Şanlıurfa

What it's known for

Called Edessa in ancient times, the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Osroene and, from 1098, of the crusader County of Edessa. It is nicknamed the City of Prophets, and local tradition holds that the prophet Abraham was born here.

Fun facts

1. About 12 km northeast of the city is Göbekli Tepe, where people raised T-shaped stone pillars carved with animals such as foxes, boars and vultures from around 9500 BC.
2. At the Balıklıgöl pool, legend says God turned the fire Nimrod lit for Abraham into water and the logs into carp; the fish are sacred, and no one may catch or eat them.
3. In 1984 the Turkish parliament gave Urfa the title 'Şanlı', meaning 'glorious', to honour its people's resistance against British and French troops at the end of the First World War.