Mardin
Halal Travel Guide: Mardin — Mosques, Stone City and Mesopotamian History
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Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin stands on a rocky slope above the Mesopotamian plain and is known for stone architecture, old mosques, churches, and layered local history. This travel account focuses on the city historic sites, religious buildings, and street-level observations in the original order.
In the previous article, 'Mardin: A Rocky Mountain City Where Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians Live Together - Food and Lodging,' we visited the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, near the borders of Syria and Iraq, and ate Kurdish and Assyrian food. In this article, I will continue to share the ancient buildings in the old city of Mardin, which is famous for its architecture from the Artuqid dynasty (12th-14th centuries).
The Artuqid dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic tribal dynasty that ruled southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northern Syria from the 12th to the 14th century, named after the Seljuk commander Artuk Beg. Artuk Beg's sons began ruling Mardin in 1101, and for the next 300 years, Mardin served as the capital of the Mardin branch of the Artuqid dynasty. After the 13th century, the Artuqid dynasty became a vassal state of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid Empire, until it was destroyed by the Kara Koyunlu in 1409.
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Great Mosque of Mardin (Mardin Ulu Camii) dates back to the 10th century. It is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region and set the foundation for later Mardin architectural styles. The mosque currently houses 16 stone inscriptions from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Kara Koyunlu, and Ottoman periods, spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mosque once had two minarets, but only the eastern one remains today. The inscription at its base shows it was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid architecture.
The Great Mosque has been renovated many times throughout history. Most of what we see today is from the Ottoman-era renovation in 1889, but it still keeps its early architectural style.
Next to the mihrab in the Great Mosque of Mardin, there is a preserved beard hair of the Prophet (Sakal-i Serifi). It is said to have been cut by the Prophet's favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali, and others.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Zinciriye Madrasa was built in 1385 and is another historic Artuqid-era building in the old city of Mardin. Zinciriye Madrasa is actually a complex (külliye) consisting of a madrasa, a mosque, a tomb, and two courtyards. The mosque and the tomb each have a fluted dome, matching the style of the dome at the Great Mosque of Mardin.
At the southeast corner of the madrasa is a 12-meter-high gate featuring an exquisite stalactite vault (muqarnas), decorated with geometric vine patterns and Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.
There is a fountain pool in the center of the Zinciriye Madrasa courtyard. In Sufi philosophy, the flow of water symbolizes a person's journey from this life to the afterlife, and this pool is a physical representation of that symbol. The fountain's source symbolizes birth, then flows through stages representing infancy, childhood, and youth. The long water channel symbolizes entering old age, and the final pool represents the arrival of the Day of Judgment.
The area around the fountain and the main hall of the mosque are decorated with classic two-toned brickwork known as ablaq. This brick decoration likely originated in the Syrian region under the Eastern Roman Empire. Muslim craftsmen later used it in early Islamic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Because the Syrian region has plenty of black basalt and white limestone, most local ablaq is black and white. The Mardin region mostly has beige limestone, so the ablaq there is beige and black.
Mardin Castle
You can clearly see the remaining walls of Mardin Castle from the Zinciriye Madrasa. Mardin Castle is thought to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the Babylonian period. The existing structures were built between the 10th-century Hamdanid dynasty (al-Hamdaniyyun) and the Artuqid dynasty from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Hamdanid dynasty was an Arab tribal dynasty from Mesopotamia. Ottoman Sultan Selim III, who reigned from 1789 to 1807, repaired it, but it fell into disrepair by the early 20th century.
Today, a military radar station occupies the site. The city of Mardin has repeatedly asked the military to leave and open it to tourism. In 2015, former Mardin mayor Ahmet Turk helped launch a campaign called 'Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin' to demand the castle be opened to visitors, but it has not succeeded yet.
The Mardin Museum holds a stone carving from 1302, found at the gate of Mardin Castle during the Artuqid period. It records the income of the foundation (waqf) that supported the castle's mosque, making it a very precious document.
Abdullatif Mosque
I caught the Dhuhr prayer (namaz) at Abdullatif Mosque. Abdullatif Mosque, also called Latifiye Mosque, was started in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by the Ottoman governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha.
The mosque's gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371 and is considered the last classic work of the Artuqid dynasty. Below the exquisite stalactite-style vaulted ceiling (muqarnas), the area is decorated with Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy alongside various geometric patterns.
The ablution pool in the outer courtyard of the Abdullatif mosque, the open-air space prepared for dhikr, the fountain pool in the inner courtyard, and the original structural elements on the pulpit (minbar) and the walls of the main prayer hall.
Kasimiye Madrasa
Kasimiye Madrasa, also known as Kasim Pasha Madrasa, sits on a hillside in the western suburbs of the old city of Mardin. Construction began under Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā (reigned 1376–1407), the second-to-last sultan of the Artuqid dynasty, but it was left unfinished due to the invasion of the Timurid Empire. It was finally completed at the end of the 15th century by the Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) sultan Kasim ibn Cihangir (reigned 1487–1507).
Kasimiye Madrasa was the most powerful school in Mardin's history. It taught not only religious studies but also medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. The madrasa stayed open until 1924, when all madrasas in Turkey were closed. Today, it is a famous tourist spot in Mardin. It attracts many visitors and is a beautiful place where many young couples come to take wedding photos.
The madrasa has a rectangular structure with a vaulted dome on each side—one for the mosque and one for the tomb. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by two floors of classrooms. The central fountain pool is the classic Mardin "Fountain of Life," which symbolizes the journey from birth through childhood, youth, and old age, finally reaching the Day of Judgment. The classroom doors are only one meter high. This design forces students to bow respectfully to their teachers as they enter.
Old photos of Kasimiye Madrasa and the view overlooking the Mesopotamian plains from the school.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque
Seyh Cabuk Mosque is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) period and was renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his return journey and was buried here, and the mosque was built because of his tomb.
Sehidiye Mosque
Sehidiye Mosque was ordered to be built in 1214 by the Artuqid sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style, which is very characteristic of that era.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque
While eating barbecue in the evening, I heard the adhan, so the barbecue shop owner and I both stepped out to pray Maghrib at the nearby Dinari Pamuk mosque. It is a small mosque, but it is very crowded because it sits on the main road of the old city.
Dinari Pamuk mosque was reportedly built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church, while the current structure dates back to the Artuqid dynasty in 1332.
Other ancient buildings from the Artuqid dynasty.
There are many more historical sites in the old city of Mardin, but I could not visit them all this time due to limited. Visually, the stone houses made of beige limestone are very different from the red-roofed wooden houses common in the Ottoman old cities of central and western Turkey, making them quite rare in Turkey and offering a unique experience.
Finally, I will share a few Artuqid-era historical sites I passed while walking in the early morning, though it is a pity I arrived too early to go inside.
The first is the Savurkapi bathhouse, built in 1176.
The second is the Hatuniye Madrasa, built between 1176 and 1184, which houses the footprint of the Prophet.
The third is the Savur Kapi Madrasa, built in the 13th to 14th centuries.
The fourth is the Melik Mahmut mosque, built in 1362. view all
Summary: Mardin stands on a rocky slope above the Mesopotamian plain and is known for stone architecture, old mosques, churches, and layered local history. This travel account focuses on the city historic sites, religious buildings, and street-level observations in the original order.
In the previous article, 'Mardin: A Rocky Mountain City Where Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians Live Together - Food and Lodging,' we visited the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, near the borders of Syria and Iraq, and ate Kurdish and Assyrian food. In this article, I will continue to share the ancient buildings in the old city of Mardin, which is famous for its architecture from the Artuqid dynasty (12th-14th centuries).
The Artuqid dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic tribal dynasty that ruled southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northern Syria from the 12th to the 14th century, named after the Seljuk commander Artuk Beg. Artuk Beg's sons began ruling Mardin in 1101, and for the next 300 years, Mardin served as the capital of the Mardin branch of the Artuqid dynasty. After the 13th century, the Artuqid dynasty became a vassal state of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid Empire, until it was destroyed by the Kara Koyunlu in 1409.
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Great Mosque of Mardin (Mardin Ulu Camii) dates back to the 10th century. It is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region and set the foundation for later Mardin architectural styles. The mosque currently houses 16 stone inscriptions from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Kara Koyunlu, and Ottoman periods, spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mosque once had two minarets, but only the eastern one remains today. The inscription at its base shows it was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid architecture.
The Great Mosque has been renovated many times throughout history. Most of what we see today is from the Ottoman-era renovation in 1889, but it still keeps its early architectural style.
Next to the mihrab in the Great Mosque of Mardin, there is a preserved beard hair of the Prophet (Sakal-i Serifi). It is said to have been cut by the Prophet's favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali, and others.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Zinciriye Madrasa was built in 1385 and is another historic Artuqid-era building in the old city of Mardin. Zinciriye Madrasa is actually a complex (külliye) consisting of a madrasa, a mosque, a tomb, and two courtyards. The mosque and the tomb each have a fluted dome, matching the style of the dome at the Great Mosque of Mardin.
At the southeast corner of the madrasa is a 12-meter-high gate featuring an exquisite stalactite vault (muqarnas), decorated with geometric vine patterns and Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.
There is a fountain pool in the center of the Zinciriye Madrasa courtyard. In Sufi philosophy, the flow of water symbolizes a person's journey from this life to the afterlife, and this pool is a physical representation of that symbol. The fountain's source symbolizes birth, then flows through stages representing infancy, childhood, and youth. The long water channel symbolizes entering old age, and the final pool represents the arrival of the Day of Judgment.
The area around the fountain and the main hall of the mosque are decorated with classic two-toned brickwork known as ablaq. This brick decoration likely originated in the Syrian region under the Eastern Roman Empire. Muslim craftsmen later used it in early Islamic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Because the Syrian region has plenty of black basalt and white limestone, most local ablaq is black and white. The Mardin region mostly has beige limestone, so the ablaq there is beige and black.
Mardin Castle
You can clearly see the remaining walls of Mardin Castle from the Zinciriye Madrasa. Mardin Castle is thought to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the Babylonian period. The existing structures were built between the 10th-century Hamdanid dynasty (al-Hamdaniyyun) and the Artuqid dynasty from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Hamdanid dynasty was an Arab tribal dynasty from Mesopotamia. Ottoman Sultan Selim III, who reigned from 1789 to 1807, repaired it, but it fell into disrepair by the early 20th century.
Today, a military radar station occupies the site. The city of Mardin has repeatedly asked the military to leave and open it to tourism. In 2015, former Mardin mayor Ahmet Turk helped launch a campaign called 'Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin' to demand the castle be opened to visitors, but it has not succeeded yet.
The Mardin Museum holds a stone carving from 1302, found at the gate of Mardin Castle during the Artuqid period. It records the income of the foundation (waqf) that supported the castle's mosque, making it a very precious document.
Abdullatif Mosque
I caught the Dhuhr prayer (namaz) at Abdullatif Mosque. Abdullatif Mosque, also called Latifiye Mosque, was started in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by the Ottoman governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha.
The mosque's gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371 and is considered the last classic work of the Artuqid dynasty. Below the exquisite stalactite-style vaulted ceiling (muqarnas), the area is decorated with Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy alongside various geometric patterns.
The ablution pool in the outer courtyard of the Abdullatif mosque, the open-air space prepared for dhikr, the fountain pool in the inner courtyard, and the original structural elements on the pulpit (minbar) and the walls of the main prayer hall.
Kasimiye Madrasa
Kasimiye Madrasa, also known as Kasim Pasha Madrasa, sits on a hillside in the western suburbs of the old city of Mardin. Construction began under Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā (reigned 1376–1407), the second-to-last sultan of the Artuqid dynasty, but it was left unfinished due to the invasion of the Timurid Empire. It was finally completed at the end of the 15th century by the Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) sultan Kasim ibn Cihangir (reigned 1487–1507).
Kasimiye Madrasa was the most powerful school in Mardin's history. It taught not only religious studies but also medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. The madrasa stayed open until 1924, when all madrasas in Turkey were closed. Today, it is a famous tourist spot in Mardin. It attracts many visitors and is a beautiful place where many young couples come to take wedding photos.
The madrasa has a rectangular structure with a vaulted dome on each side—one for the mosque and one for the tomb. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by two floors of classrooms. The central fountain pool is the classic Mardin "Fountain of Life," which symbolizes the journey from birth through childhood, youth, and old age, finally reaching the Day of Judgment. The classroom doors are only one meter high. This design forces students to bow respectfully to their teachers as they enter.
Old photos of Kasimiye Madrasa and the view overlooking the Mesopotamian plains from the school.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque
Seyh Cabuk Mosque is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) period and was renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his return journey and was buried here, and the mosque was built because of his tomb.
Sehidiye Mosque
Sehidiye Mosque was ordered to be built in 1214 by the Artuqid sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style, which is very characteristic of that era.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque
While eating barbecue in the evening, I heard the adhan, so the barbecue shop owner and I both stepped out to pray Maghrib at the nearby Dinari Pamuk mosque. It is a small mosque, but it is very crowded because it sits on the main road of the old city.
Dinari Pamuk mosque was reportedly built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church, while the current structure dates back to the Artuqid dynasty in 1332.
Other ancient buildings from the Artuqid dynasty.
There are many more historical sites in the old city of Mardin, but I could not visit them all this time due to limited. Visually, the stone houses made of beige limestone are very different from the red-roofed wooden houses common in the Ottoman old cities of central and western Turkey, making them quite rare in Turkey and offering a unique experience.
Finally, I will share a few Artuqid-era historical sites I passed while walking in the early morning, though it is a pity I arrived too early to go inside.
The first is the Savurkapi bathhouse, built in 1176.
The second is the Hatuniye Madrasa, built between 1176 and 1184, which houses the footprint of the Prophet.
The third is the Savur Kapi Madrasa, built in the 13th to 14th centuries.
The fourth is the Melik Mahmut mosque, built in 1362. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin stands on a rocky slope above the Mesopotamian plain and is known for stone architecture, old mosques, churches, and layered local history. This travel account focuses on the city historic sites, religious buildings, and street-level observations in the original order.
In the previous article, 'Mardin: A Rocky Mountain City Where Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians Live Together - Food and Lodging,' we visited the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, near the borders of Syria and Iraq, and ate Kurdish and Assyrian food. In this article, I will continue to share the ancient buildings in the old city of Mardin, which is famous for its architecture from the Artuqid dynasty (12th-14th centuries).
The Artuqid dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic tribal dynasty that ruled southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northern Syria from the 12th to the 14th century, named after the Seljuk commander Artuk Beg. Artuk Beg's sons began ruling Mardin in 1101, and for the next 300 years, Mardin served as the capital of the Mardin branch of the Artuqid dynasty. After the 13th century, the Artuqid dynasty became a vassal state of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid Empire, until it was destroyed by the Kara Koyunlu in 1409.
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Great Mosque of Mardin (Mardin Ulu Camii) dates back to the 10th century. It is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region and set the foundation for later Mardin architectural styles. The mosque currently houses 16 stone inscriptions from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Kara Koyunlu, and Ottoman periods, spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mosque once had two minarets, but only the eastern one remains today. The inscription at its base shows it was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid architecture.
The Great Mosque has been renovated many times throughout history. Most of what we see today is from the Ottoman-era renovation in 1889, but it still keeps its early architectural style.
Next to the mihrab in the Great Mosque of Mardin, there is a preserved beard hair of the Prophet (Sakal-i Serifi). It is said to have been cut by the Prophet's favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali, and others.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Zinciriye Madrasa was built in 1385 and is another historic Artuqid-era building in the old city of Mardin. Zinciriye Madrasa is actually a complex (külliye) consisting of a madrasa, a mosque, a tomb, and two courtyards. The mosque and the tomb each have a fluted dome, matching the style of the dome at the Great Mosque of Mardin.
