It is the most famous legend of Şanlıurfa. This legend tells the story of how Balıklıgöl, which is the main attraction of the city today, was formed. King Nemrud is a cruel king. He and his people worship idols. Hz. Abraham, on the other hand, is against polytheistic beliefs and idols. He tells the people that idols cannot be gods. One day, Abraham enters the palace of King Nemrud and smashes all the idols with an ax in his hand. Hearing this, King Nemrud Hz. He catches Ibrahim, puts him on trial and condemns him to death. He wants to burn Abraham to death as an example. He lit a huge fire in the place where Balıklıgöl is today. He has him thrown into this fire by catapult from the top of the Urfa Castle. But thanks to Allah’s miracle, fire turns into water and wood turns into fish. Because Allah, as it is written in the Quran, gave the order to the fire: “O fire, be cool and safe for Abraham” (Surah Anbiya, Verse: 69). Hz. İbrahim falls safely into a rose garden. Hz. Zeliha, who believes in Abraham and is the daughter of King Nemrud, also throws herself into the fire and Ayn-Zeliha (Zeliha’s Eye / Spring) is formed right next to Balıklıgöl where she fell. Because of this legend, the local people believed that the two monumental columns on the castle were built during the Edessa Kingdom Period (240-242 AD). He believes that the catapult used when Abraham was thrown to Balıklıgöl was his feet. Since fish are considered sacred, no one touches these fish.
The history of raw meatballs, the indispensable dish of Urfa tables, is legendary. It goes back to the time of Abraham. According to the legend, Nemrud, Hz. He forbids collecting firewood in the city and lighting a fire in order to throw Ibrahim into the fire. A hunter brings the gazelle he has shot home. The hunter’s wife beats a piece of gazelle meat on the stone and crushes it. Then he prepares the primitive form of today’s raw meatballs with a mixture of pounded meat, bulgur and isot. Her husband likes this raw meatball, which is prepared by pounding gazelle meat without cooking it. Thus, “Çigkofte” has survived until today.
B.C. 132-AD. During the Osrhoene Kingdom, which ruled in Urfa between 244 BC, King Abgar V. Ukkama, A.D. During his second reign, between 13-50, he fell ill with leprosy and suffered greatly from it. King Abgar, St. He hears that Jesus is healing the sick, but he cannot go to Jerusalem because he is very sick. An envoy named Hannan, Hz. Along with a letter stating that he believed in Jesus and wanted to learn about his new religion, Hz. send it to Jesus. This ambassador is also a skilled painter. Hannan, Mr. After presenting the letter he took to Jesus, he tried to paint his face, but was unsuccessful. Seeing this, Hz. Jesus washes his face and wipes his face with a handkerchief offered to him and gives it to Hannan. Hz. The same face of Jesus miraculously appeared on this handkerchief. Hannan returns to Edessa, taking the handkerchief along with a letter.
The Greek text of the letter was carved into stone inside a cave in Kırkmağara, Urfa. The transcription of the inscription in this cave, which was lost under slums in recent years, was published by Max von Oppenheim in 1914.
Hz. In the letter Jesus sent to Abgar, king of Edessa, he said:
“Blessed are you, Abgar, and your city called Edessa! Blessed are you, who believed in me without seeing me! For you will be bestowed with everlasting health. As for what you wrote to me about coming to you, let it be known that after I have completed all that I have been tasked with, here I will send one of my apostles, Adday, also called Thomas, to heal you of your afflictions (illnesses), to grant you and those with you eternal life and peace, and also to ensure that your city will not be subjugated by enemies until the end of the world. . Amen. The letter of the Lord Jesus.”
King of Edessa, Abgar V, Hz. He regained his health by rubbing the holy handkerchief (Hagion Mandylion) on his face, and then stretched this handkerchief onto a board and had it placed in a niche at the entrance of the city.
This holy handkerchief is embroidered on thousands of icons that have been the subject of Christian art for centuries. This handkerchief played an important and great role in the Byzantine-Islamic relations of the Middle Ages. In addition, copies of this letter were given to the visitors coming to Urfa in the form of amulets.
Urfa’s Hz. Jesus party