A more detailed version of my article published in Hürriyet Seyahat
Gündüz cemetery, necklace at night, city of stone realms; Mardin… All two cities in the world have been declared as protected areas.. One is Venice and the other is Mardin.. The city is under UNESCO protection. The city of fairy tales, which gives the impression that time has stopped with its architecture, archeology, history and visuals, was once on the Silk Road.
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Kasimiye Madrasa
Kurds, Christian Assyrians, Sunni Arabs, Turks, Yazidis and Armenians live together in Mardin in fraternity in a mosaic of different religions. It is said that there are also two Jewish families.
In the old Mardin, which we arrived in the afternoon, first of all, the fabled image of the Kasimiye Madrasa’ from the womb to birth, life and We listen to their stories told with water from old age to death.
Mesopotamia is vast with its latticed windows misted. A breathtaking example of the madrasa stonemasonry, which was started by the Artuqids and finished by Timur Han of Akkoyunlu.. From the zaviye-shrine next to it, it is thought to have been built as a complex, not a madrasah.
Kırklar Church
Kırklar Church We meet Edi and Mariana playing in ‘s garden. They were speaking Syriac and riding bicycles.. It is forbidden to take photos inside the church.. We climb through narrow streets.
It has a large courtyard.. They keep the church we came to last minute open for us for a few more minutes.. It’s twilight because it’s evening. The courtyard looks very charming. This church, which was built in the name of Mor Behnam and his sister Saro, is known as the Kırklar Church.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Melik Necmettin Isa bin Sultan, the last Artuqid Sultan in Mardin. It was built by Muzaffer Davud bin El Melik Salih in 1385.. In fact, Melik Necmettin Isa, who fought Timur, was imprisoned in this madrasah for a short time.
Zinciriye Madrasa Close to the castle on the hills of Mardin. The entrance to the castle is prohibited, it is closed with fences.. Here we can climb the domes that we could not climb in Kasımiye Madrasa.
It is insatiable to watch Mardin against the sunset.. From here, you should see the Ulu Mosque and the city turn into a fairy tale land by the sea with the lights on at sunset.. It is wonderful to watch the lights of Syria in the distance and to see the lights of the villages in between turn into the lights of ships.
Where Did I Stay in Mardin?
We are staying in a house in old Mardin.. We will live and look at the world like Mardin for a few days. We came with the desire to sleep on the roof, but when the weather gets a little cooler. From my room, I see old Mardin on one side, the minaret of the Great Mosque and Mesopotamia on the other.
The mother of my 28-year-old friend Önder is 3 years older than me. just older. It is impossible for me to forget this woman who never went to school but knew three languages and made us wonder what would have happened if she had studied stuffed meatballs and ravioli in the coming days.
Hotels in old Mardin are expensive, but those in new Mardin are more affordable.. I would still prefer to stay in old Mardin. If you want to experience Mardin with its historical texture, historical buildings and narrow streets, you should stay here.. New Mardin consists of the apartments we know.
Hasankeyf
The next day we get up early and go to Hasankeyf. There is very little water left in the Tigris due to dam works.. They covered the top of the bridge’s feet remaining in the water with concrete.. Hasankeyf is actually a district of Batman.
It is unknown by whom it was built in its 12 thousand-year history.. There are nearly 6,000 caves around the ancient city. The ones on the other side of the bridge are called summer caves.. These caves were formed naturally by the power of water.
Zeynel Bey Tomb moved to that side of the new city. It is forbidden to enter the construction site. We can only see from afar. It’s frustrating to come all this way and not be able to touch it.
We’re climbing the hills in Hasankeyf. We can see the best view from Kasır Rabi by paying 1 lira.. There is also a cave inside.
As I read in the press, one side of Hasankeyf was blown up with dynamite.. In any case, my wish to come here as soon as possible was my desire to see it before it disappears.
Our generation has had the privilege of leaving the artifacts that have survived for centuries under dam waters, covering them with concrete, blowing them up with dynamite and destroying them.. This is how history will remember us.
Mor Gabriel Monastery
We set off quickly to Purple(saint) Gabriel Monastery. Our way passes through Midyat. This is a small Mardin.. We are locked in the narrow back streets from the excavations in the city with vehicles.