At the southeast corner of the madrasa is a 12-meter-high gate featuring an exquisite stalactite vault (muqarnas), decorated with geometric vine patterns and Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.
There is a fountain pool in the center of the Zinciriye Madrasa courtyard. In Sufi philosophy, the flow of water symbolizes a person's journey from this life to the afterlife, and this pool is a physical representation of that symbol. The fountain's source symbolizes birth, then flows through stages representing infancy, childhood, and youth. The long water channel symbolizes entering old age, and the final pool represents the arrival of the Day of Judgment.
The area around the fountain and the main hall of the mosque are decorated with classic two-toned brickwork known as ablaq. This brick decoration likely originated in the Syrian region under the Eastern Roman Empire. Muslim craftsmen later used it in early Islamic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Because the Syrian region has plenty of black basalt and white limestone, most local ablaq is black and white. The Mardin region mostly has beige limestone, so the ablaq there is beige and black.
Mardin Castle
You can clearly see the remaining walls of Mardin Castle from the Zinciriye Madrasa. Mardin Castle is thought to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the Babylonian period. The existing structures were built between the 10th-century Hamdanid dynasty (al-Hamdaniyyun) and the Artuqid dynasty from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Hamdanid dynasty was an Arab tribal dynasty from Mesopotamia. Ottoman Sultan Selim III, who reigned from 1789 to 1807, repaired it, but it fell into disrepair by the early 20th century.
Today, a military radar station occupies the site. The city of Mardin has repeatedly asked the military to leave and open it to tourism. In 2015, former Mardin mayor Ahmet Turk helped launch a campaign called 'Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin' to demand the castle be opened to visitors, but it has not succeeded yet.
The Mardin Museum holds a stone carving from 1302, found at the gate of Mardin Castle during the Artuqid period. It records the income of the foundation (waqf) that supported the castle's mosque, making it a very precious document.
Abdullatif Mosque
I caught the Dhuhr prayer (namaz) at Abdullatif Mosque. Abdullatif Mosque, also called Latifiye Mosque, was started in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by the Ottoman governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha.
The mosque's gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371 and is considered the last classic work of the Artuqid dynasty. Below the exquisite stalactite-style vaulted ceiling (muqarnas), the area is decorated with Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy alongside various geometric patterns.
The ablution pool in the outer courtyard of the Abdullatif mosque, the open-air space prepared for dhikr, the fountain pool in the inner courtyard, and the original structural elements on the pulpit (minbar) and the walls of the main prayer hall.
Kasimiye Madrasa
Kasimiye Madrasa, also known as Kasim Pasha Madrasa, sits on a hillside in the western suburbs of the old city of Mardin. Construction began under Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā (reigned 1376–1407), the second-to-last sultan of the Artuqid dynasty, but it was left unfinished due to the invasion of the Timurid Empire. It was finally completed at the end of the 15th century by the Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) sultan Kasim ibn Cihangir (reigned 1487–1507).
Kasimiye Madrasa was the most powerful school in Mardin's history. It taught not only religious studies but also medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. The madrasa stayed open until 1924, when all madrasas in Turkey were closed. Today, it is a famous tourist spot in Mardin. It attracts many visitors and is a beautiful place where many young couples come to take wedding photos.
The madrasa has a rectangular structure with a vaulted dome on each side—one for the mosque and one for the tomb. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by two floors of classrooms. The central fountain pool is the classic Mardin "Fountain of Life," which symbolizes the journey from birth through childhood, youth, and old age, finally reaching the Day of Judgment. The classroom doors are only one meter high. This design forces students to bow respectfully to their teachers as they enter.
Old photos of Kasimiye Madrasa and the view overlooking the Mesopotamian plains from the school.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque
Seyh Cabuk Mosque is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) period and was renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his return journey and was buried here, and the mosque was built because of his tomb.
Sehidiye Mosque
Sehidiye Mosque was ordered to be built in 1214 by the Artuqid sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style, which is very characteristic of that era.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque
While eating barbecue in the evening, I heard the adhan, so the barbecue shop owner and I both stepped out to pray Maghrib at the nearby Dinari Pamuk mosque. It is a small mosque, but it is very crowded because it sits on the main road of the old city.
Dinari Pamuk mosque was reportedly built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church, while the current structure dates back to the Artuqid dynasty in 1332.
Other ancient buildings from the Artuqid dynasty.
There are many more historical sites in the old city of Mardin, but I could not visit them all this time due to limited. Visually, the stone houses made of beige limestone are very different from the red-roofed wooden houses common in the Ottoman old cities of central and western Turkey, making them quite rare in Turkey and offering a unique experience.
Finally, I will share a few Artuqid-era historical sites I passed while walking in the early morning, though it is a pity I arrived too early to go inside.
The first is the Savurkapi bathhouse, built in 1176.
The second is the Hatuniye Madrasa, built between 1176 and 1184, which houses the footprint of the Prophet.
The third is the Savur Kapi Madrasa, built in the 13th to 14th centuries.
The fourth is the Melik Mahmut mosque, built in 1362.
Summary: Mardin stands on a rocky slope above the Mesopotamian plain and is known for stone architecture, old mosques, churches, and layered local history. This travel account focuses on the city historic sites, religious buildings, and street-level observations in the original order.
In the previous article, 'Mardin: A Rocky Mountain City Where Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians Live Together - Food and Lodging,' we visited the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, near the borders of Syria and Iraq, and ate Kurdish and Assyrian food. In this article, I will continue to share the ancient buildings in the old city of Mardin, which is famous for its architecture from the Artuqid dynasty (12th-14th centuries).
The Artuqid dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic tribal dynasty that ruled southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northern Syria from the 12th to the 14th century, named after the Seljuk commander Artuk Beg. Artuk Beg's sons began ruling Mardin in 1101, and for the next 300 years, Mardin served as the capital of the Mardin branch of the Artuqid dynasty. After the 13th century, the Artuqid dynasty became a vassal state of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid Empire, until it was destroyed by the Kara Koyunlu in 1409.
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Great Mosque of Mardin (Mardin Ulu Camii) dates back to the 10th century. It is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region and set the foundation for later Mardin architectural styles. The mosque currently houses 16 stone inscriptions from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Kara Koyunlu, and Ottoman periods, spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mosque once had two minarets, but only the eastern one remains today. The inscription at its base shows it was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid architecture.
The Great Mosque has been renovated many times throughout history. Most of what we see today is from the Ottoman-era renovation in 1889, but it still keeps its early architectural style.
Next to the mihrab in the Great Mosque of Mardin, there is a preserved beard hair of the Prophet (Sakal-i Serifi). It is said to have been cut by the Prophet's favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali, and others.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Zinciriye Madrasa was built in 1385 and is another historic Artuqid-era building in the old city of Mardin. Zinciriye Madrasa is actually a complex (külliye) consisting of a madrasa, a mosque, a tomb, and two courtyards. The mosque and the tomb each have a fluted dome, matching the style of the dome at the Great Mosque of Mardin.
At the southeast corner of the madrasa is a 12-meter-high gate featuring an exquisite stalactite vault (muqarnas), decorated with geometric vine patterns and Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.
There is a fountain pool in the center of the Zinciriye Madrasa courtyard. In Sufi philosophy, the flow of water symbolizes a person's journey from this life to the afterlife, and this pool is a physical representation of that symbol. The fountain's source symbolizes birth, then flows through stages representing infancy, childhood, and youth. The long water channel symbolizes entering old age, and the final pool represents the arrival of the Day of Judgment.
The area around the fountain and the main hall of the mosque are decorated with classic two-toned brickwork known as ablaq. This brick decoration likely originated in the Syrian region under the Eastern Roman Empire. Muslim craftsmen later used it in early Islamic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Because the Syrian region has plenty of black basalt and white limestone, most local ablaq is black and white. The Mardin region mostly has beige limestone, so the ablaq there is beige and black.
Mardin Castle
You can clearly see the remaining walls of Mardin Castle from the Zinciriye Madrasa. Mardin Castle is thought to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the Babylonian period. The existing structures were built between the 10th-century Hamdanid dynasty (al-Hamdaniyyun) and the Artuqid dynasty from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Hamdanid dynasty was an Arab tribal dynasty from Mesopotamia. Ottoman Sultan Selim III, who reigned from 1789 to 1807, repaired it, but it fell into disrepair by the early 20th century.
Today, a military radar station occupies the site. The city of Mardin has repeatedly asked the military to leave and open it to tourism. In 2015, former Mardin mayor Ahmet Turk helped launch a campaign called 'Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin' to demand the castle be opened to visitors, but it has not succeeded yet.
The Mardin Museum holds a stone carving from 1302, found at the gate of Mardin Castle during the Artuqid period. It records the income of the foundation (waqf) that supported the castle's mosque, making it a very precious document.
Abdullatif Mosque
I caught the Dhuhr prayer (namaz) at Abdullatif Mosque. Abdullatif Mosque, also called Latifiye Mosque, was started in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by the Ottoman governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha.
The mosque's gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371 and is considered the last classic work of the Artuqid dynasty. Below the exquisite stalactite-style vaulted ceiling (muqarnas), the area is decorated with Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy alongside various geometric patterns.
The ablution pool in the outer courtyard of the Abdullatif mosque, the open-air space prepared for dhikr, the fountain pool in the inner courtyard, and the original structural elements on the pulpit (minbar) and the walls of the main prayer hall.
Kasimiye Madrasa
Kasimiye Madrasa, also known as Kasim Pasha Madrasa, sits on a hillside in the western suburbs of the old city of Mardin. Construction began under Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā (reigned 1376–1407), the second-to-last sultan of the Artuqid dynasty, but it was left unfinished due to the invasion of the Timurid Empire. It was finally completed at the end of the 15th century by the Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) sultan Kasim ibn Cihangir (reigned 1487–1507).
Kasimiye Madrasa was the most powerful school in Mardin's history. It taught not only religious studies but also medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. The madrasa stayed open until 1924, when all madrasas in Turkey were closed. Today, it is a famous tourist spot in Mardin. It attracts many visitors and is a beautiful place where many young couples come to take wedding photos.
The madrasa has a rectangular structure with a vaulted dome on each side—one for the mosque and one for the tomb. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by two floors of classrooms. The central fountain pool is the classic Mardin "Fountain of Life," which symbolizes the journey from birth through childhood, youth, and old age, finally reaching the Day of Judgment. The classroom doors are only one meter high. This design forces students to bow respectfully to their teachers as they enter.
Old photos of Kasimiye Madrasa and the view overlooking the Mesopotamian plains from the school.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque
Seyh Cabuk Mosque is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) period and was renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his return journey and was buried here, and the mosque was built because of his tomb.
Sehidiye Mosque
Sehidiye Mosque was ordered to be built in 1214 by the Artuqid sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style, which is very characteristic of that era.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque
While eating barbecue in the evening, I heard the adhan, so the barbecue shop owner and I both stepped out to pray Maghrib at the nearby Dinari Pamuk mosque. It is a small mosque, but it is very crowded because it sits on the main road of the old city.
Dinari Pamuk mosque was reportedly built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church, while the current structure dates back to the Artuqid dynasty in 1332.
Other ancient buildings from the Artuqid dynasty.
There are many more historical sites in the old city of Mardin, but I could not visit them all this time due to limited. Visually, the stone houses made of beige limestone are very different from the red-roofed wooden houses common in the Ottoman old cities of central and western Turkey, making them quite rare in Turkey and offering a unique experience.
Finally, I will share a few Artuqid-era historical sites I passed while walking in the early morning, though it is a pity I arrived too early to go inside.
The first is the Savurkapi bathhouse, built in 1176.
The second is the Hatuniye Madrasa, built between 1176 and 1184, which houses the footprint of the Prophet.
The third is the Savur Kapi Madrasa, built in the 13th to 14th centuries.
The fourth is the Melik Mahmut mosque, built in 1362.
Halal Travel Guide: Mardin — Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian Food and Lodging (Part 1)
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 10 views • 16 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This first part covers food, lodging, streets, and everyday travel details while preserving the original facts and photos.
Layover in Istanbul
I flew direct from Beijing to Istanbul on China Southern Airlines and finally arrived at the new Istanbul Airport after a 10-hour flight. This was my first time on such a long direct flight, but the China Southern seats were comfortable enough. I watched two movies, took a nap, and ate two meals, so the time passed without feeling too long. I remember flying from Beijing to Urumqi 10 years ago. Back then, we couldn't use phones and there was no entertainment system. Reading on the plane made me dizzy, and even four hours felt like a very long time.
My last trip to Istanbul was in 2018, when I flew into the old Ataturk Airport. That airport is closed now. I didn't stay at the new airport and transferred directly to a Turkish Airlines flight to Mardin. We took a wrong turn and accidentally went through immigration. We had to go to the departure hall, line up for check-in, go through security, and then enter the domestic departure lounge. Luckily, everything went smoothly without any crowds, and the whole process took less than an hour.
The restaurants in the domestic departure area of the new Istanbul Airport don't have as much variety as the international area, but they are relatively cheaper. I ended up choosing Burger King and got a double beef burger. The burger was huge! I specifically took a photo to compare it with my fist. It feels like there are very few McDonald's or KFCs in Turkey, but there are many Burger Kings on the street, and they are actually quite tasty.
Istanbul Airport also has many branches of the local snack shop Simit Sarayi, where you can grab a Turkish-style cheese sandwich with Turkish black tea.
Historic hotel in Mardin
After a flight of nearly two hours from Istanbul, I arrived in Mardin, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey near the borders of Syria and Iraq. I had already arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up through Agoda, and it took us straight to the hotel in the heart of the old city.
Mardin is located in the Upper Mesopotamia region, upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The entire old city is built on the southern slope of a mountain ridge. At the very top of the cliff sits a thousand-year-old castle, with the terraced stone city built below it. Because of this, you can look out over the Mesopotamian plains from any terrace in the old city, and the view is spectacular.
Our hotel, Maristan Tarihi Konak, is inside a 700-year-old building. It was originally built by Jewish people and is now run by Kurds. Five hundred years ago, many Armenians and Jews lived in the ancient city of Mardin. Today, it is mainly home to Kurds and Arabs, along with a significant number of Assyrian Christians, making the culture very diverse.
The taxi drove into the maze-like alleys of the old city, weaving left and right up very steep slopes, which made us feel quite nervous. The car finally stopped on a slope. Idris, a young Kurdish man from the hotel, greeted us warmly by the roadside. It was a coincidence that my name is also Idris, which is the name of a prophet.
Idris led us further up the stone steps until we finally reached the Maristan Tarihi Konak hotel. I checked online before we left. Most hotels in the old city of Mardin feature stone houses. This one is not on the main road, so it offers better value for money. The reviews also mentioned that the staff are very friendly, and that turned out to be true.
The walls of our stone house are very thick. Even when it is 30 degrees outside in the summer, you do not need air conditioning inside. However, it does not get as much light as a wooden house because the windows are very small. It is very interesting that our door is also very traditional. You have to insert the large key and turn it several times in the opposite direction, which feels very ancient.
We had a very rich breakfast on the hotel terrace. It included four types of cheese, yogurt, two types of olives, honey, fig jam, pomegranate jam, and grape jam. The main staple was not the bread commonly found in Turkey, but Kurdish flatbread (nan).
The manager of Maristan Tarihi Konak is a Kurdish man named Zahit. He took us for a walk through the old city bazaar and pointed out the general direction of various historical sites on the main road, which was very thoughtful. The bazaar in the old city of Mardin is right behind the main road. It is very lively and stays open until 6:30 in the evening. We saw an older man wearing traditional clothing at the bazaar.
