Şanlıurfa

Şanlıurfa is a city of the South-east of the Asia Mineure, in the North-West of the Mésopotamie which was an important stage on the road connecting Mésopotamie to the Mediterranean. It was accesses named Urhai (or Orhai, in Araméen), then Édesse (or Édessa), then Urfa and finally today Şanlıurfa . The name Asiatique of Édesse is Osroé, which perhaps comes from the name of the Satrape Osroès which controlled the area. According to the legend, Adam and Eve remained in the city, which would be the birthplace of Abraham and which would shelter fall it from his wife Sarah. Other texts indicate the city like that of Rûh, one of the cities built after the Flood. The carps crowned still high in the basin, called Ayn-i Züleyha, testify to the miracle of Abraham. It is on this site that King d' Assyrie Nemrod threw Abraham in a furnace which changed at once into full of fish water.

History

Edess was the capital of an important State as of thousand-year-old IIe, the Hourri. Towards -1200, after the fall of the Empire Hittite, the city was attached to the principality néo-Hittite of Karkemish. In VIIe century the city undergoes the invasion Assyrie of Assurbanipal (-669/-626), but today nothing makes it possible to identify it with one of the many cities conquered by the Emperor of Assyrie.

Later at the time of the victory of Alexandre Large the (-336/-323) over Persians Achéménides and of its liberalization, Urhai is occupied by a population araméenne. In -303, the Macedonians rebuild the city and rename it, Édesse, in remembering a city of their country (According to the historian and the Greek geographer Appien and Etienne de Byzance). The city then becomes the capital of the province of Osroène and becomes populated, like several other cities, veterans of the army.

Towards -132 (or -136), a chief of tribe, Aryu (or Ariou, -132/-127 or -136/-127), is freed from Séleucides which controlled the city and founded a kingdom (or principality) independent with Édesse for capital. Besides some sovereigns of origin Arménie or Parthian, the majority were Nabatéens. This " royaume" , which will be some time called principality of the Abgar (11 sovereigns will bear this name), will manage to preserve its autonomy during nearly four centuries, in spite of various the conquerors who will cross his history.

According to Pline Old the (Gaius Plinius Secundus, Romain naturalist, -23/79), at the time Roman, the inhabitants were Arabs and their sovereigns would have carried the phylarque title of (Chief of a phylum) or toparque (Magistrate). The " royaume" extended to North until the Monts Taurus, in the West until the Euphrate, which separated it from the Commagène and in the East until the Tigre.

It included/understood, with Édesse share, of the important cities like: Carrhes (Harran), Nisibe (in Mésopotamie), Rhesaena , Saroug (From which will come Jacques de Saroug, bishop jacobite of the beginning of the Life century), Singara (Sinjar, auj. Iraq), Zeugma on Euphrate (Founded towards -300 by Séleucos I Nikatôr, -305/-280) which was the meeting of the towns of Apamée (On left bank) and of Séleucie of Euphrate (On Right Bank) and a required passage for the caravans.

At the time of the first Triumvirat (Crassus, César, Pumped) Édesse was allied Romans. But the Proconsul Crassus with the head of an army of 42.000 men, on the councils of the Prince/King Abgar II Bar Abgar (-68/-53), crosses Euphrate and attacked Mésopotamie with an aim of taking Séleucie. But it was betrays by Abgar II which lined up with dimensions Parthes. Crassus was beaten with the Bataille of Carrhes and had to flee in Arménie (According to Plutarque, v. 48 - 125). It would be under the Prince/King Abgar V Ukomo or Ukkama Bar Ma' Nu (4 - 7 and 13 - 50), that the Christianisme would have been preached for the first time at Édesse by Thaddée (or Jude, cousin of Jesus-Christ). In reality, it seems that it was under the Prince/King Abgar IX (179/212). At all events, Abgar V contributed much to the propagation of Christianity among its subjects. But one of its successor, his back grandson will return to the Paganisme.

Later, Abgar VII Bar Ezad (109/116) was détrôné by the Roman Emperor Trajan (98 - 117) which kept the city under its supervision two years before leaving it with two foreign Princes, Yalur (118 - 122) and Pathamaspates (118 - 123). In 123, Naked Ma' VII Bar Ezad (123 - 139), brother of Abgar VII, succeeds in taking again the throne and with D its legitimacy founds. From this time, like much of area under Roman supervision, the currencies were struck with the effigy of the Prince/King reigning of dimensioned and that of the Roman Emperor of its time to the back. In 163, the Prince/King Wa' It Bar Sahru (163 - 165) took the Parthes as combined in his fight against the Romans. Towards 204, the Prince/King Abgar IX (179 - 212), converts with the Christianisme. Following this act, around Édesse Syriaque Christianity developed and of many monasteries were built in particular that of the hill, Torâ-dOurhoï.

In 216, under the reign of Abgar X Severus Bar Abgar (IX) (214 - 216), the Roman Emperor Caracalla (211 - 217) seized definitively the small kingdom, which became a Romaine province. However one found currencies in the name of a Ma' Nu IX Bar Abgar (X) Severus (216-242) and of a Abgar XI Farhat Bar Ma' Nu (242-244) with on the other face the head of the Roman Emperor Gordien III the Piles (238 - 244) what lets suppose with the specialists that the Romans still left some time of the sovereigns in place.

