Harran

As the Holy Bible testifies, Harran is one of the oldest continuously inhabited spots on earth, as far as 19 century BC. Located in southeastern Anatolia, Harran is home to ruined walls and buildings, a crumbling fortress, bee-hive houses and Ulu Cami which give it a feeling of deep antiquity. It all looks so ancient that it's not hard to believe Abraham was one of Harran's early inhabitants.

There's a fortress on the eastern side of the town, and some good mosaics in the 8th century Great Mosque (Ulu Cami). Of Harran’s ancient monuments the most impressive is the kale looming over the village. However, most people are more interested in the lifestyle of the local inhabitants even though most have long since abandoned the bee-hive houses in favor of conventional dwellings. Traditionally locals lived by farming and smuggling but the coming of the Ataturk Dam looks set to change that as cotton fields sprout over what was once desert.