Sanliurfa vibes: kebabs, history, and that weird fish pool
so i landed in this ancient city called sanliurfa, right? locals call it urfa, and honestly it feels like stepping into a history book that someone spilled tea on. the numbers 298333 and 1792937570? i think those are just the city's secret coordinates for the best kebab spot. the weather's chill at 13.73°c, feels like 12.8°c, so i'm rocking my thrift-store jacket and pretending i'm a vintage clothes picker hunting for hidden treasures in the bazaar. humidity's at 63%, so not too sticky, but enough to make my hair do its own thing.
anyway, first thing i did was wander over to balikligol, that legendary fish pool where abraham apparently got tossed into a fire that turned into water. i overheard some drunk tourists saying the fish are actually ghosts of ancient warriors. i don't know about that, but the place is weirdly peaceful at sunset. someone told me that if you feed the fish, you get good luck for seven years. i fed them stale bread and now i'm just waiting for my luck to kick in.
food-wise, you can't leave without trying the cig kofte and baklava. i stumbled into a tiny joint called "Kebapci Halil Usta" after a local whispered it's the best in town. the kebabs were so good i almost cried, or maybe that was the spice. if you're into coffee, check out *Huzur Konaği on the main street-it's got that old-school vibe with a side of gossip from the owner who knows everyone's business.
if you get bored, Gaziantep and Diyarbakir are just a short drive away, and both are worth the trip for their own weird reasons. i heard that in gaziantep, the baklava is so good it'll make you question your life choices. and in diyarbakir, the ancient walls are perfect for pretending you're in a medieval movie.
one last thing: the people here are insanely friendly. i got lost three times, and each time someone walked me to my destination like it was no big deal. it's the kind of place where you go for the kebabs but stay for the humans.
do yourself a favor and check out the Sanliurfa Archaeology Museum if you're into ancient stuff-it's got the famous balikligol statue and a bunch of other cool relics. and if you want to see the city from above, head to the Halilur Rahman Mosque* at dusk. the view is worth the climb, even if your legs hate you afterward.
anyway, that's my messy take on sanliurfa. it's chaotic, it's ancient, and it's totally worth the trip. just don't forget to feed the fish.
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