The ancient city of Mardin has a very long history. It was called Merida (castle) during the Roman period. It was incorporated into the Arab Empire in 640 and was later ruled in turns by several tribal dynasties of Mesopotamia. After 1085, Mardin was ruled successively by the Seljuk Empire, the Artuqid dynasty, and the Kara Koyunlu dynasty, all established by Oghuz Turkic tribes. It was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Assyrian pastries and salty yogurt drink (ayran).
At the old town bazaar, I ate the Mardin specialty Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) and drank the Kurdish version of salty yogurt drink (Doogh).
The Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) is said to have a 2,000-year history. It is made with 32 different spices and comes in flavors like date and almond. It is a signature food for Assyrian engagement ceremonies. Assyrians have lived on the Mesopotamian plains for 4,000 years. They built a massive Assyrian Empire before 2000 BC, which helped spread Assyrian culture widely. As an important settlement for Assyrians, many of the local delicacies in Mardin were invented by them. Although Assyrians are Christians, they live alongside Kurds and Arabs, so their snacks are safe for Muslims to eat.
Unlike the Turkish version of yogurt drink (ayran) which only uses salt, water, and yogurt, Kurds add dill, mint, and seeds from the Kurdish pistachio tree (Pistacia kurdica) to their (Doogh). Kurds also make a drink called (Ava Mast) by mixing water into milk and adding these same seasonings.
Purple basil sherbet
In another alley, we drank a Turkish summer specialty, purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet). It is made with purple basil, lemon salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a classic drink for Kurds to break their fast during Ramadan. The man selling the sherbet was very friendly. He used Google Translate to chat with us and pointed out the routes to various historical sites. We felt very grateful (alhamdulillah).
Copperware shop
There are many copperware shops in Mardin where you can buy handmade dried fruit plates and coffee pots. It is also popular here to craft the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Friends (dosti) in West Asia and North Africa use the right hand of Fatima as an amulet, believing it protects people from the evil eye and other dangers. The palm-shaped amulet dates back to ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It was later adopted by Sephardic Jews and then entered the traditions of Arabs and Berbers, becoming widely spread throughout the Middle East.
Street view of Mardin old town.
Mardin Museum of Life
We visited the Mardin Living Museum (Mardin Yaşayan Müze), which displays various traditional Mardin handicrafts. In the first room, an Assyrian man showed us silver filigree work and made beautiful earrings for us on the spot using silver wire.
In the second room, an Arab man was busy hammering out various copper items.
In the third room, a Kurdish woman sang traditional Kurdish folk songs for us and played the Kurdish frame drum (Daf). The Daf drum has a very long history. It appeared in Assyrian reliefs over 3,000 years ago and was an important instrument in Zoroastrian rituals. The museum's Daf drum features the Zoroastrian symbol, the Faravahar. As an Iranian-speaking group, Zoroastrianism once had a profound influence on Kurdish culture.
I read in reviews that the museum sometimes has Kurdish dance performances, but unfortunately, we missed them when we visited.
Pistachio dessert
In the old city of Mardin, we ate at a century-old Turkish dessert shop called HELVACI ALİ, which opened in 1900. They started opening branches across Turkey and former Ottoman countries in 2018, and now they have 200 locations.
We had the pistachio-flavored sesame fudge (Halva) served with Maraş goat milk ice cream (Maraş Dondurması). This ice cream contains mastic resin and a type of orchid flour called salep.
We also tried a fruit jam flavor that was delicious, containing several fruits like cherries, figs, and oranges.
The founder of HELVACI ALİ was Idris Efendi. He moved from Kosovo to Turkey in 1892 and opened his shop in 1900 to sell Middle Eastern sesame fudge (Halva) and a fermented grain drink (Boza). The business has now been in the family for four generations. Idris's son, Ali, started making Halva with his father after finishing elementary school. Because of his superb skills, people called him Helvaci, which is where the shop's name comes from.
Mardin grilled meat platter
For lunch, we went to the most popular restaurant in the old city of Mardin, Tarihi Sultan Sofrası. They specialize in the Mardin grilled meat platter (Mardin tabağı), which almost every table orders. The platter includes six types of food:
First is Mardin kebab (Mardin Kebabı), made by mixing minced meat with onions, chili peppers, black pepper, and salt before skewering it.
Stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması) is a rotisserie dish that is part of Ottoman cuisine, and it is especially famous in Mardin and Diyarbakır. When eating stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması), you must pair it with the local specialty pilaf, which is made with onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices.
Fried meatball (İçli Köfte) is a fried meatball that originated from the Levantine kibbeh. The shell is made from crushed bulgur wheat, flour, eggs, pepper, and spices, while the filling consists of minced meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Unlike the spindle-shaped kibbeh found in the Levant, the ones we ate in Mardin were shaped like meat patties.
Vegetable casserole (Güveç) is a clay pot dish containing stewed potatoes, eggplants, green peppers, and other vegetables.
Sembusek, also called Mardin pizza, is a thin meat pie that looks a bit like a sealed Turkish flatbread (Lahmacun). The minced meat filling includes onions, green peppers, parsley, black pepper, and various spices.
Lamb flatbread (Etli ekmek) is a lamb-filled pastry. It is made by mixing lamb mince with dried red chili and spices, kneading it into dough, and baking it in an oven. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looking a bit like a cracker.
Besides this, whenever you order meat here, they always serve a plate of vegetables and a plate of onions. The vegetable plate includes cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon makes it very refreshing. In Turkey, you can basically avoid the situation of only eating meat and no vegetables while traveling, which I think is great.
Finally, I have to praise the owner for being very welcoming! In the evening, after the sunset prayer (maghrib), I ran into the owner on the street again. He greeted me first, and I felt very grateful (shukr).
Local coffee and desserts
In the afternoon, I had coffee and dessert at a cozy cafe in Mardin, which had a very local feel. Local Mardin coffee is richer than standard Turkish coffee. It contains orchid root powder (salep) and carob powder (carob), and the local Kurds and Assyrians both enjoy drinking it this way. Tabbaka is a yellow rice pudding invented by the Assyrians. Harire is a brown pudding made from local Mazruna grapes, and we finished with a purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet).
Kurdish flatbread shop
At a Kurdish flatbread shop on the streets of Mardin, the bread is handmade with patterns pressed in by fingers. This flatbread goes well with grilled meat and stews, and restaurants serve it with almost any dish you order.
Traditional Kurdish dance
On the streets of Mardin in the evening, the passionate Kurdish people seem ready to dance at any time. A young man played traditional Kurdish music on a tanbur, and passersby spontaneously gathered to perform the traditional Kurdish dance, Helperkê.
Helperkê is a classic form of traditional Kurdish group dance where everyone holds hands to form an open circle and moves in a ring to the music. Both men and women can join this dance, and everyone can add their own spontaneous movements, reflecting the Kurdish spirit of unity and freedom.
A young Kurdish man sings folk songs while playing the tanbur.
Mardin barbecue
We had a traditional barbecue for dinner at a shop that has been open for 101 years, since 1922. Turkey has not gone through the social changes we saw in the 1950s and 1980s, so it feels common to see old shops that have been passed down through generations for decades or even a century.
Minced meat is charcoal-grilled with green peppers and served with thin flatbread, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, much like Zibo barbecue where you wrap the meat in the bread. The main difference from our barbecue is that we grill chunks of meat and add seasoning while cooking, while they mix the seasoning into the meat paste beforehand and add nothing while grilling.
Kurdish traditional clothing
I took a walk in the old city of Mardin in the evening and bought a traditional Kurdish mesh headscarf (pushi) and baggy trousers (shalwar) at a local Kurdish clothing shop.
Shalwar are traditional baggy trousers introduced to the Middle East from Persia during the Ottoman period, and the word literally means "trousers" in Persian. These trousers are very loose and held at the waist with an elastic band, and they are especially popular in the farming and herding regions of southeastern Anatolia.
The pushi headscarf is called a keffiyeh in Arabic and is common throughout the Middle East as a way to protect against sunburn and sand in arid regions. However, the styles and ways of wearing these headscarves vary across the Middle East. For example, people on the Arabian Peninsula usually wear a black headband (agal) over a plain white headscarf, while Palestinians use a fishnet-patterned headscarf as a symbol of their national identity. Kurdish headscarves, like those of the neighboring Arabs and Yazidis, generally have a black-and-white or red-and-white mesh pattern, and they are worn by rolling up one side to keep them in place. Today, young Kurds in Mardin mostly use the pushi as a scarf.
Assyrian snack shop
In the evening, I ate fried chickpea balls (falafel) and chickpea dip (hummus) at an Assyrian snack shop, served with tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage. The shop is very popular, and the food was truly delicious.
I chatted with the owner and asked if he was Kurdish or Arab, and he told me he was a Syriac. I initially thought he meant he had moved from Syria, but after looking it up, I learned that Syriacs refers to Syrian Christians, which includes all denominations that use Classical Syriac for their rituals. The Church of the East (Jingjiao), which was popular in China during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, was one of these branches. Therefore, the term Syriac today refers to a group that includes several peoples, such as modern Arameans, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
Street view
The old town of Mardin has many shops selling prayer beads (tasbih), and they come in a wide variety of materials. view all
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This first part covers food, lodging, streets, and everyday travel details while preserving the original facts and photos.
Layover in Istanbul
I flew direct from Beijing to Istanbul on China Southern Airlines and finally arrived at the new Istanbul Airport after a 10-hour flight. This was my first time on such a long direct flight, but the China Southern seats were comfortable enough. I watched two movies, took a nap, and ate two meals, so the time passed without feeling too long. I remember flying from Beijing to Urumqi 10 years ago. Back then, we couldn't use phones and there was no entertainment system. Reading on the plane made me dizzy, and even four hours felt like a very long time.
My last trip to Istanbul was in 2018, when I flew into the old Ataturk Airport. That airport is closed now. I didn't stay at the new airport and transferred directly to a Turkish Airlines flight to Mardin. We took a wrong turn and accidentally went through immigration. We had to go to the departure hall, line up for check-in, go through security, and then enter the domestic departure lounge. Luckily, everything went smoothly without any crowds, and the whole process took less than an hour.
The restaurants in the domestic departure area of the new Istanbul Airport don't have as much variety as the international area, but they are relatively cheaper. I ended up choosing Burger King and got a double beef burger. The burger was huge! I specifically took a photo to compare it with my fist. It feels like there are very few McDonald's or KFCs in Turkey, but there are many Burger Kings on the street, and they are actually quite tasty.
Istanbul Airport also has many branches of the local snack shop Simit Sarayi, where you can grab a Turkish-style cheese sandwich with Turkish black tea.
Historic hotel in Mardin
After a flight of nearly two hours from Istanbul, I arrived in Mardin, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey near the borders of Syria and Iraq. I had already arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up through Agoda, and it took us straight to the hotel in the heart of the old city.
Mardin is located in the Upper Mesopotamia region, upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The entire old city is built on the southern slope of a mountain ridge. At the very top of the cliff sits a thousand-year-old castle, with the terraced stone city built below it. Because of this, you can look out over the Mesopotamian plains from any terrace in the old city, and the view is spectacular.
Our hotel, Maristan Tarihi Konak, is inside a 700-year-old building. It was originally built by Jewish people and is now run by Kurds. Five hundred years ago, many Armenians and Jews lived in the ancient city of Mardin. Today, it is mainly home to Kurds and Arabs, along with a significant number of Assyrian Christians, making the culture very diverse.
The taxi drove into the maze-like alleys of the old city, weaving left and right up very steep slopes, which made us feel quite nervous. The car finally stopped on a slope. Idris, a young Kurdish man from the hotel, greeted us warmly by the roadside. It was a coincidence that my name is also Idris, which is the name of a prophet.
Idris led us further up the stone steps until we finally reached the Maristan Tarihi Konak hotel. I checked online before we left. Most hotels in the old city of Mardin feature stone houses. This one is not on the main road, so it offers better value for money. The reviews also mentioned that the staff are very friendly, and that turned out to be true.
The walls of our stone house are very thick. Even when it is 30 degrees outside in the summer, you do not need air conditioning inside. However, it does not get as much light as a wooden house because the windows are very small. It is very interesting that our door is also very traditional. You have to insert the large key and turn it several times in the opposite direction, which feels very ancient.
We had a very rich breakfast on the hotel terrace. It included four types of cheese, yogurt, two types of olives, honey, fig jam, pomegranate jam, and grape jam. The main staple was not the bread commonly found in Turkey, but Kurdish flatbread (nan).
The manager of Maristan Tarihi Konak is a Kurdish man named Zahit. He took us for a walk through the old city bazaar and pointed out the general direction of various historical sites on the main road, which was very thoughtful. The bazaar in the old city of Mardin is right behind the main road. It is very lively and stays open until 6:30 in the evening. We saw an older man wearing traditional clothing at the bazaar.
The ancient city of Mardin has a very long history. It was called Merida (castle) during the Roman period. It was incorporated into the Arab Empire in 640 and was later ruled in turns by several tribal dynasties of Mesopotamia. After 1085, Mardin was ruled successively by the Seljuk Empire, the Artuqid dynasty, and the Kara Koyunlu dynasty, all established by Oghuz Turkic tribes. It was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Assyrian pastries and salty yogurt drink (ayran).
At the old town bazaar, I ate the Mardin specialty Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) and drank the Kurdish version of salty yogurt drink (Doogh).
The Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) is said to have a 2,000-year history. It is made with 32 different spices and comes in flavors like date and almond. It is a signature food for Assyrian engagement ceremonies. Assyrians have lived on the Mesopotamian plains for 4,000 years. They built a massive Assyrian Empire before 2000 BC, which helped spread Assyrian culture widely. As an important settlement for Assyrians, many of the local delicacies in Mardin were invented by them. Although Assyrians are Christians, they live alongside Kurds and Arabs, so their snacks are safe for Muslims to eat.
Unlike the Turkish version of yogurt drink (ayran) which only uses salt, water, and yogurt, Kurds add dill, mint, and seeds from the Kurdish pistachio tree (Pistacia kurdica) to their (Doogh). Kurds also make a drink called (Ava Mast) by mixing water into milk and adding these same seasonings.
Purple basil sherbet
In another alley, we drank a Turkish summer specialty, purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet). It is made with purple basil, lemon salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a classic drink for Kurds to break their fast during Ramadan. The man selling the sherbet was very friendly. He used Google Translate to chat with us and pointed out the routes to various historical sites. We felt very grateful (alhamdulillah).
Copperware shop
There are many copperware shops in Mardin where you can buy handmade dried fruit plates and coffee pots. It is also popular here to craft the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Friends (dosti) in West Asia and North Africa use the right hand of Fatima as an amulet, believing it protects people from the evil eye and other dangers. The palm-shaped amulet dates back to ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It was later adopted by Sephardic Jews and then entered the traditions of Arabs and Berbers, becoming widely spread throughout the Middle East.
Street view of Mardin old town.
Mardin Museum of Life
We visited the Mardin Living Museum (Mardin Yaşayan Müze), which displays various traditional Mardin handicrafts. In the first room, an Assyrian man showed us silver filigree work and made beautiful earrings for us on the spot using silver wire.
In the second room, an Arab man was busy hammering out various copper items.
In the third room, a Kurdish woman sang traditional Kurdish folk songs for us and played the Kurdish frame drum (Daf). The Daf drum has a very long history. It appeared in Assyrian reliefs over 3,000 years ago and was an important instrument in Zoroastrian rituals. The museum's Daf drum features the Zoroastrian symbol, the Faravahar. As an Iranian-speaking group, Zoroastrianism once had a profound influence on Kurdish culture.
I read in reviews that the museum sometimes has Kurdish dance performances, but unfortunately, we missed them when we visited.
Pistachio dessert
In the old city of Mardin, we ate at a century-old Turkish dessert shop called HELVACI ALİ, which opened in 1900. They started opening branches across Turkey and former Ottoman countries in 2018, and now they have 200 locations.