In 262, the King of Persians Sassanides Chahpuhr Ier (241 - 272) briefly occupied Édesse then gave up it because of arrived of the King of Palmyre Odenath II (260 - 266) come to defend the city. This one combined of the Roman Emperor Gallien (253 - 268) had in load the defense of its territories in the East.

From 250, Édesse where Christianity had progressed well, accommodated the Christian Chaldéens, driven out Perse by the Sassanides. In the city even existed sources (to Which the Greeks gave the name of kallirroé) who are still known today. The carps crowned always high in the basin (Ayn-i Züleyha), are the manifestation of the legend of the miracle of Abraham. According to this one, it would be on this site that the King of Assyrie Nemrod would have thrown Abraham in a furnace which changed at once into full of fish water.

In 605, Édesse became again Perse then was taken again by the Byzantine Emperor Héraclius (610 - 613). Syriaque the édessénien remained the language for the literature and the church, it was that of the great writers like Jacques de Nisibe (v. 350), Saint Ephrem (306 - 373) and later Jacques d' Édesse (633 - 709) etc…

At the 7th century, Édesse fell to the hands from the Musulmans to which it belonged until in 1097, date on which the cross made of it the Capitale of a Principauté Latin E which remained until in 1144: The County of Édesse. Conquered and put at bag by the troops of Zenghi in 1147, it passed, during the centuries which followed, between several hands before being begun again in a final way by the Othoman in 1637. It took then its name of Urfa.

Taken by the France during the First World War, the French garrison was massacred there the April 11th 1920 in spite of an agreement granting the safe life to them.

Not having been able to support the honor made with Antep (ex Dîlok) , become Gaziantep (Antep the heroic one) , it obtains to be debaptized in its turn to celebrate its release of the French occupation . The adjective Şanlı (glorious) was acollé with its name in 1924. It is mainly populated today by Kurds who call it Riha .

The legend of Abgar V

Abgar V was leprous, it heard of the miracles of the Christ and sent to him an emissary Hannan (Ananias) with a letter, in which it asked Christ to come in Édesse to cure it.

Hannan was a painter and if Christ would refuse to come, Abgar required of him to make the portrait of the Lord and to bring it to him. Hannan found the Jesus but it was surrounded by a large crowd and it could not approach it. He wanted to make his portrait, but did not reach " that point; because of the inexpressible glory of Its face which changed in Grâce" .

Indicator that Hannan wished to paint it, Christ asked for water, washed himself and essuya its face with a linen and on this linen its features remained fixed. This is why this image is also known under the name of " Mandilion " (handkerchief). Christ gave it to Hannan and says to him to carry it with a letter in Abgar.

In her letter Christ refused to go in Édesse, because it had a mission to achieve. When Abgar accepted the portrait, he cures his disease. On the miraculous portrait of Christ, Abgar made write these words: " O Christ God, that which hopes in You will not perish pas". It made remove an idol which was in a niche above one of the doors of the city and placed the Holy Image there.

In 944, the inhabitants of the city obtained the lifting of the seat led by the Byzantines, in exchange of Mandylion. He was then solemnly added to the relics of New Testament preserved at Byzance.

Sovereigns of Edesse

Aryu (132-127)
Abdu Bar Maz' Ur (127-120)
Fardhasht Bar Gebar' U (120-115)
Bakru I (115-112)
Bakru II (112-94)
Bakru II Co-King (94-92)
Naked Ma' I Co-King (94-92)
Abgar I Figo Co-King (94-92)
Abgar I Figo (92-68)
Abgar II Bar Abgar (68-53)
Naked Ma' II Aloha (53-34)
Faquri or Paqor (34-29)
Abgar III (29-26)
Abgar IV Sumoqo (26-23)
Naked Ma' III Saphul (23 - 4)
Abgar V Ukomo Bar Ma' Nu (4 (+) 7)
Ma' Nu IV Bar Ma' Nu (7-13)
Abgar V Ukomo Bar Ma' Nu (13-50)
Ma' Nu V Bar Abgar (50-57)
Ma' Nu VI Bar Abgar (57-71)
Abgar VI Bar Ma' Nu (71-91)
Sanatruk (91-109) king of Adiabène
Abgar VII Bar Ezad (109-116)
Interregnum Rome (116-118)
Yalur Co-King (118-122)
Pathamaspates (118-123)
Naked Ma' VII Bar Ezad (123-139)
Naked Ma' VIII Bar Naked Ma' (139-163)
Wa' It Bar Sahru (163-165)
Naked Ma' VIII Bar Naked Ma' (165-167)
Abgar VIII (167-177) Philoromaios
Abgar IX (179-212)
Severus Bar Ma'Naked (212-214)
Abgar X Severus Bar Abgar IX (214-216)
Naked Ma' IX Bar Abgar X Severus (216-242)
Abgar XI Farhat Bar Naked Ma' (242-244)
Thoros of edess

Sources and bibliography

Walter Bauer Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity, 1934

A.von Gutschmid Untersuchungen über die Geschichte of Könligliches Osroëne , in series Memories of the imperial Academy of Sciences of S. Petersbourg, series 7, vol. 35.1, St Petersburg, 1887

J.B.Segal Edessa, The Blessed City , Oxford and New York, University Near, 1970

Mathias Schulz Wegweiser ins Paradies , Der Spiegel 2372006, pp. 158-170, 1909

External Links

Urfa images
complementary Note and recent photographs

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