Skip to main content

Urfa – Gölbaşı Gardens

Poem
| Ed Stevenson | Issue 153 (May - Jun 2023)

This article has been viewed 10832 times

Urfa – Gölbaşı Gardens

In This Article

  • Urfa, one of the ancient cities in Turkey, was heavily damaged by an unprecedented flood in March 2023. The Pool of Abraham (Balıklı Göl) and Gölbaşı gardens are believed to be the spot Prophet Abraham was thrown into fire but was saved when the fire was commanded to be “cool and peaceful” for him (Qur’an 21:69).

Friday afternoon, children squeal, play,
families stroll, sit at small tables
under sycamore trees, vendors beckon,
old men sit in shaded classrooms
of the old madrassah, sipping tea,
talking of the book or politics or business
or the things of which old men speak.
The sun warms the stones, minarets, mosque,
walkways, cliff-side, the fortress above.
Glistening green and gold, the storied fish,
(Nimrod's flames) roll slowly up, surface
to the food the children have thrown, ripple,
then curve back again into the darker green
of the pool's still waters –
a holiday, a holy day, a day of wholeness.

Urfa, one of the ancient cities in Turkey, was heavily damaged by an unprecedented flood in March 2023. The Pool of Abraham (Balıklı Göl) and Gölbaşı gardens are believed to be the spot Prophet Abraham was thrown into fire but was saved when the fire was commanded to be “cool and peaceful” for him (Qur’an 21:69).


More Coverage

Fethullah Gülen, the Muslim scholar who inspired the global educational movement called Hizmet, has not only challenged popular perceptions of Islam in the West and certain practices among Muslims, but has also established a space for humanistical...
Tafrid (individuality) means seclusion from society or going into retreat to devote all one’s time to worshipping God. More particularly, it denotes that even when initiates have attained states or stations that others cannot, they never see thems...
We always want more. We sometimes so much more for selfish reasons only, turning this desire into greed, and we become oblivious to the needs of others. Greed has made many people wild in history and still does. The Gilded Age, a period of gross m...
The questions on the creation of mankind and the inner workings of the universe have been the primary issues that have had a profound impact on both modern, secular philosophy and traditional religion. Our collective experiences in natural science...
Loading...