Urfa (Riha): The City of Prophets and Ancient Edessa
- Jamal Latif
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
Urfa — officially Şanlıurfa, and known to Kurds as Riha — is an ancient city in southeastern Turkey, the capital of a province that lies within the region Kurds call Bakur. The province has a Kurdish majority and is counted as part of Turkish Kurdistan, though the city itself is a genuinely mixed place, home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turks.
Known in antiquity as Edessa and nicknamed the “City of Prophets,” Urfa is wrapped in legend — above all the tradition that it was the birthplace of Abraham — and sits beside one of the most important sites in human history, the 12,000-year-old temple complex of Göbekli Tepe. This profile covers the city’s geography, its mixed population, its deep history, and its sacred landscape.
Key Takeaways
• Urfa (Kurdish: Riha; ancient Edessa) is the capital of Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey.
• The province has a Kurdish majority and is considered part of Turkish Kurdistan, with significant Arab and Turkish minorities.
• The city itself is ethnically mixed — Kurdish, Arab, and Turkish — with the Euphrates often described as a rough ethnic dividing line.
• Urfa is nicknamed the “City of Prophets” and is revered as a traditional birthplace of Abraham; its Pool of Abraham (Balıklıgöl) is a major pilgrimage site.
• About 12 km away lies Göbekli Tepe, the world’s oldest known temple complex, dating to the 10th millennium BC.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Riha
Official Name: Şanlıurfa (“Urfa the Glorious”)
Historic Name: Edessa (Orhai / Urhay)
Country / Region: Turkey (Bakur / Northern Kurdistan)
Province: Şanlıurfa
Elevation: approximately 477 m
Population: City ~597,000; province ~2.17 million (2022)
Communities: Kurdish (province majority), Arab, Turkish
Known For: The Pool of Abraham, the “City of Prophets,” and nearby Göbekli Tepe
Founded: 303/302 BC as Edessa, by Seleucus I Nicator
Contents
Where Is Urfa?
Urfa stands on a plain in southeastern Turkey, about 80 kilometres east of the Euphrates, at an elevation of roughly 477 metres. Its climate is one of extremes — fierce, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The city lies in the upper reaches of the Fertile Crescent, part of the Euphrates–Tigris basin where some of the earliest human settlement and the agricultural revolution took place.
That position made Urfa a crossroads for millennia, a meeting point of Anatolian, Mesopotamian, and Syrian worlds. Its old town, with its bazaars and cut-stone houses, still carries the feel of nearby Aleppo more than of central Anatolia.
A Mixed City: Kurds, Arabs, and Turks
Şanlıurfa Province has a Kurdish majority and is generally counted as part of Turkish Kurdistan, alongside significant Arab and Turkish populations. A common description holds that the Euphrates acts as a rough dividing line — more Turkish to the west, more Kurdish to the east — with Arab communities concentrated in the south toward the Syrian border.
The city of Urfa itself is more mixed than the surrounding countryside, and sources differ on its exact balance; estimates range from a largely Turkish-speaking urban core to a roughly even split between Kurdish and Arabic speakers. What is not in dispute is that Urfa is a deeply conservative, religious city and a major centre of faith tourism. Among its best-known modern sons is the singer İbrahim Tatlıses, of local Kurdish-Arab origin and one of Turkey’s most famous entertainers.
From Edessa to Urfa
The city was founded — or refounded — as Edessa in 303/302 BC by Seleucus I Nicator, though settlement in the area is far older. As Edessa it became an important early centre of Christianity and the seat of a small kingdom, Osroene. In 1098 it became the County of Edessa, the first of the Crusader states; its fall to the Zengids in 1144 helped trigger the Second Crusade.
Islamic rule was consolidated under the Seljuks, the Ayyubids of Saladin, and finally the Ottomans, who held the city until the end of the First World War. In 1984 the Turkish parliament added the honorific Şanlı (“Glorious”) to its name in recognition of its role in the Turkish War of Independence — hence Şanlıurfa.
Balıklıgöl and the City of Prophets
Urfa’s religious heart is Balıklıgöl, the Pool of Abraham. According to legend, the tyrant Nimrod hurled Abraham from the citadel above into a fire, which God turned to water, and the burning wood to sacred carp — the fish that still fill the pool today. The Halil-ür Rahman and Rizvaniye mosques frame the water, and a nearby cave is venerated as Abraham’s birthplace. These associations earn Urfa its nickname, the “City of Prophets,” and make it a major pilgrimage destination.
Göbekli Tepe: The World’s Oldest Temple
About 12 kilometres northeast of the city lies Göbekli Tepe, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the oldest known temple complex on Earth. Its great carved stone pillars date to the 10th millennium BC — some six thousand years before Stonehenge — and have reshaped how archaeologists understand the origins of religion and settled life. Together with the nearby site of Nevalı Çori, it places the Urfa region at the very beginning of human civilisation.
Urfa Today
Modern Urfa is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey, a regional hub for agriculture — boosted by the vast Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) irrigation schemes — trade, and increasingly tourism, drawn by Göbekli Tepe, the Pool of Abraham, and the city’s celebrated cuisine. Its current mayor is Mehmet Kasım Gülpınar.
Urfa’s identity is layered rather than singular: an Arab-flavoured old town, a Kurdish-majority hinterland, and a Turkish administrative overlay, all bound together by a religious heritage that reaches back to the dawn of human history.
Timeline
c. 9500–8000 BC — Göbekli Tepe and other Neolithic sites flourish in the Urfa region.
303/302 BC — The city is founded as Edessa by Seleucus I Nicator.
Early centuries AD — Edessa becomes an important early Christian centre and seat of Osroene.
1098–1144 — County of Edessa, the first Crusader state; its fall sparks the Second Crusade.
12th–16th c. — Seljuk, Ayyubid, and then Ottoman rule consolidate Islamic Urfa.
1984 — Turkey adds the honorific “Şanlı” to the city’s name.
2018 — Göbekli Tepe inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Urfa a Kurdish city?
Şanlıurfa Province has a Kurdish majority and is considered part of Turkish Kurdistan, but the city of Urfa itself is ethnically mixed — Kurdish, Arab, and Turkish.
What is Urfa’s Kurdish name?
In Kurdish the city is called Riha. It was historically known as Edessa.
Why is Urfa called the City of Prophets?
Because of its strong association with Abraham and other prophetic traditions, centred on the Pool of Abraham (Balıklıgöl).
What is Göbekli Tepe?
A Neolithic temple complex about 12 km from Urfa, dating to the 10th millennium BC — the oldest known temple in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Related People, Places, and Topics
Edessa · Göbekli Tepe · Harran · the Euphrates · Diyarbakir (Amed) · Mardin · Turkish Kurdistan (Bakur) · İbrahim Tatlıses.
References and Further Reading
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