Harranians - Revision history

פטר חמור at 15:02, 18 January 2023

2023-01-18T15:02:08Z

פטר חמור at 14:48, 18 January 2023

2023-01-18T14:48:12Z

פטר חמור at 14:08, 26 October 2020

2020-10-26T14:08:30Z

פטר חמור: /* Christianity and Sabianism */

2007-08-22T16:24:01Z

‎Christianity and Sabianism

פטר חמור at 06:58, 25 May 2007

2007-05-25T06:58:23Z

WikSysop at 13:10, 21 May 2007

2007-05-21T13:10:51Z

WikSysop at 13:08, 21 May 2007

2007-05-21T13:08:57Z

New page

The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.

==Christianity and Sabianism==
Harran was a centre of Christianity from early on, the first place where purpose-built churches were constructed openly. However although a bishop resided in the city, many people of Harran retained their ancient pagan faith during the Christian period and thus the [[Sabian]] culture was born here in Harran.

== Islamic Harran ==
At the beginning of the Islamic period Harran was located in the land of the Mudar tribe (Diyar Mudar), the western part of northern Mesopotamia (Jazira). Along with ar-Ruha' (Edessa, present day Urfa) and [[ar Raqqah|ar-Raqqah]] it was one of the main cities in the region. During the reign of the [[Umayyad]] caliph [[Marwan II]] Harran became the seat of the caliphal government of the Islamic empire stretching from Spain to Central Asia.

It was allegedly the [[Abbasid]] caliph [[al-Ma'mun]] passing through Harran on his way to a campaign against Byzantium who forced the Harranians to convert to either one of the 'religions of the book', meaning Judaism, Christianity or Islam. The people of Harran identified themselves with the Sabians in order to fall under the protection of Islam. [[Sabians]] were mentioned in the [[Quran]] but those were a group of Gnostic [[Mandaeans]] living in southern Iraq, but extinct at the time of al-Ma'mun. The Harranian Sabians and the ones mentioned in the Quran have nothing in common.

===Islam's first university===
During the late 8th and 9th century Harran was a centre for translating works of astronomy, philosophy, natural sciences and medicine from Greek to Arabic, bringing the knowledge of the classical world to the emerging Arabic speaking civilization. [[Baghdad]] came to this work later than Harran. Many important scholars of natural science, astronomy and medicine originate from Harran, including possibly the alchemist [[Geber]].<ref>http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Geber</ref>

===The end of the Sabians===
In 1032 or 1033 the temple of the Sabians was destroyed and the urban community extinguished by an uprising of the rural starving 'Alid-Shiite population with impoverished urban Muslim militias. In 1059-60 the temple was rebuilt into a fortified residence of the [[Numayrids]], an Arab tribe assuming power in the Diyar Mudar (western [[Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia|Jazira]]) during the 11th century. The [[Zangi]]d ruler [[Nur al-Din Mahmud]] transformed the residence into a strong fortress.

===The Crusades===
During the [[Crusades]], on May 7, [[1104]] a decisive battle was fought in the Balikh valley, commonly known as the [[Battle of Harran]]. However, according to [[Matthew of Edessa]] the actual location of the battle lies two days away from Harran. [[Albert of Aachen]] and [[Fulcher of Chartres]] locate the battle ground in the plain opposite to the city of [[ar Raqqah|ar-Raqqah]]. During the battle, [[Baldwin of Bourcq]], count of Edessa, was captured by Seljuq troops. After his release Baldwin became king of Jerusalem.

At the end of 12th century Harran served together with ar-Raqqah as residence of Ayyubid princes. The Ayyubid ruler of the Jazira, [[al-'Adil Abu Bakr]], again strengthened the fortifications of the castle. In the 1260s the city was completely destroyed and abandoned during the Mongol wars. The father of the famous Hanbalite scholar [[Ibn Taymiyah]] was a refugee from Harran, settling in Damascus. The [[13th century]] [[Arab]] historian [[Abulfeda]] describes the city in ruins.

[[Image:Harranruins1.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Ruins of the Ulu Cami (congregational mosque) at Harran. It was one of the main Ayyubid buildings of the city, build in the so called "classical revival" style]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:02, 18 January 2023
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	To be merged with [[Sabians of Maimonides]] and [[Yazdânism]].	+	To be merged with [[Sabians of Maimonides]] and [[Yazdânism]] and [[Mithraism]].

