harán

Harán, also known as Harran, is the name of an ancient city in upper Mesopotamia, located in present-day southeastern Turkey near the city of Şanlıurfa. It rose as a major caravan city at the crossroads of Mesopotamian, Anatolian, and Levantine trade routes, linking caravans and markets across the region. The city is mentioned in ancient Assyrian, Babylonian, and other Near Eastern sources, and its history spans several empires, including Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and later Roman and Islamic rule.

In biblical accounts, Harán is the homeland of Terah, father of Abraham, and is noted as the place where Terah died before Abraham's journey to Canaan; the narrative positions it as a link between Ur of the Chaldeans and later biblical events. Archaeological remains at the site show fortifications, temples, and traditional beehive houses, a distinctive form of mud-brick architecture that persists in the region. In the medieval period, Harran was a notable center of learning and commerce under Islamic rule, with scholarly activity that attracted students and translators.

Today, the ancient ruins are near the modern town of Harran in Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. The site is noted for its beehive houses and a landscape of earthen ramparts and ruins, reflecting its historic role as a crossroads of cultures.

Apart from the place name, harán is also the Spanish third-person plural future tense form of hacer, meaning "they will do" or "they will make."