Road Trip

I recently had the opportunity to take four guys from Missouri around the southern part of our country. We were able to see some places rich in history and culture. As far as sightseeing goes, the highlight of the trip was going to Harran, where Abraham lived before moving to Palestine. There's no disputing that it is the ancient city that is spoken of in Genesis. Today, instead of being a major city located on a major trade route, it looks more like a village. Many of the people living there still live in "beehive" shaped houses that help keep the homes cool in the extremely hot summer.

As for the four guys in the picture below, each are over 50 years old, but they made me feel like the old guy in the group. While strolling through a park in a city called Urfa around 10:30 at night, one asked if we should climb a steep walkway to the castle overlooking the city. My answer was that we would have time in the morning. But, someone else quickly replied, "We might as well do it now." About an hour later we got back to the hotel and I had my best night's sleep of the whole trip.

Here's the crew at Mt. Nemrut standing beside Hercules and Apollos.

This place is literally called "Fishy Lake" or "Lake with Fish."
Whatever you call it, it looked like a fish pond to me.
Some people believe the fish in this pond are holy.

Women feeding the holy carp.

A local man lounges in the shade at a family park.
The purple headscarf that he's wearing is exclusive to the area around Urfa.
Both men and women wear them.

A scene from the famous Urfa Bazaar.

The "beehive" homes in Harran.

The museum in Harran that allows you to see inside the homes.

The sitting room where guests would be entertained.

A local woman prepares the family bed for the evening.
Because the temperatures are so hot, everyone sleeps outside.

Some say it was the first university in the world,
others say it was the second. Regardless it's pretty old.