	The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.		The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:48, 18 January 2023
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	~~Harranian is an exonym for~~ [[Yazdânism]] ~~and should be merged with that page~~.	+	To be merged with [[Sabians of Maimonides]] and [[Yazdânism]].

	The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.		The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:08, 26 October 2020
Line 2:		Line 2:

	The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.		The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.
		+
		+	==Harranians same as Yazdâeans==
		+
		+	*[[Harranians\|Sabean of Harran]], aka Harranians, a the exonym (ca. 9th and 10th c. CE) for the Yazdâeans gnostic people who have lived in northern Mesopotamia from ancient times. As star-worshippers, Harranians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. They incorporated astrology and "worship of the heavenly host". From 830 CE until 16th century they adopted the name Sabian to seek protection under Islamic law.
		+	*[[Yazdânism]], or Cult of Angels is a gnostic religious belief of the Kurds
		+	*[[Yazidism]], [[Alevism]] and [[Yarsanism]] are sects within Yazdânism.
		+	*[[Sabians of Maimonides]] The adherents of Yazdânism were referred to as the "Sabians of Harran" (of Carrhae) in Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed, although may be a composite of Sabaeans, Harranians, Mandaeans and Zoroastrians.

	==Christianity and Harranian==		==Christianity and Harranian==

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:58, 25 May 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	Harranian is an exonym for [[Yazdânism]] and should be merged with that page.
		+
	The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.		The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 The Sabians of Harran, a sect of Hermetists, often confused with the Mandaeans. As star-worshippers, Sabians showed a great interest in astronomy, astrology, magic and mathematics. This sect lived in the vicinity of the main center of the Caliphate until 1258, when the Mongols destroyed their last shrine. During Muslim rule, they were a protected minority, and around the time of al-Mutawakkil's reign their town became a center for philosophical, esoteric and medical learning. They were joined by the descendants of pagan Greek scholars who, having been persecuted in Europe, settled in lands that became part of the Abbasid caliphate. The Muslims were greatly interested in Greek culture and science, collecting and translating many ancient Greek works in the fields of philosophy and mathematics. Although they later became Arabic speakers, in pre-Islamic times, it was common for Sabians to speak Greek.
-==Christianity and Sabianism==
+==Christianity and Harranian==
-Harran was a centre of Christianity from early on, the first place where purpose-built churches were constructed openly. However although a bishop resided in the city, many people of Harran retained their ancient pagan faith during the Christian period and thus the [[Sabian]] culture was born here in Harran.
+Harran was a centre of Christianity from early on, the first place where purpose-built churches were constructed openly. However although a bishop resided in the city, many people of Harran retained their ancient pagan ''Karzdi'' faith during the Christian period and thus the Harranian culture was born here in Harran.
 == Islamic Harran ==