We had the pistachio-flavored sesame fudge (Halva) served with Maraş goat milk ice cream (Maraş Dondurması). This ice cream contains mastic resin and a type of orchid flour called salep.
We also tried a fruit jam flavor that was delicious, containing several fruits like cherries, figs, and oranges.
The founder of HELVACI ALİ was Idris Efendi. He moved from Kosovo to Turkey in 1892 and opened his shop in 1900 to sell Middle Eastern sesame fudge (Halva) and a fermented grain drink (Boza). The business has now been in the family for four generations. Idris's son, Ali, started making Halva with his father after finishing elementary school. Because of his superb skills, people called him Helvaci, which is where the shop's name comes from.
Mardin grilled meat platter
For lunch, we went to the most popular restaurant in the old city of Mardin, Tarihi Sultan Sofrası. They specialize in the Mardin grilled meat platter (Mardin tabağı), which almost every table orders. The platter includes six types of food:
First is Mardin kebab (Mardin Kebabı), made by mixing minced meat with onions, chili peppers, black pepper, and salt before skewering it.
Stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması) is a rotisserie dish that is part of Ottoman cuisine, and it is especially famous in Mardin and Diyarbakır. When eating stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması), you must pair it with the local specialty pilaf, which is made with onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices.
Fried meatball (İçli Köfte) is a fried meatball that originated from the Levantine kibbeh. The shell is made from crushed bulgur wheat, flour, eggs, pepper, and spices, while the filling consists of minced meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Unlike the spindle-shaped kibbeh found in the Levant, the ones we ate in Mardin were shaped like meat patties.
Vegetable casserole (Güveç) is a clay pot dish containing stewed potatoes, eggplants, green peppers, and other vegetables.
Sembusek, also called Mardin pizza, is a thin meat pie that looks a bit like a sealed Turkish flatbread (Lahmacun). The minced meat filling includes onions, green peppers, parsley, black pepper, and various spices.
Lamb flatbread (Etli ekmek) is a lamb-filled pastry. It is made by mixing lamb mince with dried red chili and spices, kneading it into dough, and baking it in an oven. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looking a bit like a cracker.
Besides this, whenever you order meat here, they always serve a plate of vegetables and a plate of onions. The vegetable plate includes cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon makes it very refreshing. In Turkey, you can basically avoid the situation of only eating meat and no vegetables while traveling, which I think is great.
Finally, I have to praise the owner for being very welcoming! In the evening, after the sunset prayer (maghrib), I ran into the owner on the street again. He greeted me first, and I felt very grateful (shukr).
Local coffee and desserts
In the afternoon, I had coffee and dessert at a cozy cafe in Mardin, which had a very local feel. Local Mardin coffee is richer than standard Turkish coffee. It contains orchid root powder (salep) and carob powder (carob), and the local Kurds and Assyrians both enjoy drinking it this way. Tabbaka is a yellow rice pudding invented by the Assyrians. Harire is a brown pudding made from local Mazruna grapes, and we finished with a purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet).
Kurdish flatbread shop
At a Kurdish flatbread shop on the streets of Mardin, the bread is handmade with patterns pressed in by fingers. This flatbread goes well with grilled meat and stews, and restaurants serve it with almost any dish you order.
Traditional Kurdish dance
On the streets of Mardin in the evening, the passionate Kurdish people seem ready to dance at any time. A young man played traditional Kurdish music on a tanbur, and passersby spontaneously gathered to perform the traditional Kurdish dance, Helperkê.
Helperkê is a classic form of traditional Kurdish group dance where everyone holds hands to form an open circle and moves in a ring to the music. Both men and women can join this dance, and everyone can add their own spontaneous movements, reflecting the Kurdish spirit of unity and freedom.
A young Kurdish man sings folk songs while playing the tanbur.
Mardin barbecue
We had a traditional barbecue for dinner at a shop that has been open for 101 years, since 1922. Turkey has not gone through the social changes we saw in the 1950s and 1980s, so it feels common to see old shops that have been passed down through generations for decades or even a century.
Minced meat is charcoal-grilled with green peppers and served with thin flatbread, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, much like Zibo barbecue where you wrap the meat in the bread. The main difference from our barbecue is that we grill chunks of meat and add seasoning while cooking, while they mix the seasoning into the meat paste beforehand and add nothing while grilling.
Kurdish traditional clothing
I took a walk in the old city of Mardin in the evening and bought a traditional Kurdish mesh headscarf (pushi) and baggy trousers (shalwar) at a local Kurdish clothing shop.
Shalwar are traditional baggy trousers introduced to the Middle East from Persia during the Ottoman period, and the word literally means "trousers" in Persian. These trousers are very loose and held at the waist with an elastic band, and they are especially popular in the farming and herding regions of southeastern Anatolia.
The pushi headscarf is called a keffiyeh in Arabic and is common throughout the Middle East as a way to protect against sunburn and sand in arid regions. However, the styles and ways of wearing these headscarves vary across the Middle East. For example, people on the Arabian Peninsula usually wear a black headband (agal) over a plain white headscarf, while Palestinians use a fishnet-patterned headscarf as a symbol of their national identity. Kurdish headscarves, like those of the neighboring Arabs and Yazidis, generally have a black-and-white or red-and-white mesh pattern, and they are worn by rolling up one side to keep them in place. Today, young Kurds in Mardin mostly use the pushi as a scarf.
Assyrian snack shop
In the evening, I ate fried chickpea balls (falafel) and chickpea dip (hummus) at an Assyrian snack shop, served with tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage. The shop is very popular, and the food was truly delicious.
I chatted with the owner and asked if he was Kurdish or Arab, and he told me he was a Syriac. I initially thought he meant he had moved from Syria, but after looking it up, I learned that Syriacs refers to Syrian Christians, which includes all denominations that use Classical Syriac for their rituals. The Church of the East (Jingjiao), which was popular in China during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, was one of these branches. Therefore, the term Syriac today refers to a group that includes several peoples, such as modern Arameans, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
Street view
The old town of Mardin has many shops selling prayer beads (tasbih), and they come in a wide variety of materials. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This first part covers food, lodging, streets, and everyday travel details while preserving the original facts and photos.
Layover in Istanbul
I flew direct from Beijing to Istanbul on China Southern Airlines and finally arrived at the new Istanbul Airport after a 10-hour flight. This was my first time on such a long direct flight, but the China Southern seats were comfortable enough. I watched two movies, took a nap, and ate two meals, so the time passed without feeling too long. I remember flying from Beijing to Urumqi 10 years ago. Back then, we couldn't use phones and there was no entertainment system. Reading on the plane made me dizzy, and even four hours felt like a very long time.
My last trip to Istanbul was in 2018, when I flew into the old Ataturk Airport. That airport is closed now. I didn't stay at the new airport and transferred directly to a Turkish Airlines flight to Mardin. We took a wrong turn and accidentally went through immigration. We had to go to the departure hall, line up for check-in, go through security, and then enter the domestic departure lounge. Luckily, everything went smoothly without any crowds, and the whole process took less than an hour.
The restaurants in the domestic departure area of the new Istanbul Airport don't have as much variety as the international area, but they are relatively cheaper. I ended up choosing Burger King and got a double beef burger. The burger was huge! I specifically took a photo to compare it with my fist. It feels like there are very few McDonald's or KFCs in Turkey, but there are many Burger Kings on the street, and they are actually quite tasty.
Istanbul Airport also has many branches of the local snack shop Simit Sarayi, where you can grab a Turkish-style cheese sandwich with Turkish black tea.
Historic hotel in Mardin
After a flight of nearly two hours from Istanbul, I arrived in Mardin, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey near the borders of Syria and Iraq. I had already arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up through Agoda, and it took us straight to the hotel in the heart of the old city.
Mardin is located in the Upper Mesopotamia region, upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The entire old city is built on the southern slope of a mountain ridge. At the very top of the cliff sits a thousand-year-old castle, with the terraced stone city built below it. Because of this, you can look out over the Mesopotamian plains from any terrace in the old city, and the view is spectacular.
Our hotel, Maristan Tarihi Konak, is inside a 700-year-old building. It was originally built by Jewish people and is now run by Kurds. Five hundred years ago, many Armenians and Jews lived in the ancient city of Mardin. Today, it is mainly home to Kurds and Arabs, along with a significant number of Assyrian Christians, making the culture very diverse.
The taxi drove into the maze-like alleys of the old city, weaving left and right up very steep slopes, which made us feel quite nervous. The car finally stopped on a slope. Idris, a young Kurdish man from the hotel, greeted us warmly by the roadside. It was a coincidence that my name is also Idris, which is the name of a prophet.
Idris led us further up the stone steps until we finally reached the Maristan Tarihi Konak hotel. I checked online before we left. Most hotels in the old city of Mardin feature stone houses. This one is not on the main road, so it offers better value for money. The reviews also mentioned that the staff are very friendly, and that turned out to be true.
The walls of our stone house are very thick. Even when it is 30 degrees outside in the summer, you do not need air conditioning inside. However, it does not get as much light as a wooden house because the windows are very small. It is very interesting that our door is also very traditional. You have to insert the large key and turn it several times in the opposite direction, which feels very ancient.
We had a very rich breakfast on the hotel terrace. It included four types of cheese, yogurt, two types of olives, honey, fig jam, pomegranate jam, and grape jam. The main staple was not the bread commonly found in Turkey, but Kurdish flatbread (nan).
The manager of Maristan Tarihi Konak is a Kurdish man named Zahit. He took us for a walk through the old city bazaar and pointed out the general direction of various historical sites on the main road, which was very thoughtful. The bazaar in the old city of Mardin is right behind the main road. It is very lively and stays open until 6:30 in the evening. We saw an older man wearing traditional clothing at the bazaar.
The ancient city of Mardin has a very long history. It was called Merida (castle) during the Roman period. It was incorporated into the Arab Empire in 640 and was later ruled in turns by several tribal dynasties of Mesopotamia. After 1085, Mardin was ruled successively by the Seljuk Empire, the Artuqid dynasty, and the Kara Koyunlu dynasty, all established by Oghuz Turkic tribes. It was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Assyrian pastries and salty yogurt drink (ayran).
At the old town bazaar, I ate the Mardin specialty Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) and drank the Kurdish version of salty yogurt drink (Doogh).
The Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) is said to have a 2,000-year history. It is made with 32 different spices and comes in flavors like date and almond. It is a signature food for Assyrian engagement ceremonies. Assyrians have lived on the Mesopotamian plains for 4,000 years. They built a massive Assyrian Empire before 2000 BC, which helped spread Assyrian culture widely. As an important settlement for Assyrians, many of the local delicacies in Mardin were invented by them. Although Assyrians are Christians, they live alongside Kurds and Arabs, so their snacks are safe for Muslims to eat.
Unlike the Turkish version of yogurt drink (ayran) which only uses salt, water, and yogurt, Kurds add dill, mint, and seeds from the Kurdish pistachio tree (Pistacia kurdica) to their (Doogh). Kurds also make a drink called (Ava Mast) by mixing water into milk and adding these same seasonings.
Purple basil sherbet
In another alley, we drank a Turkish summer specialty, purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet). It is made with purple basil, lemon salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a classic drink for Kurds to break their fast during Ramadan. The man selling the sherbet was very friendly. He used Google Translate to chat with us and pointed out the routes to various historical sites. We felt very grateful (alhamdulillah).
Copperware shop
There are many copperware shops in Mardin where you can buy handmade dried fruit plates and coffee pots. It is also popular here to craft the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Friends (dosti) in West Asia and North Africa use the right hand of Fatima as an amulet, believing it protects people from the evil eye and other dangers. The palm-shaped amulet dates back to ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It was later adopted by Sephardic Jews and then entered the traditions of Arabs and Berbers, becoming widely spread throughout the Middle East.
Street view of Mardin old town.
Mardin Museum of Life
We visited the Mardin Living Museum (Mardin Yaşayan Müze), which displays various traditional Mardin handicrafts. In the first room, an Assyrian man showed us silver filigree work and made beautiful earrings for us on the spot using silver wire.
In the second room, an Arab man was busy hammering out various copper items.
In the third room, a Kurdish woman sang traditional Kurdish folk songs for us and played the Kurdish frame drum (Daf). The Daf drum has a very long history. It appeared in Assyrian reliefs over 3,000 years ago and was an important instrument in Zoroastrian rituals. The museum's Daf drum features the Zoroastrian symbol, the Faravahar. As an Iranian-speaking group, Zoroastrianism once had a profound influence on Kurdish culture.
I read in reviews that the museum sometimes has Kurdish dance performances, but unfortunately, we missed them when we visited.
Pistachio dessert
In the old city of Mardin, we ate at a century-old Turkish dessert shop called HELVACI ALİ, which opened in 1900. They started opening branches across Turkey and former Ottoman countries in 2018, and now they have 200 locations.
We had the pistachio-flavored sesame fudge (Halva) served with Maraş goat milk ice cream (Maraş Dondurması). This ice cream contains mastic resin and a type of orchid flour called salep.
We also tried a fruit jam flavor that was delicious, containing several fruits like cherries, figs, and oranges.
The founder of HELVACI ALİ was Idris Efendi. He moved from Kosovo to Turkey in 1892 and opened his shop in 1900 to sell Middle Eastern sesame fudge (Halva) and a fermented grain drink (Boza). The business has now been in the family for four generations. Idris's son, Ali, started making Halva with his father after finishing elementary school. Because of his superb skills, people called him Helvaci, which is where the shop's name comes from.
Mardin grilled meat platter
For lunch, we went to the most popular restaurant in the old city of Mardin, Tarihi Sultan Sofrası. They specialize in the Mardin grilled meat platter (Mardin tabağı), which almost every table orders. The platter includes six types of food:
First is Mardin kebab (Mardin Kebabı), made by mixing minced meat with onions, chili peppers, black pepper, and salt before skewering it.
Stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması) is a rotisserie dish that is part of Ottoman cuisine, and it is especially famous in Mardin and Diyarbakır. When eating stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması), you must pair it with the local specialty pilaf, which is made with onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices.
Fried meatball (İçli Köfte) is a fried meatball that originated from the Levantine kibbeh. The shell is made from crushed bulgur wheat, flour, eggs, pepper, and spices, while the filling consists of minced meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Unlike the spindle-shaped kibbeh found in the Levant, the ones we ate in Mardin were shaped like meat patties.
Vegetable casserole (Güveç) is a clay pot dish containing stewed potatoes, eggplants, green peppers, and other vegetables.
Sembusek, also called Mardin pizza, is a thin meat pie that looks a bit like a sealed Turkish flatbread (Lahmacun). The minced meat filling includes onions, green peppers, parsley, black pepper, and various spices.
Lamb flatbread (Etli ekmek) is a lamb-filled pastry. It is made by mixing lamb mince with dried red chili and spices, kneading it into dough, and baking it in an oven. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looking a bit like a cracker.
Besides this, whenever you order meat here, they always serve a plate of vegetables and a plate of onions. The vegetable plate includes cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon makes it very refreshing. In Turkey, you can basically avoid the situation of only eating meat and no vegetables while traveling, which I think is great.
Finally, I have to praise the owner for being very welcoming! In the evening, after the sunset prayer (maghrib), I ran into the owner on the street again. He greeted me first, and I felt very grateful (shukr).
Local coffee and desserts
In the afternoon, I had coffee and dessert at a cozy cafe in Mardin, which had a very local feel. Local Mardin coffee is richer than standard Turkish coffee. It contains orchid root powder (salep) and carob powder (carob), and the local Kurds and Assyrians both enjoy drinking it this way. Tabbaka is a yellow rice pudding invented by the Assyrians. Harire is a brown pudding made from local Mazruna grapes, and we finished with a purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet).
