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Şanlıurfa Province (Turkey)

Urfa Province

Flag of Şanlıurfa Province, current and former versions - Images by Tomislav Šipek, 10 May 2018

District municipalities

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Turkey

Presentation of Şanlıurfa Province

Şanlıurfa province (1,940,627 inhabitants in 2014, 16,584 sq. km) is located in south-eastern Anatolia, on the border with Syria.

Ivan Sache, 6 November 2017

Flag of Şanlıurfa Province

The flag of Şanlıurfa Province (photo) is white with the province's emblem. "T.C." stands for "Türkiye Cumhuriyeti"; "Valiliği" means "Governorate".

The former flag of Şanlıurfa Province (photo) was white with the province's former emblem. The emblem represents the landmark of the town of Şanlıurfa, the Fish Pond (Balıklı Göl) and the arcade of the Rızvaniye Vakfı Mosque that borders it on its northern side. In the right part of the emblem are represented the last remains of the Harran university, a column and an arch.
Şanlıurfa, originally and still mostly known as Urfa, renamed on 22 June 1984 to Şanlıurfa (Glorious Urfa), is traditionally identified by Muslims (nut not by Christians) with Ur, Abraham's birthplace. The cave where Abraham was born and remained hidden for the next seven years makes of Şanlıurfa a very popular place of pilgrimage.
Later on, Abraham, opposed to the idol worshipers of Ur, was sentenced by Nimrod to be burnt at the stake. A violent storm raised by God's intervention swept the prophet up into the air while the fire turned into water and the embers into fish. Since then, sacred carps thrive in the pond, fed by the pilgrims; anyone who would kill one of these carps would immediately get blind.
The Rızvaniye Vakfı Mosque, named for Governor Rizvan, who erected in 1736, was fully restored in 1993.

In the background of the emblem are shown the walls of the citadel that overlooks the town and the two big columns known as Nimrod's Throne.
Of unknown origin, the citadel was occupied in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great. It was revamped and increased by the Frankish Crusaders, who established the town as the capital of the short-lived County of Edessa. Founded in 1098 by Baldwin of Boulogne, the County winded up in 1144.
[Trésors d'Anatolie blog]

Tomislav Šipek & Ivan Sache, 10 June 2018

Special Provincial Administration

Flag of the Şanlıurfa Special Provincial Administration - Image by Tomislav Šipek, 16 March 2015

The flag of the Şanlıurfa Special Provincial Administration (photo) is white with the administration's emblem. "T.C." stands for "Türkiye Cumhuriyeti", "Republic of Turkey"; "İl Özel İdaresi" means "Special Provincial Administration".

Tomislav Šipek, 16 March 2015