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Homeland of the Patriarchs
After the Lord called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees, he settled in Haran
for many years (Gen 11:31; Acts 7:2-4). Abraham grew prosperous during the
time he lived in Haran. When he was 75 years old, the Lord told him to go
to the land of Canaan (Gen 12:5). Later, Jacob fled from Esau to Haran, the
home of Rebekah’s brother Laban (Gen 27:43; 28:10). Here Jacob would
acquire two wives and many children would be born to him. |
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Worship of Sin
Excavations revealed a large mudbrick building which dates to the end of
the 3rd millennium BC, the end of the Early Bronze Age. It is thought this
might be the predecessor to the temple of the moon-god Sin. A treaty was
enacted in the temple of Sin in the time of Hammurapi (1728-1686 BC), and
several Assyrian kings describe rebuilding the temple. The last king of
Babylon, Nabonidus (556-539 BC) rebuilt the temple of Sin, and his mother
was a priestess in the temple. |
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Excavations
Haran was briefly the capital of the Islamic empire in the 8th century AD,
but most of the remains at the site today belong to the Islamic town from
the 12th and 13th centuries AD. The town consisted of rectangular and
square mudbrick houses that had rooms arranged around a paved courtyard.
Haran was excavated by Storm Rice in 1951-1953, 1956, and 1959 on behalf of
London University. Since 1983, excavations have been directed by Nurettin
Yardımcı. |
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