HARAN, h6'ran (Hebr. ,Haran; Gk. Karrai): The name of the most important city in North Meso-

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potamia, situated in the valley of the Upper Balich, early celebrated as a seat of worship of the moongod. Its ruins, three English miles in circuit, lie a day's journey southeast of Urfa-Edessa. The etymology of the name is obscure; the Assyrian form of the word, Bdrranu, connects it with the word for road, end with its location on the caravan route between Syria end the East.

Sources for the pre-Assyrian history of North Mesopotamia unfortunately still lie buried in the mounds of the valleys of the Chabor end the Balich. Slight investigations by Layard along the Chabor brought to light some pre-Assyrian monuments. The course of Babylonian end Assyrian history shows that from prehistoric times North Mesopotamia was a region of great Babylonian-Semitic states; end Winckler places here the state of Kisshati, a region which gave one of the titles much used by Babylonian kings, of which region Haran was perhaps the capital end most important city. The "land of Haran" of the Assyrian inscriptions had great importance both for the commerce of Assyria end Babylonia end for the religious development of Assyria. The oldest reports of North Mesopotamia are in the Amarna Tablets (q.v.), and show the region as being at the time under the control of the Mitanni. The rule of the mitanni was overthrown by Assyria 200 years later, when Shalmaneser I. assumed the title king of Kisshati. Tiglath-pileser 1. hunted elephants in the land of Haran; Shalmaneser 11. built a temple to Sin in the city. Later the district took part in the revolt against Assyria, end paid a heavy penalty therefor. After the downfall of Assyria the region came under Chaldean control, after devastation by the UmmanManda, end Nabonidusrebuiltthecityof Haran end the temple for the moon-god. In Christian times it was an important center of heathenism until the Middle Ages.

There are still indications in traces of roads of the importance of Haran for trade in early times, end Ezek. xxvii. 23 speaks of its commerce with Phenicia. Of its influence in religion over alarge region there are monuments from near Aleppo end Senjirli.

According to the Old Testament, Haran in Aramnaharaim was the place of the theophany which directed Abraham to leave his country and kindred, of Eliezer's wooing of Rebekah for Isaac, of Jacob's fourteen years of servitude, and the place of departure of the migrations of the Terahites to Canaan. According to another tradition, Harare is merely the second point of departure, the original place being Ur of the Chaldees. The version in P, giving the derivation from Ur, is probably based on earlier reports in E, since not without cogent reasons would a narrator of that time derive the Hebrew origins from the land of their foes. The two traditions have a connection in so far as both cities were noted seats of the same cult, though in Ur the moon-god was called Nannar, in Harare, Sin. Laban is itself a poetical name for the deity of Haran, while Sarah recalls the Assyrian Sarratu, the consort of the moon-god, end Milcah, the name of the wife of Nahor, is reminiscent of the Assyrian malkatu, "princess," a title under which Ihtr was wor- shiped in Haran.

A. Jeremias.

Bibliography: D. A. Chwoleon, Die Saabier' und der Saabismus,~part i.. $t. Petersburg, 1858; J. Ha16vy, Mdlangee d'EpipraP)OascldCAEsforachung, Giessen, 1878; idem, in KAT, pp. 29 sqq., et passim; R,. Kittel, in Theologiacha 3Eudien sue WUraemberp, 1888, pp. 193 sqq.; idem. Geschichte der Habrtlar, pp. 135, Gotha, 1888, Eng. transl.. London, 1895; Ainsworth, in PBBA, 1891, pp. 387 sqq.t A. Mea, OeacTtichEe der Stadt Harran, Strasburg, 1892; H. Winokler, AtRorientatiacha Forschungen, parts i.-ii., Leipsic, 1892; idem, Geschichte Babylonians and Assyrians, pp. 148 sqq., ib. 1892; A. H. $syoe, The Higher Criticism end the Monuments, London, 1894; H. F. Helmolt, Wedtgeschichte, vol. iii., part 1, Leipsic, 1899; DB, 1301; EB, ii. 1981-83.