Mor Gabriel, like all monasteries, is quite far from the city. Entrance is 5 liras, students are 3 liras. A guide makes a group of you and tells you around, together with other people who come after the people inside leave.
I think it is very useful. 60 people live, including 14 nuns, staff, students at parish schools, and priests. They don’t leave their room as we tour.
A priest politely declines my request to take a photo as I walk in.. I respect. A magnificent architecture and an incredible lifestyle in the middle of a vast arid land.
Here for the first time, when the saints died, they were seated on a stone chair facing east, believing that Jesus would come again and it would be from the east, and they were ready when he came. I learn that they were buried this way to be. He wanted to be buried under everyone’s feet.
Mardin Food and Drink
Mardin amazes me. Art workshop, streets, cafes, fairy-tale grandfathers. . The narrow streets of Mardin are like a festival area, very modern, bright everywhere.
It’s only a matter of time before you get screwed in old Mardin.. The cost of sitting in the Sinek bar for half an hour and two small beers is 80 liras.. Do not sit down without asking for a price.
In addition to these, Leylan Cafe with its special performances every night and Pause Cafe with its private movie theater are our stars.. Don’t get hungry after 6 o’clock. Restaurants on the street are closing, but there is food in cafes or everything in the new city. You have to go there by car.
Since the streets are narrow, vehicles cannot enter, they clean them with staffed donkeys.. Watch out for the doorknobs. I liked the one with the rooster very much and I was able to get it after long negotiations, but they do not take the cabin on the plane.. I had to give it to the trunk.
As it is obvious that you are a tourist, everything is very expensive for you, but if you rebel, they are the hospitable people of the east and help you.. almond candies legend. Make sure to visit the silversmiths.
It’s not easy to find stuffed ribs, but I manage to eat it with the advantage of the large group of Recep teachers.. In the new city Al Sahan Restaurant, we had the opportunity to taste other Mardin delicacies with its wonderful presentation.
Dara Antique City and Dungeon
Dara was first in the village We’re going to a place called the dungeon. Little blonde girls welcome. Handan reads poetry to us. After finishing with “I’m telling you, I love you so much“, she opens a door for us under the house.
While I’m waiting for a cave again, I find myself in one of those Indiana Jones movies where I don’t know how many floors we went under. myself.
The little girl saying “Walk carefully, don’t fall“” is running down these stairs. This place used to be a water cistern. His grandfather lives in the house above him.. The trinkets on my arm are the center of attention like my African children. I was hugging my black children a year ago, now my yellow ones.
One hour away from Dara city center. We rented a car. It was one of the most important settlements of Mesopotamia in history.. It was established to protect the eastern border of the Eastern Roman Empire against the Sassanids.. During the archaeological excavations, the remains of the world’s first water dam were found. Dara is spread over a wide area.
Dara Antique City opens at 9.30 am. Entry is free. Dara Ancient City is a cemetery, another name for the city of the dead. They put the Sassanids who died in the war here, believing that they will be resurrected.. You can see the skeletons.
We can enter the burial chambers.. Village boys guide us. He tours the whole village. Until two years ago, water flowed under the historical bridges, but other villages turned off the water.. There is no water at the moment.
Here I meet my teacher Recep and friends from the photography club from Istanbul. Mardin is infested with photography clubs this season, especially on weekends.
Deyrulzafaran
I join them that day and visit Deyrulzafaran monastery and the city again.. Deyrulzafaran as Mor Gabriel. Entry 6 lira. 5 after Jesus. built in the century. It is 4 km away from Mardin.
It was an important center of the Syriac Church. For 640 years, it was the residence address of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs.
The museum in Mardin Square is free right now. I can say that it is the best museum I have ever visited.. I couldn’t get enough of looking, reading, taking pictures.
Mardin, where I dried my hair in the sun against Mesopotamia on the roof of a Mardin house due to frequent power cuts, got to know different cultures, climbed nonstop in its narrow streets, and lived an eastern tale in my history books. and I will never be able to forget these wonderful people whose house I stayed with.
Goodbye Mardin, my heart loved you very much…
A suggestion: We are Mardin’ I traveled by renting a car. Using the tour at THY’s ticket office in the second alternative square. By renting a car, you can travel the long distances we travel from 8 am to 8 pm, for 80 TL including lunch and all entrance fees.. For example, we could not go to Beyazsu.. This tour has it too. You can also walk around the city.