Kurdish flatbread shop
At a Kurdish flatbread shop on the streets of Mardin, the bread is handmade with patterns pressed in by fingers. This flatbread goes well with grilled meat and stews, and restaurants serve it with almost any dish you order.
Traditional Kurdish dance
On the streets of Mardin in the evening, the passionate Kurdish people seem ready to dance at any time. A young man played traditional Kurdish music on a tanbur, and passersby spontaneously gathered to perform the traditional Kurdish dance, Helperkê.
Helperkê is a classic form of traditional Kurdish group dance where everyone holds hands to form an open circle and moves in a ring to the music. Both men and women can join this dance, and everyone can add their own spontaneous movements, reflecting the Kurdish spirit of unity and freedom.
A young Kurdish man sings folk songs while playing the tanbur.
Mardin barbecue
We had a traditional barbecue for dinner at a shop that has been open for 101 years, since 1922. Turkey has not gone through the social changes we saw in the 1950s and 1980s, so it feels common to see old shops that have been passed down through generations for decades or even a century.
Minced meat is charcoal-grilled with green peppers and served with thin flatbread, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, much like Zibo barbecue where you wrap the meat in the bread. The main difference from our barbecue is that we grill chunks of meat and add seasoning while cooking, while they mix the seasoning into the meat paste beforehand and add nothing while grilling.
Kurdish traditional clothing
I took a walk in the old city of Mardin in the evening and bought a traditional Kurdish mesh headscarf (pushi) and baggy trousers (shalwar) at a local Kurdish clothing shop.
Shalwar are traditional baggy trousers introduced to the Middle East from Persia during the Ottoman period, and the word literally means "trousers" in Persian. These trousers are very loose and held at the waist with an elastic band, and they are especially popular in the farming and herding regions of southeastern Anatolia.
The pushi headscarf is called a keffiyeh in Arabic and is common throughout the Middle East as a way to protect against sunburn and sand in arid regions. However, the styles and ways of wearing these headscarves vary across the Middle East. For example, people on the Arabian Peninsula usually wear a black headband (agal) over a plain white headscarf, while Palestinians use a fishnet-patterned headscarf as a symbol of their national identity. Kurdish headscarves, like those of the neighboring Arabs and Yazidis, generally have a black-and-white or red-and-white mesh pattern, and they are worn by rolling up one side to keep them in place. Today, young Kurds in Mardin mostly use the pushi as a scarf.
Assyrian snack shop
In the evening, I ate fried chickpea balls (falafel) and chickpea dip (hummus) at an Assyrian snack shop, served with tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage. The shop is very popular, and the food was truly delicious.
I chatted with the owner and asked if he was Kurdish or Arab, and he told me he was a Syriac. I initially thought he meant he had moved from Syria, but after looking it up, I learned that Syriacs refers to Syrian Christians, which includes all denominations that use Classical Syriac for their rituals. The Church of the East (Jingjiao), which was popular in China during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, was one of these branches. Therefore, the term Syriac today refers to a group that includes several peoples, such as modern Arameans, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
Street view
The old town of Mardin has many shops selling prayer beads (tasbih), and they come in a wide variety of materials.
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This first part covers food, lodging, streets, and everyday travel details while preserving the original facts and photos.
Layover in Istanbul
I flew direct from Beijing to Istanbul on China Southern Airlines and finally arrived at the new Istanbul Airport after a 10-hour flight. This was my first time on such a long direct flight, but the China Southern seats were comfortable enough. I watched two movies, took a nap, and ate two meals, so the time passed without feeling too long. I remember flying from Beijing to Urumqi 10 years ago. Back then, we couldn't use phones and there was no entertainment system. Reading on the plane made me dizzy, and even four hours felt like a very long time.
My last trip to Istanbul was in 2018, when I flew into the old Ataturk Airport. That airport is closed now. I didn't stay at the new airport and transferred directly to a Turkish Airlines flight to Mardin. We took a wrong turn and accidentally went through immigration. We had to go to the departure hall, line up for check-in, go through security, and then enter the domestic departure lounge. Luckily, everything went smoothly without any crowds, and the whole process took less than an hour.
The restaurants in the domestic departure area of the new Istanbul Airport don't have as much variety as the international area, but they are relatively cheaper. I ended up choosing Burger King and got a double beef burger. The burger was huge! I specifically took a photo to compare it with my fist. It feels like there are very few McDonald's or KFCs in Turkey, but there are many Burger Kings on the street, and they are actually quite tasty.
Istanbul Airport also has many branches of the local snack shop Simit Sarayi, where you can grab a Turkish-style cheese sandwich with Turkish black tea.
Historic hotel in Mardin
After a flight of nearly two hours from Istanbul, I arrived in Mardin, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey near the borders of Syria and Iraq. I had already arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up through Agoda, and it took us straight to the hotel in the heart of the old city.
Mardin is located in the Upper Mesopotamia region, upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The entire old city is built on the southern slope of a mountain ridge. At the very top of the cliff sits a thousand-year-old castle, with the terraced stone city built below it. Because of this, you can look out over the Mesopotamian plains from any terrace in the old city, and the view is spectacular.
Our hotel, Maristan Tarihi Konak, is inside a 700-year-old building. It was originally built by Jewish people and is now run by Kurds. Five hundred years ago, many Armenians and Jews lived in the ancient city of Mardin. Today, it is mainly home to Kurds and Arabs, along with a significant number of Assyrian Christians, making the culture very diverse.
The taxi drove into the maze-like alleys of the old city, weaving left and right up very steep slopes, which made us feel quite nervous. The car finally stopped on a slope. Idris, a young Kurdish man from the hotel, greeted us warmly by the roadside. It was a coincidence that my name is also Idris, which is the name of a prophet.
Idris led us further up the stone steps until we finally reached the Maristan Tarihi Konak hotel. I checked online before we left. Most hotels in the old city of Mardin feature stone houses. This one is not on the main road, so it offers better value for money. The reviews also mentioned that the staff are very friendly, and that turned out to be true.
The walls of our stone house are very thick. Even when it is 30 degrees outside in the summer, you do not need air conditioning inside. However, it does not get as much light as a wooden house because the windows are very small. It is very interesting that our door is also very traditional. You have to insert the large key and turn it several times in the opposite direction, which feels very ancient.
We had a very rich breakfast on the hotel terrace. It included four types of cheese, yogurt, two types of olives, honey, fig jam, pomegranate jam, and grape jam. The main staple was not the bread commonly found in Turkey, but Kurdish flatbread (nan).
The manager of Maristan Tarihi Konak is a Kurdish man named Zahit. He took us for a walk through the old city bazaar and pointed out the general direction of various historical sites on the main road, which was very thoughtful. The bazaar in the old city of Mardin is right behind the main road. It is very lively and stays open until 6:30 in the evening. We saw an older man wearing traditional clothing at the bazaar.
The ancient city of Mardin has a very long history. It was called Merida (castle) during the Roman period. It was incorporated into the Arab Empire in 640 and was later ruled in turns by several tribal dynasties of Mesopotamia. After 1085, Mardin was ruled successively by the Seljuk Empire, the Artuqid dynasty, and the Kara Koyunlu dynasty, all established by Oghuz Turkic tribes. It was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Assyrian pastries and salty yogurt drink (ayran).
At the old town bazaar, I ate the Mardin specialty Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) and drank the Kurdish version of salty yogurt drink (Doogh).
The Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) is said to have a 2,000-year history. It is made with 32 different spices and comes in flavors like date and almond. It is a signature food for Assyrian engagement ceremonies. Assyrians have lived on the Mesopotamian plains for 4,000 years. They built a massive Assyrian Empire before 2000 BC, which helped spread Assyrian culture widely. As an important settlement for Assyrians, many of the local delicacies in Mardin were invented by them. Although Assyrians are Christians, they live alongside Kurds and Arabs, so their snacks are safe for Muslims to eat.
Unlike the Turkish version of yogurt drink (ayran) which only uses salt, water, and yogurt, Kurds add dill, mint, and seeds from the Kurdish pistachio tree (Pistacia kurdica) to their (Doogh). Kurds also make a drink called (Ava Mast) by mixing water into milk and adding these same seasonings.
Purple basil sherbet
In another alley, we drank a Turkish summer specialty, purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet). It is made with purple basil, lemon salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a classic drink for Kurds to break their fast during Ramadan. The man selling the sherbet was very friendly. He used Google Translate to chat with us and pointed out the routes to various historical sites. We felt very grateful (alhamdulillah).
Copperware shop
There are many copperware shops in Mardin where you can buy handmade dried fruit plates and coffee pots. It is also popular here to craft the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Friends (dosti) in West Asia and North Africa use the right hand of Fatima as an amulet, believing it protects people from the evil eye and other dangers. The palm-shaped amulet dates back to ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It was later adopted by Sephardic Jews and then entered the traditions of Arabs and Berbers, becoming widely spread throughout the Middle East.
Street view of Mardin old town.
Mardin Museum of Life
We visited the Mardin Living Museum (Mardin Yaşayan Müze), which displays various traditional Mardin handicrafts. In the first room, an Assyrian man showed us silver filigree work and made beautiful earrings for us on the spot using silver wire.
In the second room, an Arab man was busy hammering out various copper items.
In the third room, a Kurdish woman sang traditional Kurdish folk songs for us and played the Kurdish frame drum (Daf). The Daf drum has a very long history. It appeared in Assyrian reliefs over 3,000 years ago and was an important instrument in Zoroastrian rituals. The museum's Daf drum features the Zoroastrian symbol, the Faravahar. As an Iranian-speaking group, Zoroastrianism once had a profound influence on Kurdish culture.
I read in reviews that the museum sometimes has Kurdish dance performances, but unfortunately, we missed them when we visited.
Pistachio dessert
In the old city of Mardin, we ate at a century-old Turkish dessert shop called HELVACI ALİ, which opened in 1900. They started opening branches across Turkey and former Ottoman countries in 2018, and now they have 200 locations.
We had the pistachio-flavored sesame fudge (Halva) served with Maraş goat milk ice cream (Maraş Dondurması). This ice cream contains mastic resin and a type of orchid flour called salep.
We also tried a fruit jam flavor that was delicious, containing several fruits like cherries, figs, and oranges.
The founder of HELVACI ALİ was Idris Efendi. He moved from Kosovo to Turkey in 1892 and opened his shop in 1900 to sell Middle Eastern sesame fudge (Halva) and a fermented grain drink (Boza). The business has now been in the family for four generations. Idris's son, Ali, started making Halva with his father after finishing elementary school. Because of his superb skills, people called him Helvaci, which is where the shop's name comes from.
Mardin grilled meat platter
For lunch, we went to the most popular restaurant in the old city of Mardin, Tarihi Sultan Sofrası. They specialize in the Mardin grilled meat platter (Mardin tabağı), which almost every table orders. The platter includes six types of food:
First is Mardin kebab (Mardin Kebabı), made by mixing minced meat with onions, chili peppers, black pepper, and salt before skewering it.
Stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması) is a rotisserie dish that is part of Ottoman cuisine, and it is especially famous in Mardin and Diyarbakır. When eating stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması), you must pair it with the local specialty pilaf, which is made with onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices.
Fried meatball (İçli Köfte) is a fried meatball that originated from the Levantine kibbeh. The shell is made from crushed bulgur wheat, flour, eggs, pepper, and spices, while the filling consists of minced meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Unlike the spindle-shaped kibbeh found in the Levant, the ones we ate in Mardin were shaped like meat patties.
Vegetable casserole (Güveç) is a clay pot dish containing stewed potatoes, eggplants, green peppers, and other vegetables.
Sembusek, also called Mardin pizza, is a thin meat pie that looks a bit like a sealed Turkish flatbread (Lahmacun). The minced meat filling includes onions, green peppers, parsley, black pepper, and various spices.
Lamb flatbread (Etli ekmek) is a lamb-filled pastry. It is made by mixing lamb mince with dried red chili and spices, kneading it into dough, and baking it in an oven. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looking a bit like a cracker.
Besides this, whenever you order meat here, they always serve a plate of vegetables and a plate of onions. The vegetable plate includes cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon makes it very refreshing. In Turkey, you can basically avoid the situation of only eating meat and no vegetables while traveling, which I think is great.
Finally, I have to praise the owner for being very welcoming! In the evening, after the sunset prayer (maghrib), I ran into the owner on the street again. He greeted me first, and I felt very grateful (shukr).
Local coffee and desserts
In the afternoon, I had coffee and dessert at a cozy cafe in Mardin, which had a very local feel. Local Mardin coffee is richer than standard Turkish coffee. It contains orchid root powder (salep) and carob powder (carob), and the local Kurds and Assyrians both enjoy drinking it this way. Tabbaka is a yellow rice pudding invented by the Assyrians. Harire is a brown pudding made from local Mazruna grapes, and we finished with a purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet).
Kurdish flatbread shop
At a Kurdish flatbread shop on the streets of Mardin, the bread is handmade with patterns pressed in by fingers. This flatbread goes well with grilled meat and stews, and restaurants serve it with almost any dish you order.
Traditional Kurdish dance
On the streets of Mardin in the evening, the passionate Kurdish people seem ready to dance at any time. A young man played traditional Kurdish music on a tanbur, and passersby spontaneously gathered to perform the traditional Kurdish dance, Helperkê.
Helperkê is a classic form of traditional Kurdish group dance where everyone holds hands to form an open circle and moves in a ring to the music. Both men and women can join this dance, and everyone can add their own spontaneous movements, reflecting the Kurdish spirit of unity and freedom.
A young Kurdish man sings folk songs while playing the tanbur.
Mardin barbecue
We had a traditional barbecue for dinner at a shop that has been open for 101 years, since 1922. Turkey has not gone through the social changes we saw in the 1950s and 1980s, so it feels common to see old shops that have been passed down through generations for decades or even a century.
Minced meat is charcoal-grilled with green peppers and served with thin flatbread, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, much like Zibo barbecue where you wrap the meat in the bread. The main difference from our barbecue is that we grill chunks of meat and add seasoning while cooking, while they mix the seasoning into the meat paste beforehand and add nothing while grilling.
Kurdish traditional clothing
I took a walk in the old city of Mardin in the evening and bought a traditional Kurdish mesh headscarf (pushi) and baggy trousers (shalwar) at a local Kurdish clothing shop.
Shalwar are traditional baggy trousers introduced to the Middle East from Persia during the Ottoman period, and the word literally means "trousers" in Persian. These trousers are very loose and held at the waist with an elastic band, and they are especially popular in the farming and herding regions of southeastern Anatolia.
The pushi headscarf is called a keffiyeh in Arabic and is common throughout the Middle East as a way to protect against sunburn and sand in arid regions. However, the styles and ways of wearing these headscarves vary across the Middle East. For example, people on the Arabian Peninsula usually wear a black headband (agal) over a plain white headscarf, while Palestinians use a fishnet-patterned headscarf as a symbol of their national identity. Kurdish headscarves, like those of the neighboring Arabs and Yazidis, generally have a black-and-white or red-and-white mesh pattern, and they are worn by rolling up one side to keep them in place. Today, young Kurds in Mardin mostly use the pushi as a scarf.
Assyrian snack shop
In the evening, I ate fried chickpea balls (falafel) and chickpea dip (hummus) at an Assyrian snack shop, served with tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage. The shop is very popular, and the food was truly delicious.
I chatted with the owner and asked if he was Kurdish or Arab, and he told me he was a Syriac. I initially thought he meant he had moved from Syria, but after looking it up, I learned that Syriacs refers to Syrian Christians, which includes all denominations that use Classical Syriac for their rituals. The Church of the East (Jingjiao), which was popular in China during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, was one of these branches. Therefore, the term Syriac today refers to a group that includes several peoples, such as modern Arameans, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
Street view
The old town of Mardin has many shops selling prayer beads (tasbih), and they come in a wide variety of materials.
