shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileTurkey

in southeastern Anatolia, just north of the Syrian border

Şanlıurfa

— — a city built around the oldest stone we know.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“A southeastern Turkish city of about 1.1 million, called Urfa by most who live there and Şanlıurfa — 'glorious Urfa' — on the maps since 1984. Tradition holds that the prophet Abraham was born here. Just outside the city, the limestone hilltop of Göbekli Tepe carries circles of carved pillars older than agriculture itself, raised at least 11,500 years ago by hunter-gatherers who left no writing.

from the studio

— bring it home

Şanlıurfa, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Şanlıurfa

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Şanlıurfa is the capital of Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Anatolia, Turkey, about 80 km north of the Syrian border. The city sits at roughly 518 metres elevation on the western edge of the Harran plain. Population is approximately 1.1 million in the urban core and around 2.2 million in the province. The honorific 'Şanlı' ('glorious') was added to the older name Urfa by the Turkish parliament in 1984 to recognise the city's resistance during the 1919-1920 French occupation after the First World War.

— informed by Wikipedia: Şanlıurfa

— the stone

Göbekli Tepe sits on a limestone ridge 18 km northeast of the city. Excavated by Klaus Schmidt from 1994 until his death in 2014, the site holds at least twenty stone circles of T-shaped limestone pillars, some weighing more than ten tonnes and carved with reliefs of foxes, snakes, vultures, and scorpions. The oldest layers date to roughly 9500 BCE — older than Stonehenge by about seven thousand years. UNESCO added the site to the World Heritage list in 2018.

— informed by UNESCO: Göbekli Tepe, Wikipedia: Göbekli Tepe

— the visit

The old city around Balıklıgöl — the Pool of Sacred Fish — is the heart of any visit. Local tradition identifies the pool as the spot where the prophet Abraham was thrown into a fire by Nimrod and saved when God turned the flames into water and the embers into carp. The fish are considered sacred and are not eaten. Göbekli Tepe is reachable by taxi or organised tour from the centre, with a covered visitor walkway over the excavations.

— informed by Wikipedia: Balıklıgöl

— where

Turkey · Şanlıurfa, Şanlıurfa Province

— elevation

518 m · 1,699 ft

— position

37.1591° N · 38.7969° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

18 km NE

Göbekli Tepe

Neolithic site

1 km S

Balıklıgöl

sacred pool

44 km S

Harran

ancient town

40 km E

Karahan Tepe

Neolithic site

Şanlıurfa

Göbekli Tepe

Balıklıgöl

Harran

Karahan Tepe

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Şanlıurfa — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Şanlıurfa is in southeastern Anatolia, Turkey, about 80 km north of the Syrian border. The city is the capital of Şanlıurfa Province and sits at roughly 518 metres elevation on the Harran plain.

The honorific 'Şanlı' ('glorious') was added to the older name Urfa by the Turkish parliament in 1984, recognising the city's resistance during the 1919-1920 French occupation after the First World War.

Göbekli Tepe is a limestone-pillar site 18 km northeast of Şanlıurfa, dated to roughly 9500 BCE. It is the oldest known megalithic temple complex in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Balıklıgöl is a rectangular pool in the old city, identified by local tradition with the prophet Abraham. The carp in it are considered sacred and are not eaten by anyone.

Local Islamic and Jewish traditions identify Urfa with the biblical Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham's birthplace. Scholars are divided, with other candidates in southern Iraq. The tradition remains central to the city's identity.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Urfa is one of the most-loved cities in southeastern Turkey, and people from the city and the wider Kurdish and Turkish southeast often respond strongly to seeing it on the wall.

The warm sandstone and dusk palette suits Mediterranean-modern, Levantine, and warm-traditional interiors. It also lifts a room with terracotta tile or unpainted limestone surfaces.

A single Large is the most common pick. For a wider wall, a 4-tile Mural reads as a full view of the old city; a 9-tile Mural carries a long console or above a bed.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with moisture. Both are scratch-resistant and rated for backsplashes and shower installations.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough for routine cleaning. The Dura Satin and Matte tiles installed in wet rooms also handle a mild non-abrasive cleaner.

Yes. The Şanlıurfa piece was made by Reid Wender and produced in-house at Wender Studios in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no third-party art. The studio sets its own catalogue.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

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