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HARRAN, HARAN

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Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 16 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HARRAN, HARAN or CHARRAN (See also:Sept. X a1 6.v or Xappa: See also:Strabo, Kci.b ac: See also:Pliny, Carrae or Carrhae; Arab. Harrah), in biblical See also:history the See also:place where Terah halted after leaving Ur, and apparently the birthplace of See also:Abraham, a See also:town on the stream Jullab, some nine See also:hours' See also:journey from See also:Edessa in See also:Syria. At this point the road from See also:Damascus joins the See also:highway between See also:Nineveh and Carchemish, and Haran had thus considerable military and commercial value. As a strategic position it is mentioned in See also:inscriptions as See also:early as the See also:time of Tiglath Pileser I., about 'too B.C., and subsequently by See also:Sargon II., who restored the privileges lost at the See also:rebellion which led to the See also:con-quest referred to in 2 See also:Kings xix. 12 (=ha. See also:xxxvii. 12). It was the centre of a considerable See also:commerce (Ezek. See also:xxvii. 23), and one of its specialities was the odoriferous See also:gum derived from the strobus (Pliny, H.N. xii. 40). It was here that See also:Crassus in his eastern expedition was attacked and slain by the Parthians (53 B.C.); and here also the See also:emperor See also:Caracalla was murdered at the instigation of Macrinus (A.D. 217).

Haran was the See also:

chief See also:home of the See also:moon-See also:god See also:Sin, whose See also:temple was rebuilt by several kings, among them See also:Assur-bani-See also:pal and Nabunidus and Herodian (iv. 13, 7) mentions the town as possessing in his See also:day a temple of the moon. In the See also:middle ages it is mentioned as having been the seat of a particular See also:heathen See also:sect, that of the Haranite Sabeans. It retained its importance down to the See also:period of the Arab ascendancy; but by See also:Abulfeda it is mentioned as having before his time fallen into decay. It is now wholly in ruins. The Yahwistic writer (Gen. xxvii. 43) makes it the home of Laban and connects it with See also:Isaac and See also:Jacob. But we cannot thus put Haran in Aramnaharaim; the home of the Labanites is rather to be looked for in the very similar word Hauran.

End of Article: HARRAN, HARAN

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