Halal Travel Guide: Mardin — Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian Food and Lodging (Part 2)
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 10 views • 16 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This second part continues the food and lodging notes with the original order and images preserved.
The empty streets of the old city of Mardin at dawn. view all
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This second part continues the food and lodging notes with the original order and images preserved.
The empty streets of the old city of Mardin at dawn. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This second part continues the food and lodging notes with the original order and images preserved.
The empty streets of the old city of Mardin at dawn.
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This second part continues the food and lodging notes with the original order and images preserved.
The empty streets of the old city of Mardin at dawn.
Halal Travel Guide: Mardin — Mosques, Stone City and Mesopotamian History
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 11 views • 16 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin stands on a rocky slope above the Mesopotamian plain and is known for stone architecture, old mosques, churches, and layered local history. This travel account focuses on the city historic sites, religious buildings, and street-level observations in the original order.
In the previous article, 'Mardin: A Rocky Mountain City Where Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians Live Together - Food and Lodging,' we visited the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, near the borders of Syria and Iraq, and ate Kurdish and Assyrian food. In this article, I will continue to share the ancient buildings in the old city of Mardin, which is famous for its architecture from the Artuqid dynasty (12th-14th centuries).
The Artuqid dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic tribal dynasty that ruled southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northern Syria from the 12th to the 14th century, named after the Seljuk commander Artuk Beg. Artuk Beg's sons began ruling Mardin in 1101, and for the next 300 years, Mardin served as the capital of the Mardin branch of the Artuqid dynasty. After the 13th century, the Artuqid dynasty became a vassal state of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid Empire, until it was destroyed by the Kara Koyunlu in 1409.
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Great Mosque of Mardin (Mardin Ulu Camii) dates back to the 10th century. It is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region and set the foundation for later Mardin architectural styles. The mosque currently houses 16 stone inscriptions from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Kara Koyunlu, and Ottoman periods, spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mosque once had two minarets, but only the eastern one remains today. The inscription at its base shows it was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid architecture.
The Great Mosque has been renovated many times throughout history. Most of what we see today is from the Ottoman-era renovation in 1889, but it still keeps its early architectural style.
Next to the mihrab in the Great Mosque of Mardin, there is a preserved beard hair of the Prophet (Sakal-i Serifi). It is said to have been cut by the Prophet's favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali, and others.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Zinciriye Madrasa was built in 1385 and is another historic Artuqid-era building in the old city of Mardin. Zinciriye Madrasa is actually a complex (külliye) consisting of a madrasa, a mosque, a tomb, and two courtyards. The mosque and the tomb each have a fluted dome, matching the style of the dome at the Great Mosque of Mardin.
At the southeast corner of the madrasa is a 12-meter-high gate featuring an exquisite stalactite vault (muqarnas), decorated with geometric vine patterns and Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.
There is a fountain pool in the center of the Zinciriye Madrasa courtyard. In Sufi philosophy, the flow of water symbolizes a person's journey from this life to the afterlife, and this pool is a physical representation of that symbol. The fountain's source symbolizes birth, then flows through stages representing infancy, childhood, and youth. The long water channel symbolizes entering old age, and the final pool represents the arrival of the Day of Judgment.
The area around the fountain and the main hall of the mosque are decorated with classic two-toned brickwork known as ablaq. This brick decoration likely originated in the Syrian region under the Eastern Roman Empire. Muslim craftsmen later used it in early Islamic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Because the Syrian region has plenty of black basalt and white limestone, most local ablaq is black and white. The Mardin region mostly has beige limestone, so the ablaq there is beige and black.
Mardin Castle
You can clearly see the remaining walls of Mardin Castle from the Zinciriye Madrasa. Mardin Castle is thought to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the Babylonian period. The existing structures were built between the 10th-century Hamdanid dynasty (al-Hamdaniyyun) and the Artuqid dynasty from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Hamdanid dynasty was an Arab tribal dynasty from Mesopotamia. Ottoman Sultan Selim III, who reigned from 1789 to 1807, repaired it, but it fell into disrepair by the early 20th century.
Today, a military radar station occupies the site. The city of Mardin has repeatedly asked the military to leave and open it to tourism. In 2015, former Mardin mayor Ahmet Turk helped launch a campaign called 'Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin' to demand the castle be opened to visitors, but it has not succeeded yet.
The Mardin Museum holds a stone carving from 1302, found at the gate of Mardin Castle during the Artuqid period. It records the income of the foundation (waqf) that supported the castle's mosque, making it a very precious document.
Abdullatif Mosque
I caught the Dhuhr prayer (namaz) at Abdullatif Mosque. Abdullatif Mosque, also called Latifiye Mosque, was started in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by the Ottoman governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha.
The mosque's gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371 and is considered the last classic work of the Artuqid dynasty. Below the exquisite stalactite-style vaulted ceiling (muqarnas), the area is decorated with Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy alongside various geometric patterns.
The ablution pool in the outer courtyard of the Abdullatif mosque, the open-air space prepared for dhikr, the fountain pool in the inner courtyard, and the original structural elements on the pulpit (minbar) and the walls of the main prayer hall.
Kasimiye Madrasa
Kasimiye Madrasa, also known as Kasim Pasha Madrasa, sits on a hillside in the western suburbs of the old city of Mardin. Construction began under Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā (reigned 1376–1407), the second-to-last sultan of the Artuqid dynasty, but it was left unfinished due to the invasion of the Timurid Empire. It was finally completed at the end of the 15th century by the Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) sultan Kasim ibn Cihangir (reigned 1487–1507).
Kasimiye Madrasa was the most powerful school in Mardin's history. It taught not only religious studies but also medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. The madrasa stayed open until 1924, when all madrasas in Turkey were closed. Today, it is a famous tourist spot in Mardin. It attracts many visitors and is a beautiful place where many young couples come to take wedding photos.
The madrasa has a rectangular structure with a vaulted dome on each side—one for the mosque and one for the tomb. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by two floors of classrooms. The central fountain pool is the classic Mardin "Fountain of Life," which symbolizes the journey from birth through childhood, youth, and old age, finally reaching the Day of Judgment. The classroom doors are only one meter high. This design forces students to bow respectfully to their teachers as they enter.
Old photos of Kasimiye Madrasa and the view overlooking the Mesopotamian plains from the school.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque
Seyh Cabuk Mosque is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) period and was renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his return journey and was buried here, and the mosque was built because of his tomb.
Sehidiye Mosque
Sehidiye Mosque was ordered to be built in 1214 by the Artuqid sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style, which is very characteristic of that era.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque
While eating barbecue in the evening, I heard the adhan, so the barbecue shop owner and I both stepped out to pray Maghrib at the nearby Dinari Pamuk mosque. It is a small mosque, but it is very crowded because it sits on the main road of the old city.
Dinari Pamuk mosque was reportedly built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church, while the current structure dates back to the Artuqid dynasty in 1332.
Other ancient buildings from the Artuqid dynasty.
There are many more historical sites in the old city of Mardin, but I could not visit them all this time due to limited. Visually, the stone houses made of beige limestone are very different from the red-roofed wooden houses common in the Ottoman old cities of central and western Turkey, making them quite rare in Turkey and offering a unique experience.
Finally, I will share a few Artuqid-era historical sites I passed while walking in the early morning, though it is a pity I arrived too early to go inside.
The first is the Savurkapi bathhouse, built in 1176.
The second is the Hatuniye Madrasa, built between 1176 and 1184, which houses the footprint of the Prophet.
The third is the Savur Kapi Madrasa, built in the 13th to 14th centuries.
The fourth is the Melik Mahmut mosque, built in 1362. view all
Summary: Mardin stands on a rocky slope above the Mesopotamian plain and is known for stone architecture, old mosques, churches, and layered local history. This travel account focuses on the city historic sites, religious buildings, and street-level observations in the original order.
In the previous article, 'Mardin: A Rocky Mountain City Where Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians Live Together - Food and Lodging,' we visited the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, near the borders of Syria and Iraq, and ate Kurdish and Assyrian food. In this article, I will continue to share the ancient buildings in the old city of Mardin, which is famous for its architecture from the Artuqid dynasty (12th-14th centuries).
The Artuqid dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic tribal dynasty that ruled southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northern Syria from the 12th to the 14th century, named after the Seljuk commander Artuk Beg. Artuk Beg's sons began ruling Mardin in 1101, and for the next 300 years, Mardin served as the capital of the Mardin branch of the Artuqid dynasty. After the 13th century, the Artuqid dynasty became a vassal state of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid Empire, until it was destroyed by the Kara Koyunlu in 1409.
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Great Mosque of Mardin (Mardin Ulu Camii) dates back to the 10th century. It is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region and set the foundation for later Mardin architectural styles. The mosque currently houses 16 stone inscriptions from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Kara Koyunlu, and Ottoman periods, spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mosque once had two minarets, but only the eastern one remains today. The inscription at its base shows it was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid architecture.
The Great Mosque has been renovated many times throughout history. Most of what we see today is from the Ottoman-era renovation in 1889, but it still keeps its early architectural style.
Next to the mihrab in the Great Mosque of Mardin, there is a preserved beard hair of the Prophet (Sakal-i Serifi). It is said to have been cut by the Prophet's favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali, and others.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Zinciriye Madrasa was built in 1385 and is another historic Artuqid-era building in the old city of Mardin. Zinciriye Madrasa is actually a complex (külliye) consisting of a madrasa, a mosque, a tomb, and two courtyards. The mosque and the tomb each have a fluted dome, matching the style of the dome at the Great Mosque of Mardin.
At the southeast corner of the madrasa is a 12-meter-high gate featuring an exquisite stalactite vault (muqarnas), decorated with geometric vine patterns and Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.
There is a fountain pool in the center of the Zinciriye Madrasa courtyard. In Sufi philosophy, the flow of water symbolizes a person's journey from this life to the afterlife, and this pool is a physical representation of that symbol. The fountain's source symbolizes birth, then flows through stages representing infancy, childhood, and youth. The long water channel symbolizes entering old age, and the final pool represents the arrival of the Day of Judgment.
The area around the fountain and the main hall of the mosque are decorated with classic two-toned brickwork known as ablaq. This brick decoration likely originated in the Syrian region under the Eastern Roman Empire. Muslim craftsmen later used it in early Islamic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Because the Syrian region has plenty of black basalt and white limestone, most local ablaq is black and white. The Mardin region mostly has beige limestone, so the ablaq there is beige and black.
Mardin Castle
You can clearly see the remaining walls of Mardin Castle from the Zinciriye Madrasa. Mardin Castle is thought to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the Babylonian period. The existing structures were built between the 10th-century Hamdanid dynasty (al-Hamdaniyyun) and the Artuqid dynasty from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Hamdanid dynasty was an Arab tribal dynasty from Mesopotamia. Ottoman Sultan Selim III, who reigned from 1789 to 1807, repaired it, but it fell into disrepair by the early 20th century.
Today, a military radar station occupies the site. The city of Mardin has repeatedly asked the military to leave and open it to tourism. In 2015, former Mardin mayor Ahmet Turk helped launch a campaign called 'Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin' to demand the castle be opened to visitors, but it has not succeeded yet.
The Mardin Museum holds a stone carving from 1302, found at the gate of Mardin Castle during the Artuqid period. It records the income of the foundation (waqf) that supported the castle's mosque, making it a very precious document.
Abdullatif Mosque
I caught the Dhuhr prayer (namaz) at Abdullatif Mosque. Abdullatif Mosque, also called Latifiye Mosque, was started in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by the Ottoman governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha.
The mosque's gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371 and is considered the last classic work of the Artuqid dynasty. Below the exquisite stalactite-style vaulted ceiling (muqarnas), the area is decorated with Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy alongside various geometric patterns.
The ablution pool in the outer courtyard of the Abdullatif mosque, the open-air space prepared for dhikr, the fountain pool in the inner courtyard, and the original structural elements on the pulpit (minbar) and the walls of the main prayer hall.
Kasimiye Madrasa
Kasimiye Madrasa, also known as Kasim Pasha Madrasa, sits on a hillside in the western suburbs of the old city of Mardin. Construction began under Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā (reigned 1376–1407), the second-to-last sultan of the Artuqid dynasty, but it was left unfinished due to the invasion of the Timurid Empire. It was finally completed at the end of the 15th century by the Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) sultan Kasim ibn Cihangir (reigned 1487–1507).
Kasimiye Madrasa was the most powerful school in Mardin's history. It taught not only religious studies but also medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. The madrasa stayed open until 1924, when all madrasas in Turkey were closed. Today, it is a famous tourist spot in Mardin. It attracts many visitors and is a beautiful place where many young couples come to take wedding photos.
The madrasa has a rectangular structure with a vaulted dome on each side—one for the mosque and one for the tomb. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by two floors of classrooms. The central fountain pool is the classic Mardin "Fountain of Life," which symbolizes the journey from birth through childhood, youth, and old age, finally reaching the Day of Judgment. The classroom doors are only one meter high. This design forces students to bow respectfully to their teachers as they enter.
Old photos of Kasimiye Madrasa and the view overlooking the Mesopotamian plains from the school.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque
Seyh Cabuk Mosque is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) period and was renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his return journey and was buried here, and the mosque was built because of his tomb.
Sehidiye Mosque
Sehidiye Mosque was ordered to be built in 1214 by the Artuqid sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style, which is very characteristic of that era.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque
While eating barbecue in the evening, I heard the adhan, so the barbecue shop owner and I both stepped out to pray Maghrib at the nearby Dinari Pamuk mosque. It is a small mosque, but it is very crowded because it sits on the main road of the old city.
Dinari Pamuk mosque was reportedly built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church, while the current structure dates back to the Artuqid dynasty in 1332.
Other ancient buildings from the Artuqid dynasty.
There are many more historical sites in the old city of Mardin, but I could not visit them all this time due to limited. Visually, the stone houses made of beige limestone are very different from the red-roofed wooden houses common in the Ottoman old cities of central and western Turkey, making them quite rare in Turkey and offering a unique experience.
Finally, I will share a few Artuqid-era historical sites I passed while walking in the early morning, though it is a pity I arrived too early to go inside.
The first is the Savurkapi bathhouse, built in 1176.
The second is the Hatuniye Madrasa, built between 1176 and 1184, which houses the footprint of the Prophet.
The third is the Savur Kapi Madrasa, built in the 13th to 14th centuries.
The fourth is the Melik Mahmut mosque, built in 1362. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin stands on a rocky slope above the Mesopotamian plain and is known for stone architecture, old mosques, churches, and layered local history. This travel account focuses on the city historic sites, religious buildings, and street-level observations in the original order.
In the previous article, 'Mardin: A Rocky Mountain City Where Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians Live Together - Food and Lodging,' we visited the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, near the borders of Syria and Iraq, and ate Kurdish and Assyrian food. In this article, I will continue to share the ancient buildings in the old city of Mardin, which is famous for its architecture from the Artuqid dynasty (12th-14th centuries).
The Artuqid dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic tribal dynasty that ruled southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northern Syria from the 12th to the 14th century, named after the Seljuk commander Artuk Beg. Artuk Beg's sons began ruling Mardin in 1101, and for the next 300 years, Mardin served as the capital of the Mardin branch of the Artuqid dynasty. After the 13th century, the Artuqid dynasty became a vassal state of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid Empire, until it was destroyed by the Kara Koyunlu in 1409.
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Great Mosque of Mardin (Mardin Ulu Camii) dates back to the 10th century. It is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region and set the foundation for later Mardin architectural styles. The mosque currently houses 16 stone inscriptions from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Kara Koyunlu, and Ottoman periods, spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mosque once had two minarets, but only the eastern one remains today. The inscription at its base shows it was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid architecture.
