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Dick Osseman | all galleries >> Elazığ pictures - Turkey >> Harput near Elazig in Turkey >> Arap Baba mescidi ve türbesi > Harput Arap Baba mescit ve türbesi 1010.jpg
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09-SEP-2006

Harput Arap Baba mescit ve türbesi 1010.jpg

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(Free from a notice at the building): This is the Arap Baba mescit (small mosque) and türbe (tomb). According to inscriptions it was erected by Yusuf Bin Arapsah in 1279 during the time of the fourth son of the Seljuk emir Kilicarslan. The mescit is on the second floor of the building, the türbe is on the lower floor. In it a non-composed body, it is not known from whom. Four theories are described: 1. Yusuf bin-i Arab-i sah, 2. a holy person (because the body did not rot), 3. a shepherd from this region who was once respected because of his virtues, 4. a commander from Arabia who performed heroic deeds during the conquest of Harput.

On another notice it is related that there are many stories connected to Arap Baba. One of them is that during a period of extreme drought a woman dreams that it will rain if she cuts of his head and throws it into a well. She does so without consulting others, it rains for days on end and it becomes a catastrophe. She then dreams the head must be found and put back in the grave. She tells some wise men of her dream, after a search the head is found and put back in place, the rain stopped. The woman, Selvi. dies "in a miserably way because she had disrespected Arap Baba by keeping her dream secret" (curiously, the cutting off of his head is not mentioned).

Nikon D2x
1/200s f/8.0 at 18.0mm iso100 full exif

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