Harran

Harran is a large fictional city and a major location within the game of Dying Light. The distant skylines and high-rise buildings gives a sense of enormity and depth to this urban structure. Like most major cities and urban hubs some parts of Harran are wealthy and affluent while other parts are not so prosperous. During the central campaign, and the side missions, you will be traversing these two major areas of Harran's urban jungle in order to stay alive.

History

First mentions about Harran have been found in ancient tablets from the 9th century BC. It is also the most probable date for founding the first settlement in this location. One of the earliest inhabitants were Carthaginian merchants who settled down at a source of fresh water, today known as Emerald Pond. The oldest building that survived to modern times is the stronghold at the lake, now housing the City Museum. The stronghold is estimated to have been built in the 4th century BC by the Romans. Not much younger are the City Walls, which together with the stronghold formed the city’s main defenses.

The Walls survived intact for many centuries, but were partially destroyed in the 11th c. AD. The region had been struck by a series of severe droughts that lasted for at least twenty years. The droughts had led to famine. Eventually, rebellions had broken out destroying large parts of Harran in their wake. The City Walls were then rebuilt in 1530, many years after the rebellions had ended.

For the next 200 years Harran experienced a relatively calm period of steady development under the Turkish rule, as any uprisings were swiftly nipped in the bud. The symbol of this prosperous period is the Academy of Harran, founded in 1720, which turned the city into an unofficial intellectual capital of the region. The prosperity came to an abrupt end at the beginning of the 19th century when a massive fire consumed the southern districts. In a matter of weeks, the area of the city was halved, leaving the remaining districts surrounded by ashes and wastelands. The burnt down half was not reconstructed until dozens of years later as the Ottoman Empire gradually had lost interest in the city.

The turning point for the city were the world wars. Firstly, no battles were fought in the immediate vicinity of Harran, which saved its population and precious architecture from destruction. Secondly, after World War I the city became partially independent due to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and birth of the Republic of Turkey. The independence was then reinforced at the end of World War II, turning Harran into a self-governed city-state.

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Harran Outbreak

Main article: Harran Virus

Sometime during 2014, the city of Harran was overwhelmed by an unknown viral epidemic that was later known as the "Harran Virus". The ministry of defense and government of Harran established a quarantine over the city as the affliction began to spread. Though the populace began to dwindle and the number of infected outnumbered the living, a maintained relief effort continued to be given to what survivors the city had.

Topview of the city of Harran.

However, it was the mind of the Ministry of defense that stricter actions be taken against the Harran Virus beyond a simple quarantine protocol. As the situation grew more dire, the question of whether or not survivors still remained in the city arose. As such, the ministry devised a plan that involved bombing the entirety of Harran to destroy both the infected and the source of the outbreak itself.

Events of Dying Light

Pending Writing

Known Locations

Known locations are areas that you will explore throughout the game of Dying Light. Most of these areas listed contain main or side mission objectives.

• Safe Houses
• Slums Bridge Crossing
• Slums Building Home Base
• Slums Bus Terminal
• Slums Civilian Districts
• Slums Convenient Stores
• Slums Fishing village
• Slums Harran Public High School
• Slums Pharmacies
• Slums Rais' Fortress
• Slums Slab District
• Slums Train yard
• Slums Urban Highway
• Slums Warehouse District
• Slums Water Works Station
• Old City/Slums Under Lake Tunnel Connection
• Old City Convenient Stores
• Old City Forever Foundation
• Old City Kindergarten
• Old City Museum
• Old City Pharmacies
• Old City Pizzeria
• Old City Radio Station
• Old City Radio Tower
• Old City Sewers
• Old City Town Hall
• Old City University Home Base
• Harran, Norway @ Google maps

Unknown Locations

Unknown locations are destinations in which you as the player will never explore but can see on the horizon.

• Harran City Global Games Stadium (seen from both the Slums and Old City)
• Central Business District (Seen mostly from the Slums)
• Mountain surrounds (seen from both the Slums and Old City)
• Farmlands (seen from Old City)

Gallery

Official Screenshots

Screenshots