Harran's domed houses offer coolness in the scorching heat with their architecture.

The conical domed houses in the Harran district of Şanlıurfa, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, provide a cool environment in the scorching heat thanks to their architectural structure.

The conical domed houses, the symbol of the district that stands out with its historical and cultural richness, attract the attention of local and foreign tourists.

The houses, which stand up to 5 meters tall, are built of limestone without mortar. The exteriors of the architectural structures are covered with clay, while the interiors are plastered with a mixture of egg whites, soil, straw, and rose oil.

The city's cool temperatures, which reach close to 50 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit), are becoming increasingly important. Summer visitors to the district, where high temperatures can be felt, are amazed by the temperature difference between the exterior and interior of the houses, which stand out with their conical-domed architecture.

Harran University Archaeology Department and Harran Archaeological Site Excavation Director Prof. Dr. Mehmet Önal told an AA correspondent that the coolest place in the district is the conical-domed houses.

Reminding that citizens of Arab origin live in the district, Önal stated that the name Harran is rumored to be derived from the Arabic word "har," meaning hot.

Önal emphasized that there is a 15-degree temperature difference between the inside and outside of the houses, and noted:

Summer temperatures in Harran reach around 50 degrees Celsius. To cool down this heat, conical-domed houses have been in Harran for approximately 250 years. Because the ceilings of the houses are quite high, they create cool air inside. Hot air expands and rises, so the lower sections of these high houses remain cool. Currently, the temperature difference between the inside and the outside is 25-30 degrees Celsius, with a temperature difference of approximately 15 degrees Celsius. Harran's local architecture favors these conical-domed houses. Currently, 127 conical-domed houses are registered.

İbrahim Çelik, who came to visit the district from Kayseri with his family, said that the heat in the city was stifling.

Çelik, emphasizing their surprise at the coolness of Harran's conical-domed houses, said, "Because we're used to Kayseri's cool weather, it felt incredibly hot outside. The car thermometer is currently reading 48 degrees Celsius, but when we get in here, it's incredibly cool. It feels like we've climbed Mount Erciyes. The interior is truly refreshing."

Mahya Sönmez, who came from Kastamonu, stated that she was amazed by the city and that the coolest place in the city was in the conical domed houses in Harran.