Medieval medicine bottle unearthed in Harran
ŞANLIURFA – Anadolu Agency
Archeologists have discovered a medieval earthenware bottle containing medicine in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa’s archaeological site of Harran.
The 900-year-old bottle with the image of two snakes twined, the symbol of today’s medicine, on it dates back to the Zengids, a Turkic dynasty that ruled the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia on behalf of the Seljuks, the head of the excavations, Mehmet Önal, archeology professor at Harran University, said.
Nur ad-Din Zengi, who succeeded his father in 1146, ruled for nearly 30 years until the Zengid dynasty was replaced in Syria by the Ayyubids, led by Saladin.
The archeological discoveries imply that Harran could have been an important medical center throughout history, according to Önal.
The head of the excavation team also said the medicine was produced and put in these bottles and was sold here.
The bottle will be exhibited at Şanlıurfa Museum.
Harran, currently on UNESCO’s Temporary Heritage List, welcomes thousands of local and international visitors with the world’s first Islamic university and the remnants of the Ulu Mosque, dating back to the 700’s in the Umayyad era.
