Day 4 - Sanliurfa - Harran - Adiyaman (B, L, D)

Our scenic drive to Adiyaman this morning takes us via picturesque Harran, the city referred to in Genesis XI.31.32:XII.4.5 that is today a village with curious domed dwellings. It was here that Abraham spent several years of his life. Harran was also the site of the Temple of Sin (known also as the first University), famous throughout the ancient world for its star readers and savants. The importance of the moon and of astrology/ astronomy for the people of Mesopotamia can be inferred from the fact that their Magi (priests) studied the phases of the moon in detail, attempting to predict the future. It was probably from them that Thales of Miletus learned to predict the eclipse of the sun. In the story of Adam and Eve, the Bible (with a similar telling in the Quran as well) describes the original paradise-like home of the human race where God planted a garden out of which four streams flowed, the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Today the region is again being advanced and developed. The government's massive GAP Dam Project on the Euphrates and Tiger Rivers is expected to realize 22 dams and 17 hydroelectric power plants. (please see www.gap.gov.tr).  Dinner and overnight stay will be in Adiyaman.