Temple of Urfa

The Stone Temple at Urfa gave way to many diverse belief systems and religions from the time it was erected to the time it was buried. Based on archaeological data, Urfa was the place of many 'firsts' in history; such as the first wheel, stone quarry, settlement, animal breeding, writing, mosiacs, the first temple, Bible and church. When this temple was built, it seemed to cause shifts in the way things worked at that time in the community. Due to disagreements and differences in opinion, the culture appeared to split off into seperate groups where a few new ritualistic behaviors started in the name of religion. As a result, there was now the farmer, herder and hunter. This can be depicted in the book of Genesis. The farmers formed a culture of their own and began sacrificing humans and, to ensure crop growth and sustainability, ritual sex. While the farmers used human sacrifice, the herders used animal sacrifice both to appease God. The hunters took no part, as they disapproved these acts. The artifacts that have been found over the decades are a result of the people making use of the resources around them to create things they needed. Herders needed animals for service or domestication and sacrificing so they were bred to create more. Farmers created agricultural lands and crops while the hunters could have used weighing instruments to weigh their meats. They all wanted a place of worship, and that is what the temple of Urfa was