Haran
/ˈhærən/noun
A biblical personal name and the ancient city of Harran in northern Mesopotamia, now in southeastern Turkey.
Did you know?Harran was a major center of Mesopotamian moon worship, especially the cult of the moon god Sîn, and remained famous for its pagan scholarly tradition long after Christianity spread through the region.
Etymological Timeline
2nd Millennium BCE
Akkadian
ḫarrānu
“A road, route, or journey; a likely linguistic source proposed for the place-name Harran.”
1st Millennium BCE
Assyrian
Harrānu
“The city of Harran, an important settlement on routes linking Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia.”
Hebrew Bible
Biblical Hebrew
חָרָן (Ḥārān)
“Haran; the place associated with Abraham’s family and also the personal name of a member of that family.”
Septuagint period
Ancient Greek
Χαρράν (Charran)
“The Greek form of the biblical place-name.”
4th Century CE
Latin
Charran
“The Latin biblical and historical form of the city’s name.”
Modern English
English
Haran/Harran
“A biblical proper name and the historical name of the ancient Mesopotamian city.”