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 == Islamic Harran ==
-At the beginning of the Islamic period Harran was located in the land of the Mudar tribe (Diyar Mudar), the western part of northern Mesopotamia (Jazira). Along with ar-Ruha' (Edessa, present day Urfa) and [[ar Raqqah|ar-Raqqah]] it was one of the main cities in the region. During the reign of the [[Umayyad]] caliph [[Marwan II]] Harran became the seat of the caliphal government of the Islamic empire stretching from Spain to Central Asia.
+At the beginning of the Islamic period Harran was located in the land of the Mudar tribe (Diyar Mudar), the western part of northern Mesopotamia (Jazira). Along with ar-Ruha' (Edessa, present day Urfa) and ar Raqqah it was one of the main cities in the region. During the reign of the Umayyad caliph Marwan II Harran became the seat of the caliphal government of the Islamic empire stretching from Spain to Central Asia.
-It was allegedly the [[Abbasid]] caliph [[al-Ma'mun]] passing through Harran on his way to a campaign against Byzantium who forced the Harranians to convert to either one of the 'religions of the book', meaning Judaism, Christianity or Islam. The people of Harran identified themselves with the Sabians in order to fall under the protection of Islam. [[Sabians]] were mentioned in the [[Quran]] but those were a group of Gnostic [[Mandaeans]] living in southern Iraq, but extinct at the time of al-Ma'mun. The Harranian Sabians and the ones mentioned in the Quran have nothing in common.
+It was allegedly the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun passing through Harran on his way to a campaign against Byzantium who forced the Harranians to convert to either one of the 'religions of the book', meaning Judaism, Christianity or Islam. The people of Harran identified themselves with the Sabians in order to fall under the protection of Islam. [[Sabians]] were mentioned in the Quran but those were a group of Gnostic Mandaeans living in southern Iraq, but extinct at the time of al-Ma'mun. The Harranian Sabians and the ones mentioned in the Quran have nothing in common.
 ===Islam's first university===
-During the late 8th and 9th century Harran was a centre for translating works of astronomy, philosophy, natural sciences and medicine from Greek to Arabic, bringing the knowledge of the classical world to the emerging Arabic speaking civilization. [[Baghdad]] came to this work later than Harran. Many important scholars of natural science, astronomy and medicine originate from Harran, including possibly the alchemist [[Geber]].<ref>http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Geber</ref>
+During the late 8th and 9th century Harran was a centre for translating works of astronomy, philosophy, natural sciences and medicine from Greek to Arabic, bringing the knowledge of the classical world to the emerging Arabic speaking civilization. Baghdad came to this work later than Harran. Many important scholars of natural science, astronomy and medicine originate from Harran, including possibly the alchemist Geber.<ref>http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Geber</ref>
 ===The end of the Sabians===
-In 1032 or 1033 the temple of the Sabians was destroyed and the urban community extinguished by an uprising of the rural starving 'Alid-Shiite population with impoverished urban Muslim militias. In 1059-60 the temple was rebuilt into a fortified residence of the [[Numayrids]], an Arab tribe assuming power in the Diyar Mudar (western [[Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia|Jazira]]) during the 11th century. The [[Zangi]]d ruler [[Nur al-Din Mahmud]] transformed the residence into a strong fortress.
+In 1032 or 1033 the temple of the Sabians was destroyed and the urban community extinguished by an uprising of the rural starving 'Alid-Shiite population with impoverished urban Muslim militias. In 1059-60 the temple was rebuilt into a fortified residence of the Numayrids, an Arab tribe assuming power in the Diyar Mudar (western Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia) during the 11th century. The Zangid ruler Nur al-Din Mahmud transformed the residence into a strong fortress.
 ===The Crusades===
-During the [[Crusades]], on May 7, [[1104]] a decisive battle was fought in the Balikh valley, commonly known as the [[Battle of Harran]]. However, according to [[Matthew of Edessa]] the actual location of the battle lies two days away from Harran. [[Albert of Aachen]] and [[Fulcher of Chartres]] locate the battle ground in the plain opposite to the city of [[ar Raqqah|ar-Raqqah]]. During the battle, [[Baldwin of Bourcq]], count of Edessa, was captured by Seljuq troops. After his release Baldwin became king of Jerusalem.
+During the Crusades, on May 7, 1104 a decisive battle was fought in the Balikh valley, commonly known as the Battle of Harran. However, according to Matthew of Edessa the actual location of the battle lies two days away from Harran. Albert of Aachen and Fulcher of Chartres locate the battle ground in the plain opposite to the city of ar Raqqah. During the battle, Baldwin of Bourcq, count of Edessa, was captured by Seljuq troops. After his release Baldwin became king of Jerusalem.
-At the end of 12th century Harran served together with ar-Raqqah as residence of Ayyubid princes. The Ayyubid ruler of the Jazira, [[al-'Adil Abu Bakr]], again strengthened the fortifications of the castle. In the 1260s the city was completely destroyed and abandoned during the Mongol wars. The father of the famous Hanbalite scholar [[Ibn Taymiyah]] was a refugee from Harran, settling in Damascus. The [[13th century]] [[Arab]] historian [[Abulfeda]] describes the city in ruins.
+At the end of 12th century Harran served together with ar-Raqqah as residence of Ayyubid princes. The Ayyubid ruler of the Jazira, al-'Adil Abu Bakr, again strengthened the fortifications of the castle. In the 1260s the city was completely destroyed and abandoned during the Mongol wars. The father of the famous Hanbalite scholar Ibn Taymiyah was a refugee from Harran, settling in Damascus. The 13th century Arab historian Abulfeda describes the city in ruins.