Editing Urfa (section)

== Culture ==
{{main|Culture in Urfa}}

=== Cuisine ===
[[File:Patlıcan kebap at an Urfa restaurant.jpg|thumb|Patlıcan kebap, served at an Urfa-style restaurant in Ankara]]
As the city of Urfa is deeply rooted in history, so its unique cuisine is an amalgamation of the cuisines of the many civilizations that have ruled in Urfa . It is widely believed that Urfa is the birthplace of many dishes, including [[Çiğ köfte]], that according to the legend, was crafted by the Prophet Abraham from ingredients he had at hand.<ref>From Kâtib el Bağdadî in p.196''Urfa'da Pişer Bize de Düşer'', Halil & Munise Yetkin Soran, Alfa Yayın, 2009, Istanbul {{ISBN|978-605-106-065-1}}</ref>

Meat-based dishes are a staple of everyday meals in Urfa.<ref name="Aksoy and Sezgi 2015">{{cite journal |last1=Aksoy |first1=Mustafa |last2=Sezgi |first2=Gülistan |title=Gastronomi turizmi ve Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi gastronomik unsurları |journal=Journal of Tourism and Gastronomy Studies |date=2015 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=79–89 |url=https://www.jotags.org/Articles/2015_vol3_issue3/2015_vol3_issue3_article8.pdf |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref>{{rp|85}} There is a local saying, "There is no trouble where meat comes in" (Turkish: ''et giren yere dert girmez'').<ref name="Aksoy and Sezgi 2015"/>{{rp|85}} Foods like [[lahmacun]] and [[kebab]] are consumed daily by many people.<ref name="Aksoy and Sezgi 2015"/>{{rp|85}} ''[[Ciğer kebabı]]'', or liver kebab, is especially popular among poorer Urfalis, since liver is usually a relatively cheap meat.<ref name="Ajans Urfa 2022 liver">{{cite news |title=Yoksul yemeği lüks tüketim oldu |url=https://www.ajansurfa.com/haber/13050875/yoksul-yemegi-luks-tuketim-oldu |access-date=27 December 2022 |work=Ajans Urfa |date=15 December 2022}}</ref> Liver kebab is popularly eaten for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner.<ref name="Ajans Urfa 2022 liver"/>

The [[walnut]]-stuffed Turkish dessert crepe (called ''[[şıllık]]'') is a regional specialty.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Şanlıurfa'nın 'şıllık' tatlısı tescillendi| work = Sabah| access-date = 2018-11-08| url = https://www.sabah.com.tr/yasam/2017/11/17/sanliurfanin-sillik-tatlisi-tescillendi}}</ref> According to legend, its sweet syrup was first made using molasses from the [[Hanging Gardens of Babylon]].<ref name="Aksoy and Sezgi 2015"/>{{rp|86}}

=== Hospitality ===
Urfali society traditionally places a great value on [[hospitality]], and inviting guests over and sharing food with them has a special importance.<ref name="Aksoy and Sezgi 2015"/>{{rp|86}} Locals attribute this to the prophet Abraham, who according to legend never dined alone — he always had guests over to share his meals with.<ref name="Aksoy and Sezgi 2015"/>{{rp|86}} The locally common epithet "''Halil İbrahim Sofrası''" ("the tablecloth-like") depicts this characterization.<ref name="Aksoy and Sezgi 2015"/>{{rp|86}}