The Great Mosque has been renovated many times throughout history. Most of what we see today is from the Ottoman-era renovation in 1889, but it still keeps its early architectural style.
Next to the mihrab in the Great Mosque of Mardin, there is a preserved beard hair of the Prophet (Sakal-i Serifi). It is said to have been cut by the Prophet's favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali, and others.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Zinciriye Madrasa was built in 1385 and is another historic Artuqid-era building in the old city of Mardin. Zinciriye Madrasa is actually a complex (külliye) consisting of a madrasa, a mosque, a tomb, and two courtyards. The mosque and the tomb each have a fluted dome, matching the style of the dome at the Great Mosque of Mardin.
At the southeast corner of the madrasa is a 12-meter-high gate featuring an exquisite stalactite vault (muqarnas), decorated with geometric vine patterns and Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.
There is a fountain pool in the center of the Zinciriye Madrasa courtyard. In Sufi philosophy, the flow of water symbolizes a person's journey from this life to the afterlife, and this pool is a physical representation of that symbol. The fountain's source symbolizes birth, then flows through stages representing infancy, childhood, and youth. The long water channel symbolizes entering old age, and the final pool represents the arrival of the Day of Judgment.
The area around the fountain and the main hall of the mosque are decorated with classic two-toned brickwork known as ablaq. This brick decoration likely originated in the Syrian region under the Eastern Roman Empire. Muslim craftsmen later used it in early Islamic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Because the Syrian region has plenty of black basalt and white limestone, most local ablaq is black and white. The Mardin region mostly has beige limestone, so the ablaq there is beige and black.
Mardin Castle
You can clearly see the remaining walls of Mardin Castle from the Zinciriye Madrasa. Mardin Castle is thought to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the Babylonian period. The existing structures were built between the 10th-century Hamdanid dynasty (al-Hamdaniyyun) and the Artuqid dynasty from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Hamdanid dynasty was an Arab tribal dynasty from Mesopotamia. Ottoman Sultan Selim III, who reigned from 1789 to 1807, repaired it, but it fell into disrepair by the early 20th century.
Today, a military radar station occupies the site. The city of Mardin has repeatedly asked the military to leave and open it to tourism. In 2015, former Mardin mayor Ahmet Turk helped launch a campaign called 'Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin' to demand the castle be opened to visitors, but it has not succeeded yet.
The Mardin Museum holds a stone carving from 1302, found at the gate of Mardin Castle during the Artuqid period. It records the income of the foundation (waqf) that supported the castle's mosque, making it a very precious document.
Abdullatif Mosque
I caught the Dhuhr prayer (namaz) at Abdullatif Mosque. Abdullatif Mosque, also called Latifiye Mosque, was started in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by the Ottoman governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha.
The mosque's gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371 and is considered the last classic work of the Artuqid dynasty. Below the exquisite stalactite-style vaulted ceiling (muqarnas), the area is decorated with Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy alongside various geometric patterns.
The ablution pool in the outer courtyard of the Abdullatif mosque, the open-air space prepared for dhikr, the fountain pool in the inner courtyard, and the original structural elements on the pulpit (minbar) and the walls of the main prayer hall.
Kasimiye Madrasa
Kasimiye Madrasa, also known as Kasim Pasha Madrasa, sits on a hillside in the western suburbs of the old city of Mardin. Construction began under Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā (reigned 1376–1407), the second-to-last sultan of the Artuqid dynasty, but it was left unfinished due to the invasion of the Timurid Empire. It was finally completed at the end of the 15th century by the Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) sultan Kasim ibn Cihangir (reigned 1487–1507).
Kasimiye Madrasa was the most powerful school in Mardin's history. It taught not only religious studies but also medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. The madrasa stayed open until 1924, when all madrasas in Turkey were closed. Today, it is a famous tourist spot in Mardin. It attracts many visitors and is a beautiful place where many young couples come to take wedding photos.
The madrasa has a rectangular structure with a vaulted dome on each side—one for the mosque and one for the tomb. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by two floors of classrooms. The central fountain pool is the classic Mardin "Fountain of Life," which symbolizes the journey from birth through childhood, youth, and old age, finally reaching the Day of Judgment. The classroom doors are only one meter high. This design forces students to bow respectfully to their teachers as they enter.
Old photos of Kasimiye Madrasa and the view overlooking the Mesopotamian plains from the school.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque
Seyh Cabuk Mosque is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) period and was renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his return journey and was buried here, and the mosque was built because of his tomb.
Sehidiye Mosque
Sehidiye Mosque was ordered to be built in 1214 by the Artuqid sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style, which is very characteristic of that era.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque
While eating barbecue in the evening, I heard the adhan, so the barbecue shop owner and I both stepped out to pray Maghrib at the nearby Dinari Pamuk mosque. It is a small mosque, but it is very crowded because it sits on the main road of the old city.
Dinari Pamuk mosque was reportedly built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church, while the current structure dates back to the Artuqid dynasty in 1332.
Other ancient buildings from the Artuqid dynasty.
There are many more historical sites in the old city of Mardin, but I could not visit them all this time due to limited. Visually, the stone houses made of beige limestone are very different from the red-roofed wooden houses common in the Ottoman old cities of central and western Turkey, making them quite rare in Turkey and offering a unique experience.
Finally, I will share a few Artuqid-era historical sites I passed while walking in the early morning, though it is a pity I arrived too early to go inside.
The first is the Savurkapi bathhouse, built in 1176.
The second is the Hatuniye Madrasa, built between 1176 and 1184, which houses the footprint of the Prophet.
The third is the Savur Kapi Madrasa, built in the 13th to 14th centuries.
The fourth is the Melik Mahmut mosque, built in 1362.
Summary: Mardin stands on a rocky slope above the Mesopotamian plain and is known for stone architecture, old mosques, churches, and layered local history. This travel account focuses on the city historic sites, religious buildings, and street-level observations in the original order.
In the previous article, 'Mardin: A Rocky Mountain City Where Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians Live Together - Food and Lodging,' we visited the ancient city of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, near the borders of Syria and Iraq, and ate Kurdish and Assyrian food. In this article, I will continue to share the ancient buildings in the old city of Mardin, which is famous for its architecture from the Artuqid dynasty (12th-14th centuries).
The Artuqid dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic tribal dynasty that ruled southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northern Syria from the 12th to the 14th century, named after the Seljuk commander Artuk Beg. Artuk Beg's sons began ruling Mardin in 1101, and for the next 300 years, Mardin served as the capital of the Mardin branch of the Artuqid dynasty. After the 13th century, the Artuqid dynasty became a vassal state of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid Empire, until it was destroyed by the Kara Koyunlu in 1409.
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Great Mosque of Mardin (Mardin Ulu Camii) dates back to the 10th century. It is one of the earliest mosques in the Anatolia region and set the foundation for later Mardin architectural styles. The mosque currently houses 16 stone inscriptions from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Kara Koyunlu, and Ottoman periods, spanning nearly a thousand years.
The mosque once had two minarets, but only the eastern one remains today. The inscription at its base shows it was built in 1176 and is a classic example of Artuqid architecture.
The Great Mosque has been renovated many times throughout history. Most of what we see today is from the Ottoman-era renovation in 1889, but it still keeps its early architectural style.
Next to the mihrab in the Great Mosque of Mardin, there is a preserved beard hair of the Prophet (Sakal-i Serifi). It is said to have been cut by the Prophet's favorite barber in the presence of Abu Bakr, Ali, and others.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Zinciriye Madrasa was built in 1385 and is another historic Artuqid-era building in the old city of Mardin. Zinciriye Madrasa is actually a complex (külliye) consisting of a madrasa, a mosque, a tomb, and two courtyards. The mosque and the tomb each have a fluted dome, matching the style of the dome at the Great Mosque of Mardin.
At the southeast corner of the madrasa is a 12-meter-high gate featuring an exquisite stalactite vault (muqarnas), decorated with geometric vine patterns and Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.
There is a fountain pool in the center of the Zinciriye Madrasa courtyard. In Sufi philosophy, the flow of water symbolizes a person's journey from this life to the afterlife, and this pool is a physical representation of that symbol. The fountain's source symbolizes birth, then flows through stages representing infancy, childhood, and youth. The long water channel symbolizes entering old age, and the final pool represents the arrival of the Day of Judgment.
The area around the fountain and the main hall of the mosque are decorated with classic two-toned brickwork known as ablaq. This brick decoration likely originated in the Syrian region under the Eastern Roman Empire. Muslim craftsmen later used it in early Islamic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Because the Syrian region has plenty of black basalt and white limestone, most local ablaq is black and white. The Mardin region mostly has beige limestone, so the ablaq there is beige and black.
Mardin Castle
You can clearly see the remaining walls of Mardin Castle from the Zinciriye Madrasa. Mardin Castle is thought to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the Babylonian period. The existing structures were built between the 10th-century Hamdanid dynasty (al-Hamdaniyyun) and the Artuqid dynasty from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Hamdanid dynasty was an Arab tribal dynasty from Mesopotamia. Ottoman Sultan Selim III, who reigned from 1789 to 1807, repaired it, but it fell into disrepair by the early 20th century.
Today, a military radar station occupies the site. The city of Mardin has repeatedly asked the military to leave and open it to tourism. In 2015, former Mardin mayor Ahmet Turk helped launch a campaign called 'Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin' to demand the castle be opened to visitors, but it has not succeeded yet.
The Mardin Museum holds a stone carving from 1302, found at the gate of Mardin Castle during the Artuqid period. It records the income of the foundation (waqf) that supported the castle's mosque, making it a very precious document.
Abdullatif Mosque
I caught the Dhuhr prayer (namaz) at Abdullatif Mosque. Abdullatif Mosque, also called Latifiye Mosque, was started in 1371 by the Artuqid minister Abdullatif. The minaret was built in 1845 by the Ottoman governor of Mosul, Muhammad Pasha.
The mosque's gate still looks as it did when it was built in 1371 and is considered the last classic work of the Artuqid dynasty. Below the exquisite stalactite-style vaulted ceiling (muqarnas), the area is decorated with Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy alongside various geometric patterns.
The ablution pool in the outer courtyard of the Abdullatif mosque, the open-air space prepared for dhikr, the fountain pool in the inner courtyard, and the original structural elements on the pulpit (minbar) and the walls of the main prayer hall.
Kasimiye Madrasa
Kasimiye Madrasa, also known as Kasim Pasha Madrasa, sits on a hillside in the western suburbs of the old city of Mardin. Construction began under Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā (reigned 1376–1407), the second-to-last sultan of the Artuqid dynasty, but it was left unfinished due to the invasion of the Timurid Empire. It was finally completed at the end of the 15th century by the Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) sultan Kasim ibn Cihangir (reigned 1487–1507).
Kasimiye Madrasa was the most powerful school in Mardin's history. It taught not only religious studies but also medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences. The madrasa stayed open until 1924, when all madrasas in Turkey were closed. Today, it is a famous tourist spot in Mardin. It attracts many visitors and is a beautiful place where many young couples come to take wedding photos.
The madrasa has a rectangular structure with a vaulted dome on each side—one for the mosque and one for the tomb. In the middle is a courtyard surrounded by two floors of classrooms. The central fountain pool is the classic Mardin "Fountain of Life," which symbolizes the journey from birth through childhood, youth, and old age, finally reaching the Day of Judgment. The classroom doors are only one meter high. This design forces students to bow respectfully to their teachers as they enter.
Old photos of Kasimiye Madrasa and the view overlooking the Mesopotamian plains from the school.
Seyh Cabuk Mosque
Seyh Cabuk Mosque is believed to have been built during the 15th-century Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) period and was renovated in the 19th century. Legend says that Abdullah bin Anas al-Juhayni, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, was sent to Constantinople to deliver a letter. He passed away in Mardin on his return journey and was buried here, and the mosque was built because of his tomb.
Sehidiye Mosque
Sehidiye Mosque was ordered to be built in 1214 by the Artuqid sultan Melik Nasreddin Aslan. The current minaret was rebuilt in 1914 by the Armenian architect Serkis Lole in an eclectic style, which is very characteristic of that era.
Dinari Pamuk Mosque
While eating barbecue in the evening, I heard the adhan, so the barbecue shop owner and I both stepped out to pray Maghrib at the nearby Dinari Pamuk mosque. It is a small mosque, but it is very crowded because it sits on the main road of the old city.
Dinari Pamuk mosque was reportedly built in the 11th century by Sheikh Mehmet Dinari on the site of a Byzantine church, while the current structure dates back to the Artuqid dynasty in 1332.
Other ancient buildings from the Artuqid dynasty.
There are many more historical sites in the old city of Mardin, but I could not visit them all this time due to limited. Visually, the stone houses made of beige limestone are very different from the red-roofed wooden houses common in the Ottoman old cities of central and western Turkey, making them quite rare in Turkey and offering a unique experience.
Finally, I will share a few Artuqid-era historical sites I passed while walking in the early morning, though it is a pity I arrived too early to go inside.
The first is the Savurkapi bathhouse, built in 1176.
The second is the Hatuniye Madrasa, built between 1176 and 1184, which houses the footprint of the Prophet.
The third is the Savur Kapi Madrasa, built in the 13th to 14th centuries.
The fourth is the Melik Mahmut mosque, built in 1362.
Halal Travel Guide: Mardin — Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian Food and Lodging (Part 1)
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 10 views • 16 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This first part covers food, lodging, streets, and everyday travel details while preserving the original facts and photos.
Layover in Istanbul
I flew direct from Beijing to Istanbul on China Southern Airlines and finally arrived at the new Istanbul Airport after a 10-hour flight. This was my first time on such a long direct flight, but the China Southern seats were comfortable enough. I watched two movies, took a nap, and ate two meals, so the time passed without feeling too long. I remember flying from Beijing to Urumqi 10 years ago. Back then, we couldn't use phones and there was no entertainment system. Reading on the plane made me dizzy, and even four hours felt like a very long time.
My last trip to Istanbul was in 2018, when I flew into the old Ataturk Airport. That airport is closed now. I didn't stay at the new airport and transferred directly to a Turkish Airlines flight to Mardin. We took a wrong turn and accidentally went through immigration. We had to go to the departure hall, line up for check-in, go through security, and then enter the domestic departure lounge. Luckily, everything went smoothly without any crowds, and the whole process took less than an hour.
The restaurants in the domestic departure area of the new Istanbul Airport don't have as much variety as the international area, but they are relatively cheaper. I ended up choosing Burger King and got a double beef burger. The burger was huge! I specifically took a photo to compare it with my fist. It feels like there are very few McDonald's or KFCs in Turkey, but there are many Burger Kings on the street, and they are actually quite tasty.
Istanbul Airport also has many branches of the local snack shop Simit Sarayi, where you can grab a Turkish-style cheese sandwich with Turkish black tea.
Historic hotel in Mardin
After a flight of nearly two hours from Istanbul, I arrived in Mardin, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey near the borders of Syria and Iraq. I had already arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up through Agoda, and it took us straight to the hotel in the heart of the old city.
Mardin is located in the Upper Mesopotamia region, upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The entire old city is built on the southern slope of a mountain ridge. At the very top of the cliff sits a thousand-year-old castle, with the terraced stone city built below it. Because of this, you can look out over the Mesopotamian plains from any terrace in the old city, and the view is spectacular.
Our hotel, Maristan Tarihi Konak, is inside a 700-year-old building. It was originally built by Jewish people and is now run by Kurds. Five hundred years ago, many Armenians and Jews lived in the ancient city of Mardin. Today, it is mainly home to Kurds and Arabs, along with a significant number of Assyrian Christians, making the culture very diverse.
