Şanlıurfa, city center (folk tale)

The Legend of Nimrod and Balıklıgöl

Folklore — not a documented case

The tale of the origin of Balıklıgöl, the sacred fish pool that is the symbol of Şanlıurfa, is the region's best-known ancient story. According to the tale, a cruel ruler's fire turned to water, and its embers into fish.

At the center of the tale stands a ruler who declares himself a god and oppresses his people. When his court seers interpret a dream of his as foretelling that a certain man will overthrow his throne, he seeks to eliminate that man; as a result, he has a great fire built and has the man thrown into it.

The stories in this section are folk tales and legends; they are not verified, real events and should not be confused with the rest of the archive.

From the same region