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Sumatar Harabesi (also, Sumatar Ruins or simply, Sumatar or Soğmatar) was an ancient watering place for semi-nomadic peoples located in the Tektek Mountains, southeast of
Urfa
Urfa, officially called Şanlıurfa (), is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. The city was known as Edessa from Hellenistic period, Hellenistic times and into Christian times. Urfa is situated on a plain abo ...
(Edessa, Mesopotamia
Edessa (; ) was an ancient city ('' polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, in what is now Urfa or Şanlıurfa, Turkey. It was founded during the Hellenistic period by Macedonian general and self proclaimed king Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the ...
) and northeast of Harran
Harran is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. Its area is 904 km2, and its population is 96,072 (2022). It is approximately southeast of Urfa and from the Syrian border crossing at Akçakale.
...
, in modern-day Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.Lipinski, 1994, p. 191.Bowman et al., 2005, p. 510. A now deserted oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentSyriac inscriptions dating to the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE have been found at the site.Lipinski, 2000, p. 170. Inscriptions that refer to the "Lord of the gods," are thought to be references to 
Sumatar is also described as, "the seat of the governors of 'Arab," who derived their authority from Sin. Five of the Syriac inscriptions at Sumatar Harabesi refer to "the 'Arab", only one of which has been dated (circa 165 CE).Rëtso, 2003, pp. 440-442. Jan Rëtso writes that these inscriptions confirm the presence of
Sin
In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...
. In nearby Edessa, worship of Sin, who was also the main deity in Harran, extended back to the beginning of the 1st millennium BCE, and continued until some time in the 4th century CE when solar worship began to predominate.Texidor, 1979, p. 68.
Sumatar is also described as, "the seat of the governors of 'Arab," who derived their authority from Sin. Five of the Syriac inscriptions at Sumatar Harabesi refer to "the 'Arab", only one of which has been dated (circa 165 CE).Rëtso, 2003, pp. 440-442. Jan Rëtso writes that these inscriptions confirm the presence of Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
in the area around Edessa, as mentioned twice in the writings of Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
. The governors of the 'Arab were thought to be members of the Edessene royal family, or closely related to them, appointed by Sin to look after the "blessed mountain" that served as his sanctuary. There, these religio-political officials had altars and baetyls erected in the god's honour. A large cave at Sumatar, known as Pognon's cave, is decorated with a horned pillar, Sin's symbol.Drijvers and Healey, 1999, p. 40.
See also
* Kingdom of HatraReferences
Bibliography
* * * * * * * {{Refend Oases History of the Arabs Ancient Anatolia