The old city rolls downhill from a castle occupied by a military unit to the beginning of the boundless Mesopotamian plains. All the windows of the houses are turned to the south, to Syria, which is some 20 kilometers from here, and almost always this plain looks like a green sea shrouded in fogs.
Open-air museum, fountain of history, and oriental city of tales. Mardin is given a various names and adlectives, and all they match. I can add one from myself - a place I dream about seeing one more time.
First meeting and accomodation
Our mini bus made its long way late in the day. The high walls of the fortress crowned the top of the rocky hill. A taxi will bring you to this view point, even if you do not ask for it.
Mardin is almost all the Old Town. Hotels there are fabulous, but small. To accommodate 14 people in one place, we had to spend the night outside the city, at the Mardin Airport Hotel. It's almost 20 km from the Old Town (about 200 Turkish Lira by taxi), but a very good ratio of price, comfort and excellent service. And don't worry about planes that you can see from the window of your room. Flights are not many, and I'd not recomment to count on airfair to Mardin, because flights may be cancelled. So the night was nice and quiet. Besides, there is a shopping mall very close.
Orientation
There are two motor roads here - one main, with the name 1st Street, hahaha, yes! In addition, it's one-way. And the other is Yeni Yol.
Despite the density of buildings and confusing web of streets, Mardin has plenty of observation decks from which you can (and should) take photos.
As you can see, the only way to explore the city is by foot. Unless of course you own a donkey. So I walked a lot, down and up the stairs, trying not to get lost and not go crazy with delight.
And I wasn't kidding about the donkey.
Although, they usually walk by feet letting the taxi-donkey to carry all your stuff.
We are already accustomed to the fact that many tourist places are closed due to quarantine. But here I was still not disappointed. Vice versa. Considering I only had one day. One magic day...
History and its versions
According to a hearsay, the history of the city dates as far back as the Flood. Turks love to exaggerate, but who knows... Different sources mention figures from 7,000 to over 4,000 years.
Anyway, Mardin lies at the heart of homeland of Syriacs. Syriac is a Semitic language directly related to the native tongue of Jesus Christ, Aramaic. It was and still is the native language of the Assyrians, who ruled there. Then there were the Hittites, Babylonians, and Urartu, Persians, Romans.
Mardin served as the capital of the Artuqid dynasty between 12th and 15th centuries. Now Mardin is famous for its examples of Artutid architecture.
In 1515 Mardin was captured by the Ottomans, and since then, for half a millennium, it is the territory of the Turks.
The period of the Ottoman Empire can be called relatively quiet in the life of Mardin, if not take into account the Kurdish uprisings in the early 19th century. But during 1915-1918 there were mass ethnic cleansings, killings of local Christians - Armenians and Assyrians that lives in Mardin and the surrounding countryside. As a result, it was omitted from most guidebooks to the area.
The fortress on the top of the hill still houses a military unit in case of conflicts. Either with Syria, or with the Kurds that is the main population of Mardin now.
By the way. The oldest, Assyrian name for this region is Turabdin.
Looking around
So, let's start on the main street. There are shops with everything: soap, silver, nuts, sweets, souvenirs, fresh bread, jewelry and Assyrian wine.
It's so quiet because it's morning.
The dimensions of the old city are small - a little more than two kilometers in length, and seven hundred meters wide. But you can walk on it for hours and hours. Depends on your physical shape.
Be sure to climb to one of the terraces to enjoy the panorama, strong Turkish tea to energize you, or even local cuisine.
My grandmothers and aunts were very fond of these scarves.
If you're wondering what to bring your friends from Mardin, I recommend blue almonds. It is grown in gardens and near the vineyards of Mardin. Blue is a glaze with the addition of the root of a tree.
But when I saw a tray with raw fish next to almonds and other sweets, I assumed that there was a market somewhere nearby.
You can find anything here. If you get hungry, have a snack. And if your shoes are worn out on the local steps, they will be repaired on the spot.
Soap here is handmade and brewed from everything you can imagine. According to the inscriptions, it can replace almost all of your home cosmetics. But even if you do not believe what is written, it will serve perfectly as a soap. But the choice will be very difficult.
Main sites
Mardin Cultural Landscape is on UNESCO Tentative List.
" The city as a whole with its traditional stone, religious and vernacular architecture and its terraced urban pattern is the best preserved example of Anatolian soil."
You know, tastes differs. But you'll make your own list from the various of amazing places.
It's noted for the stunning views from its rooftop. Even better than a postcard. Also, this old medrese (theological college) is one of Mardin's best preserved buildings.
The rest depends on your preferences and quarantine restrictions. Mardin is an Islamic city, and mosques play a leading role here. But there are also Christian temples like Mor Behnam (Kırk Şehitler).
Well, I think this is enough to drum up some interest. Thank you for your time and support. See you soon!
Please note, that all photos used in my posts are taken and owned by myself. Nobody can use them without my consent. If you wish to use any of my images please contact me @zirochka.