HARRAN, an ancient site of considerable strategic value on the River Belikh, in 37° N. 39° E. It lay on the old road from Nineveh westwards to the river crossing at Carchemish, in the river valley, but close to the foothills and just north of the modern Syrian boundary. It is worthy of note that the modern caravan route goes north by Urfah, while the line chosen for the Baghdad railway skirted the hills, where the boundary runs and did not penetrate into the valley in which Harran stands. Its chief cult in Assyrian times was the moon god. The city was accepted as of considerable importance by the Assyrian kings. Crassus was here defeated and killed by the Parthians, and the Emperor Caracalla was murdered here. It appears to have re mained of some importance down to the time of the Caliphate, but from that time onwards grad ually fell into ruins. Its Roman name was Carrhae.