HALIL-ÜR RAHMAN, HALIL CAMII AND IBRAHIM MADRASAH

It is said that after leaving his cave, Abraham provoked Nimrod's anger by attempting to destroy the statues in the temple. The king, to punish him for this offense, ordered that Abraham be thrown from the citadel into a pyre. Thanks to divine intervention, the fire turned into water and the wood into fish. Thus Abraham fell back, safe and sound, onto a bed of roses.

The rectangular basin, close to the cave, is surrounded by stone arches, another body of water, a pleasant park and several mosques. It is supplied by a spring at the foot of Damlacık Hill and is teeming with pink carp, now sacred. It is said that anyone who tries to catch one to eat it would go blind. So the crowd of visitors is cautiously content to feed them.

To the north of the basin stands the Ibrahim Madrasah, a Koranic school built in 1710 with a large courtyard. To the south of the basin, you can admire Halil Camii, which includes a mosque and also a Koranic school (madrasah). Replacing a Byzantine church, it was rebuilt in the early 19th century, its minaret dates from the 13th century. Next to the mosque, you can distinguish a small room with two windows overlooking the basin. It is from there that Abraham would have been thrown into the fire. The site is very popular because it symbolizes the fall of Abraham. Many visitors pay a few coins at the entrance to go and pray.