it silently explains its existence as a major center of trade and culture down the ages.

CITY OF ABRAHAM
First, the boys meet you at the gate, with something to say in every language. Most will want to be your guide. In wildly colorful dresses, the girls will hang around you for a while and then go back to playing in the dirt. It is they who will probably finish the explanations begun by their elder brothers, "Did you know that this is where the Prophet Abraham...?" So, let me complete the note made by Ibn Jubayr when he saw Harran for the first time: "No, no! Being the city of our father Abraham is honor enough for this land. Some 3 fersahs (24 km) south of the city is the spot sacred to him." The historian Ibn Shaddad, who came to Harran in 1242 during the period of the Ayyubids, echoes him: "the most important places to visit (here) are the Mosque of the Prophet Abraham and another small mosque where there is a rock he is said to have leaned against while sitting. Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Jesus are all said to have come to Harran."