From the ruins of Ulu Cami (Great Mosque), Ahmet escorted us down to visit the famous Syrian-influenced Beehive house complex belonging to his family. There are two different places in Harran that visitors are welcome to visit, both set up for tourism. White beehive style dwellings are also found in Puglia, Italy called trulli houses. Designs go back 3000 years and the style is thought to be unchanged. These mud houses were constructed with bricks from Roman ruins; each conical shape stands on a square foundation, no more than 5 meters/16 feet tall, built from 30-40 rows of bricks. Ahmet said that it takes 1,500 bricks to build one room with large blocks at the bottom.

It is spacious inside because every dome is connected by an arch. Cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The remaining beehive houses are strictly tourist exhibits since most of Harran’s population lives in a newly built small village close to the main site. The villagers of Harran no longer build beehives houses because upkeep is too difficult – they must be repaired every year…View image.

This beehive complex was originally built by Ahmet’s grandfather. Ahmet is number 10 out of 14 children and complex of rooms was just for his immediate family which included grandparents. His father appeared to control tourism in this area and sold garments, bracelets, kilims that they themselves used as bed coverings…View image…View image, beaded hangings to put over doors and windows…View image, postcards and other tsotchkes aka “stuff”

Ahmet led us through this spacious and airy complex…View image, telling about each room. The kitchen room had a sheep’s bladder used to make cheese and yogurt by rocking it back and forth. A large hole at the top of each room is usually covered with a rock or stone; the stone can be removed when it rains to cool down the inside of that particular room…View image.

One of the rooms was filled with traditional dress for men and women….View image, and several of us had fun dressing up in them and taking photos…View image. Sheila finally had a chance to dress up in one of the very glitzy dresses with “Steve of Arabia” at my side.

In the courtyard was a raised, wooden structure called “summer beds,” used by the entire family during summertime to sleep under the starlit sky. The family served, and sold tea, and the group took a long break in the shade…View image… before walking over to the old Temple of Sin from 2000 B.C.