Mevlid-i Halil Cave and Mosque [EN]

Mevlid means “holly nativity/birth”. It’s believed that Abraham was born in this cave, there fore It is named as Mevlid’i Halil Cave. According to the legend, when the oracles of King Nimrud told him that there would be born a son who would destroy and end his dynasty and his religion, Nimrud ordered that all the sons would be born that year should be killed strictly. Within the year, Nuna, who was the mother of Abraham, noticed that she was pregnant. For a while she hid her pregnancy. When the date of birth arrived, she sheltered in this cave and gave birth to Abraham inside here.

Cave

Mevlid means “holly nativity/birth”. It’s believed that Abraham was born in this cave, there fore It is named as Mevlid’i Halil Cave. According to the legend, when the oracles of King Nimrud told him that there would be born a son who would destroy and end his dynasty and his religion, Nimrud ordered that all the sons would be born that year should be killed strictly. Within the year, Nuna, who was the mother of Abraham, noticed that she was pregnant. For a while she hid her pregnancy. When the date of birth arrived, she sheltered in this cave and gave birth to Abraham inside here. After the birth, she came here every day secretly and nursed her son. Meanwhile according to the legend, it’s believed that Abraham was also miracally nursed by a gazelle by the order of God and within the 15 months he passed in the cave, It’s believed that he grew up to the age of 15.

Mosque

It is named as Mevlid-i Halil Mosque just because it was built next to the Mevlid-i Halil Cave. It was built primarily as a pagan temple, then was converted to a synagogue then to a church. Finally in 1523 it was converted to serve as a mosque by Muhammed Salih Pasha (an Ottoman general). Since the Ottoman period, the Kadiri Dhikr (the ceremony for rememberance of God in Kadiri mysthicsim style) has been organized just after the namaz periods of dawn, afternoon and nightfall.

Said Nursi Bediüzzaman (The Early Said) Place

Bediuzzaman Said Nursî was born in 1878 in Bitlis. He’s an Islamic scholar master and glassatar and he’s also the writer of famous Risale-i Nur. In one of his letters he mentiones Urfa and his longing to this city as “Every morning I pray for all the citizens of Urfa and their families and their passed ancestors. Urfa is a sacred place with its whole land. Urfa is a place of Abraham Halilluhlah. If I may survive from my sickness, I hope to visit Urfa next winter” (Emirdag Annex-Il 27th letter). Said Nursi told his students to bring him back to Urfa just 3 days before his death. He came to Urfa and stayed at Ipek Palas Hotel room 27. When he died on 23 March 1960, with the attendance of his students all over the country as well as Urfa citizens to his funeral at Urfa Ulu Mosque, he was burried to the graveyard over against the Mevlid-i Halil Cave. However, after the military coup on 27 May 1960, regarding coup government’s order on 12 July 1690, his grave was opened secretly and his bones were transferred to somewhere unknown. Even today, there’s no exact information about where his grave was transferred.

Source: Info Boards