=== Literature ===
Urfa has a long history of literature, going back to early Christian writers such as [[Bardaisan]] and [[Ibas of Edessa]].<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|106}} A prominent medieval writer from Urfa was the 9th century Arabic author [[al-Ruhawi]], whose ''[[Adab al-Tabib]]'' covered the topic of [[medical ethics]].<ref name="Levey 1967">{{cite journal |last1=Levey |first1=Martin |title=Medical Ethics of Medieval Islam with Special Reference to Al-Ruhāwī's "Practical Ethics of the Physician" |journal=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |date=1967 |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=1–100 |doi=10.2307/1006137 |jstor=1006137 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1006137 |access-date=28 December 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{rp|8}} Later, from the 1600s to the 20th century, ''[[divan (poetry)|divan]]'' poetry became popular in Urfa.<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|107}} The popularity of divan poetry in Urfa is unusual because, by the 1600s, Urfa was not a major center of learning that would typically be expected to produce a lot of poetry.<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|107}} In all, 130 different Urfali poets are known from this period.<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|107}} A few of them are [[Yusuf Nabi|Nâbî]], Ömer Nüzhet, Admî, Fehim, Hikmet, Şevket, Sakıb, and Emin.<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|108}} Many of them were Sufis, affiliated with orders like the [[Bektashi]]s, [[Mevlevi Order|Mevlevi]]s, [[Naqshbandi]]s, [[Qadiriyya|Qadiri]]s, and [[Rifa'i]]s; they gathered in places like the Hasanpaşa Medrese, the İhlasiye Medrese, the Hasan Paşa Medrese, the Sakıbiye Tekke, the Halil’ür Rahman Medrese, the Rızvaniye Medrese, the Dabbakhane Medrese, and the Eyyübî Medrese.<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|108}} Urfali divan poets almost exclusively used the [[ghazala]] form, with almost no known examples of the [[qasida]].<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|108}}

=== Traditional house architecture ===
[[File:Şanlıurfa Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism building 9128.jpg|thumb|Şanlıurfa Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism Building]]

Urfa's old town has many old courtyard houses; many were built during a construction boom in the 19th century.<ref name="Sinclair 1990"/>{{rp|8}} A typical Urfa courtyard house is centered around a high-walled courtyard that is closed to the street.<ref name="Erdogan 2016">{{cite journal |last1=Erdogan |first1=Nevnihal |title=Investigating the Relationship Between Culture and Traditional Housing Architecture in Urfa, Turkey |journal=Journal of Architectural and Planning Research |date=2016 |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=309–25 |jstor=44987208 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44987208 |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref>{{rp|311, 6}} Facing the courtyard is a [[portico]]ed antechamber covered by a roof and partially surrounded by three walls.<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|317}} In Urfa, the name for this space is ''mastaba''; elsewhere, the more general term is ''[[iwan]]''.<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|317}} Other typical rooms include bedrooms, a kitchen (''tandir''), a [[sitting room]], or a [[water closet]].<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|316–7}} There is also a semi-basement called the ''zerzembe'', which is used for winter food storage and is practically omnipresent in traditional Turkish homes in regions with hot climates.<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|316–7}} The house as a whole, with its courtyard, mastaba, and other rooms, forms one integrated living space rather than each room being its own "isolated, independent" space.<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|318}}

[[File:Hacı Hafız Ahmet Balak Efendi Evi 3101.jpg|thumb|The Hacı Hafız house, now used as an art gallery, is a good example of traditional Urfa house architecture from the 1800s. The grand ''mastaba'' is in the middle. Below it is the entrance to the ''zerzembe''.]]
An important consideration in domestic architecture is ''mahremiyat'', which could roughly be translated into English as "privacy" or "intimacy" but which carries stronger implications.<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|313}} This concept is especially important when it comes to relations between men and women – outside the extended family, interaction between men and women is restricted.<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|313}} As a result, traditional Urfa houses are constructed in ways to prevent men outside from viewing the women of the household.<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|319–20}} For example, doors facing each other, windows facing the street, and significant differences in roof elevation are all avoided.<ref name="Erdogan 2016"/>{{rp|313}}

=== Local Turkish dialect ===
The Turkish spoken in Urfa has some features in common with the variety of [[Iraqi Turkmen#Language|Iraqi Turkmen]] spoken in Kirkuk, as well as some features owed to Arabic influence.<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|19}} For example, the Arabic sounds ''[[Ayin#Arabic ʿayn|'ayn]]'', ''[[ghayn]]'', and ''[[qoph#Arabic qāf|qāf]]'' are pronounced the same in Urfa as they are in Arabic, which is not done in standard Turkish.<ref name="Saraç 2018"/>{{rp|19}}