Sumatar Harabesi
36.99333333333339.3375Koordinaten: 36 ° 59 ' 36 " N, 39 ° 20' 15" E
Sumatar, also Eski Sumatar ( Turkish for old Sumatar ) Sumatar Harabesi ( ruins of Sumatar ) or Sogmatar was in ancient times a watering place and residence of the governors of the regent of Edessa, now Şanlıurfa in southeast Turkey. Today, among other remains of seven buildings have survived, maybe they put a star consisting of several temples planet sanctuary of the religious community of the Sabians dar. The now insignificant place seems to have flourished AD in the first two centuries.
Plant
Sumatar is surrounded by the almost barren stone desert of Tektek -mountains near the village Yağmurlu in the central district of Şanlıurfa Province, about 60 kilometers southeast of Şanlıurfa and 40 kilometers east of Harran. The ancient system consists of a central hill with inscriptions and reliefs of about 50 meters rises above the terrain, and seven hills with temples or tombs that extend over a semicircle with a radius of more than a kilometer to the west and north-west of the village. In the midst of the present village, which is inhabited by Arabs, also there is a large Tell, on which stood a castle in the Middle Ages. On the hills more or less preserved remains of buildings are visible, partly cylindrical, rectangular partly round on square base and partly. Six of building an underlying cave with arc-shaped grave Insert ( arcosoliums ) in the walls is present. The entrance to the caves is respectively aligned to the central hills.
On this, see below the summit plateau on the north side two reliefs. One shows in a niche the bust of a man next to both sides Syrian inscriptions. These state that the portrait of Sila Tiridates, son of Adona, was created and the moon god Sin of Harran shows. This identification is confirmed by a visible crescent behind his shoulders. The right relief is the full body view of a male figure with a round headdress and a knee-length robe. It also stands in a niche, here equipped with lateral pilasters and a Archivolte. According to the adjacent inscription it was created on behalf of Ma ʿ na for the God, on 13 Adar 476 This date of the Seleucid era corresponds to the March 165 AD The god is most likely re- Sin, the person either the client Ma shown ʿ na or again Sin. Other inscriptions on the summit mention of a deity, Marilaha, lord of the gods, which the mentioned Tiridates has built an altar here. This text is also dated to the year 165.
About 500 meters north of the central hill, in the area of the present village Yağmurlu, is an opening to the east cave, named after the discoverer Pognons cave. In it are incorporated on three sides reliefs and inscriptions. Both sides of a niche, there are two poorly preserved figures, which show a horned, oval column. This figure is known among other things, a coin from Harran as a symbol of Sin, the horns probably represent the ends of the crescent moon. The other reliefs different, specifically named in the inscriptions, governor of the king is, where as can be safely assumed that this is either the mean in Edessa, now Şanlıurfa, resident king of Osrhoene, or (less likely) the Parthian Great King of the Osrhoene was dependent. Called to be the name Tiridates, Ma ʿ ni, Abgar, Wa ʿ el A multi- function governor of Arab ( ʿ RB) is mentioned, the concrete meaning of Arab remains unclear, it is probably only a region of the area, not to a larger area. Presumptive controlled the " governor " on behalf of the king nomadic tribes. It is noteworthy that there are references in the inscriptions in cave Pognons both Roman and Parthian rulers on: Sumatar was in the 2nd century in the border area between the Roman Empire and the kingdom of the Parthians. After the Parthian war of Lucius Verus 162-166 of the place seems to be then passed under Roman control.
On another hill, about 250 meters north of the central mountain, ruins of a fortified and various walls and framed fountain can be seen. They are not intended even closer, maybe they are of medieval origin.
Relief on the central hill
More hill with buildings
Unknown structure below the so-called Temple of Venus
Village with a medieval fortress hill Yağmurlu and Tell
History of Research
The Arab philosopher and traveler al - Mas'udi visited in the 10th century the place and temple described for each of the seven planets, each in a specific form; obviously the ruins were still get much better then. In more recent times was the French orientalist Henri Pognon the first to the Tektek Mountains toured in 1901 and 1905, while today discovered named after him cave in Sumatar and their reliefs and inscriptions describing, with him, however, underwent errors. The British semitist Judah Benzion Segal explored in depth in 1952, the ruins of Sumatar 1953 and published his description. The Dutch historian of religion Hendrik JW Drijvers examined in 1977 the building.
Interpretation
JB Segal suggested, according to the description by al - Mas'udis, the ruins of a cult system of the resident in neighboring Harran Sabians of the religious community. The buildings on the hills, he ordered to the revered cult star in the planetary deities Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and the Moon. Drijvers other hand, sees primarily the worship of the moon god Sin of Harran in Sumatar given, but indicated the buildings not as sanctuaries, but as family tombs of the governors of Arab and other highly placed persons. The Austrian archaeologist Theodor Háry, who visited in 1995 and 1999 Sumatar, the ruins again holds for temples and believes he has found parallels to the planets of the May 17, 93 AD.