older than the pyramids that were discovered in Egypt.

We stopped at Sanliurfa bazaar, which is considered to be one of the most authentic in Turkey (unlike the touristy Istanbul). The bazaar had many twisty alleys with lots of color and even antique guns.

Lots of unique souvenirs… and weapons… for sale in this marketplace. When I took the photo of the guns for sale (top), the vendor came out quickly to tell me “No Photo!” so though they sell these, it is clear they do not really want that fact spread around.

At our Sanliurfa lunch stop in the market, we saw many traditional vendors, including one selling the skin of a large python (center).

Enroute, we stopped to photograph Syrian refugees picking cotton. Turkish cotton is a premium long-fiber cotton grown exclusively in the Aegean Region, and softens over time. There were many fields ready to be picked, yet we saw very few pickers in the field.