The taxi drove into the maze-like alleys of the old city, weaving left and right up very steep slopes, which made us feel quite nervous. The car finally stopped on a slope. Idris, a young Kurdish man from the hotel, greeted us warmly by the roadside. It was a coincidence that my name is also Idris, which is the name of a prophet.
Idris led us further up the stone steps until we finally reached the Maristan Tarihi Konak hotel. I checked online before we left. Most hotels in the old city of Mardin feature stone houses. This one is not on the main road, so it offers better value for money. The reviews also mentioned that the staff are very friendly, and that turned out to be true.
The walls of our stone house are very thick. Even when it is 30 degrees outside in the summer, you do not need air conditioning inside. However, it does not get as much light as a wooden house because the windows are very small. It is very interesting that our door is also very traditional. You have to insert the large key and turn it several times in the opposite direction, which feels very ancient.
We had a very rich breakfast on the hotel terrace. It included four types of cheese, yogurt, two types of olives, honey, fig jam, pomegranate jam, and grape jam. The main staple was not the bread commonly found in Turkey, but Kurdish flatbread (nan).
The manager of Maristan Tarihi Konak is a Kurdish man named Zahit. He took us for a walk through the old city bazaar and pointed out the general direction of various historical sites on the main road, which was very thoughtful. The bazaar in the old city of Mardin is right behind the main road. It is very lively and stays open until 6:30 in the evening. We saw an older man wearing traditional clothing at the bazaar.
The ancient city of Mardin has a very long history. It was called Merida (castle) during the Roman period. It was incorporated into the Arab Empire in 640 and was later ruled in turns by several tribal dynasties of Mesopotamia. After 1085, Mardin was ruled successively by the Seljuk Empire, the Artuqid dynasty, and the Kara Koyunlu dynasty, all established by Oghuz Turkic tribes. It was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Assyrian pastries and salty yogurt drink (ayran).
At the old town bazaar, I ate the Mardin specialty Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) and drank the Kurdish version of salty yogurt drink (Doogh).
The Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) is said to have a 2,000-year history. It is made with 32 different spices and comes in flavors like date and almond. It is a signature food for Assyrian engagement ceremonies. Assyrians have lived on the Mesopotamian plains for 4,000 years. They built a massive Assyrian Empire before 2000 BC, which helped spread Assyrian culture widely. As an important settlement for Assyrians, many of the local delicacies in Mardin were invented by them. Although Assyrians are Christians, they live alongside Kurds and Arabs, so their snacks are safe for Muslims to eat.
Unlike the Turkish version of yogurt drink (ayran) which only uses salt, water, and yogurt, Kurds add dill, mint, and seeds from the Kurdish pistachio tree (Pistacia kurdica) to their (Doogh). Kurds also make a drink called (Ava Mast) by mixing water into milk and adding these same seasonings.
Purple basil sherbet
In another alley, we drank a Turkish summer specialty, purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet). It is made with purple basil, lemon salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a classic drink for Kurds to break their fast during Ramadan. The man selling the sherbet was very friendly. He used Google Translate to chat with us and pointed out the routes to various historical sites. We felt very grateful (alhamdulillah).
Copperware shop
There are many copperware shops in Mardin where you can buy handmade dried fruit plates and coffee pots. It is also popular here to craft the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Friends (dosti) in West Asia and North Africa use the right hand of Fatima as an amulet, believing it protects people from the evil eye and other dangers. The palm-shaped amulet dates back to ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It was later adopted by Sephardic Jews and then entered the traditions of Arabs and Berbers, becoming widely spread throughout the Middle East.
Street view of Mardin old town.
Mardin Museum of Life
We visited the Mardin Living Museum (Mardin Yaşayan Müze), which displays various traditional Mardin handicrafts. In the first room, an Assyrian man showed us silver filigree work and made beautiful earrings for us on the spot using silver wire.
In the second room, an Arab man was busy hammering out various copper items.
In the third room, a Kurdish woman sang traditional Kurdish folk songs for us and played the Kurdish frame drum (Daf). The Daf drum has a very long history. It appeared in Assyrian reliefs over 3,000 years ago and was an important instrument in Zoroastrian rituals. The museum's Daf drum features the Zoroastrian symbol, the Faravahar. As an Iranian-speaking group, Zoroastrianism once had a profound influence on Kurdish culture.
I read in reviews that the museum sometimes has Kurdish dance performances, but unfortunately, we missed them when we visited.
Pistachio dessert
In the old city of Mardin, we ate at a century-old Turkish dessert shop called HELVACI ALİ, which opened in 1900. They started opening branches across Turkey and former Ottoman countries in 2018, and now they have 200 locations.
We had the pistachio-flavored sesame fudge (Halva) served with Maraş goat milk ice cream (Maraş Dondurması). This ice cream contains mastic resin and a type of orchid flour called salep.
We also tried a fruit jam flavor that was delicious, containing several fruits like cherries, figs, and oranges.
The founder of HELVACI ALİ was Idris Efendi. He moved from Kosovo to Turkey in 1892 and opened his shop in 1900 to sell Middle Eastern sesame fudge (Halva) and a fermented grain drink (Boza). The business has now been in the family for four generations. Idris's son, Ali, started making Halva with his father after finishing elementary school. Because of his superb skills, people called him Helvaci, which is where the shop's name comes from.
Mardin grilled meat platter
For lunch, we went to the most popular restaurant in the old city of Mardin, Tarihi Sultan Sofrası. They specialize in the Mardin grilled meat platter (Mardin tabağı), which almost every table orders. The platter includes six types of food:
First is Mardin kebab (Mardin Kebabı), made by mixing minced meat with onions, chili peppers, black pepper, and salt before skewering it.
Stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması) is a rotisserie dish that is part of Ottoman cuisine, and it is especially famous in Mardin and Diyarbakır. When eating stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması), you must pair it with the local specialty pilaf, which is made with onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices.
Fried meatball (İçli Köfte) is a fried meatball that originated from the Levantine kibbeh. The shell is made from crushed bulgur wheat, flour, eggs, pepper, and spices, while the filling consists of minced meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Unlike the spindle-shaped kibbeh found in the Levant, the ones we ate in Mardin were shaped like meat patties.
Vegetable casserole (Güveç) is a clay pot dish containing stewed potatoes, eggplants, green peppers, and other vegetables.
Sembusek, also called Mardin pizza, is a thin meat pie that looks a bit like a sealed Turkish flatbread (Lahmacun). The minced meat filling includes onions, green peppers, parsley, black pepper, and various spices.
Lamb flatbread (Etli ekmek) is a lamb-filled pastry. It is made by mixing lamb mince with dried red chili and spices, kneading it into dough, and baking it in an oven. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looking a bit like a cracker.
Besides this, whenever you order meat here, they always serve a plate of vegetables and a plate of onions. The vegetable plate includes cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon makes it very refreshing. In Turkey, you can basically avoid the situation of only eating meat and no vegetables while traveling, which I think is great.
Finally, I have to praise the owner for being very welcoming! In the evening, after the sunset prayer (maghrib), I ran into the owner on the street again. He greeted me first, and I felt very grateful (shukr).
Local coffee and desserts
In the afternoon, I had coffee and dessert at a cozy cafe in Mardin, which had a very local feel. Local Mardin coffee is richer than standard Turkish coffee. It contains orchid root powder (salep) and carob powder (carob), and the local Kurds and Assyrians both enjoy drinking it this way. Tabbaka is a yellow rice pudding invented by the Assyrians. Harire is a brown pudding made from local Mazruna grapes, and we finished with a purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet).
Kurdish flatbread shop
At a Kurdish flatbread shop on the streets of Mardin, the bread is handmade with patterns pressed in by fingers. This flatbread goes well with grilled meat and stews, and restaurants serve it with almost any dish you order.
Traditional Kurdish dance
On the streets of Mardin in the evening, the passionate Kurdish people seem ready to dance at any time. A young man played traditional Kurdish music on a tanbur, and passersby spontaneously gathered to perform the traditional Kurdish dance, Helperkê.
Helperkê is a classic form of traditional Kurdish group dance where everyone holds hands to form an open circle and moves in a ring to the music. Both men and women can join this dance, and everyone can add their own spontaneous movements, reflecting the Kurdish spirit of unity and freedom.
A young Kurdish man sings folk songs while playing the tanbur.
Mardin barbecue
We had a traditional barbecue for dinner at a shop that has been open for 101 years, since 1922. Turkey has not gone through the social changes we saw in the 1950s and 1980s, so it feels common to see old shops that have been passed down through generations for decades or even a century.
Minced meat is charcoal-grilled with green peppers and served with thin flatbread, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, much like Zibo barbecue where you wrap the meat in the bread. The main difference from our barbecue is that we grill chunks of meat and add seasoning while cooking, while they mix the seasoning into the meat paste beforehand and add nothing while grilling.
Kurdish traditional clothing
I took a walk in the old city of Mardin in the evening and bought a traditional Kurdish mesh headscarf (pushi) and baggy trousers (shalwar) at a local Kurdish clothing shop.
Shalwar are traditional baggy trousers introduced to the Middle East from Persia during the Ottoman period, and the word literally means "trousers" in Persian. These trousers are very loose and held at the waist with an elastic band, and they are especially popular in the farming and herding regions of southeastern Anatolia.
The pushi headscarf is called a keffiyeh in Arabic and is common throughout the Middle East as a way to protect against sunburn and sand in arid regions. However, the styles and ways of wearing these headscarves vary across the Middle East. For example, people on the Arabian Peninsula usually wear a black headband (agal) over a plain white headscarf, while Palestinians use a fishnet-patterned headscarf as a symbol of their national identity. Kurdish headscarves, like those of the neighboring Arabs and Yazidis, generally have a black-and-white or red-and-white mesh pattern, and they are worn by rolling up one side to keep them in place. Today, young Kurds in Mardin mostly use the pushi as a scarf.
Assyrian snack shop
In the evening, I ate fried chickpea balls (falafel) and chickpea dip (hummus) at an Assyrian snack shop, served with tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage. The shop is very popular, and the food was truly delicious.
I chatted with the owner and asked if he was Kurdish or Arab, and he told me he was a Syriac. I initially thought he meant he had moved from Syria, but after looking it up, I learned that Syriacs refers to Syrian Christians, which includes all denominations that use Classical Syriac for their rituals. The Church of the East (Jingjiao), which was popular in China during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, was one of these branches. Therefore, the term Syriac today refers to a group that includes several peoples, such as modern Arameans, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
Street view
The old town of Mardin has many shops selling prayer beads (tasbih), and they come in a wide variety of materials. view all
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This first part covers food, lodging, streets, and everyday travel details while preserving the original facts and photos.
Layover in Istanbul
I flew direct from Beijing to Istanbul on China Southern Airlines and finally arrived at the new Istanbul Airport after a 10-hour flight. This was my first time on such a long direct flight, but the China Southern seats were comfortable enough. I watched two movies, took a nap, and ate two meals, so the time passed without feeling too long. I remember flying from Beijing to Urumqi 10 years ago. Back then, we couldn't use phones and there was no entertainment system. Reading on the plane made me dizzy, and even four hours felt like a very long time.
My last trip to Istanbul was in 2018, when I flew into the old Ataturk Airport. That airport is closed now. I didn't stay at the new airport and transferred directly to a Turkish Airlines flight to Mardin. We took a wrong turn and accidentally went through immigration. We had to go to the departure hall, line up for check-in, go through security, and then enter the domestic departure lounge. Luckily, everything went smoothly without any crowds, and the whole process took less than an hour.
The restaurants in the domestic departure area of the new Istanbul Airport don't have as much variety as the international area, but they are relatively cheaper. I ended up choosing Burger King and got a double beef burger. The burger was huge! I specifically took a photo to compare it with my fist. It feels like there are very few McDonald's or KFCs in Turkey, but there are many Burger Kings on the street, and they are actually quite tasty.
Istanbul Airport also has many branches of the local snack shop Simit Sarayi, where you can grab a Turkish-style cheese sandwich with Turkish black tea.
Historic hotel in Mardin
After a flight of nearly two hours from Istanbul, I arrived in Mardin, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey near the borders of Syria and Iraq. I had already arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up through Agoda, and it took us straight to the hotel in the heart of the old city.
Mardin is located in the Upper Mesopotamia region, upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The entire old city is built on the southern slope of a mountain ridge. At the very top of the cliff sits a thousand-year-old castle, with the terraced stone city built below it. Because of this, you can look out over the Mesopotamian plains from any terrace in the old city, and the view is spectacular.
Our hotel, Maristan Tarihi Konak, is inside a 700-year-old building. It was originally built by Jewish people and is now run by Kurds. Five hundred years ago, many Armenians and Jews lived in the ancient city of Mardin. Today, it is mainly home to Kurds and Arabs, along with a significant number of Assyrian Christians, making the culture very diverse.
The taxi drove into the maze-like alleys of the old city, weaving left and right up very steep slopes, which made us feel quite nervous. The car finally stopped on a slope. Idris, a young Kurdish man from the hotel, greeted us warmly by the roadside. It was a coincidence that my name is also Idris, which is the name of a prophet.
Idris led us further up the stone steps until we finally reached the Maristan Tarihi Konak hotel. I checked online before we left. Most hotels in the old city of Mardin feature stone houses. This one is not on the main road, so it offers better value for money. The reviews also mentioned that the staff are very friendly, and that turned out to be true.
The walls of our stone house are very thick. Even when it is 30 degrees outside in the summer, you do not need air conditioning inside. However, it does not get as much light as a wooden house because the windows are very small. It is very interesting that our door is also very traditional. You have to insert the large key and turn it several times in the opposite direction, which feels very ancient.
We had a very rich breakfast on the hotel terrace. It included four types of cheese, yogurt, two types of olives, honey, fig jam, pomegranate jam, and grape jam. The main staple was not the bread commonly found in Turkey, but Kurdish flatbread (nan).
The manager of Maristan Tarihi Konak is a Kurdish man named Zahit. He took us for a walk through the old city bazaar and pointed out the general direction of various historical sites on the main road, which was very thoughtful. The bazaar in the old city of Mardin is right behind the main road. It is very lively and stays open until 6:30 in the evening. We saw an older man wearing traditional clothing at the bazaar.
The ancient city of Mardin has a very long history. It was called Merida (castle) during the Roman period. It was incorporated into the Arab Empire in 640 and was later ruled in turns by several tribal dynasties of Mesopotamia. After 1085, Mardin was ruled successively by the Seljuk Empire, the Artuqid dynasty, and the Kara Koyunlu dynasty, all established by Oghuz Turkic tribes. It was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Assyrian pastries and salty yogurt drink (ayran).
At the old town bazaar, I ate the Mardin specialty Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) and drank the Kurdish version of salty yogurt drink (Doogh).
The Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) is said to have a 2,000-year history. It is made with 32 different spices and comes in flavors like date and almond. It is a signature food for Assyrian engagement ceremonies. Assyrians have lived on the Mesopotamian plains for 4,000 years. They built a massive Assyrian Empire before 2000 BC, which helped spread Assyrian culture widely. As an important settlement for Assyrians, many of the local delicacies in Mardin were invented by them. Although Assyrians are Christians, they live alongside Kurds and Arabs, so their snacks are safe for Muslims to eat.
Unlike the Turkish version of yogurt drink (ayran) which only uses salt, water, and yogurt, Kurds add dill, mint, and seeds from the Kurdish pistachio tree (Pistacia kurdica) to their (Doogh). Kurds also make a drink called (Ava Mast) by mixing water into milk and adding these same seasonings.
Purple basil sherbet
In another alley, we drank a Turkish summer specialty, purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet). It is made with purple basil, lemon salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a classic drink for Kurds to break their fast during Ramadan. The man selling the sherbet was very friendly. He used Google Translate to chat with us and pointed out the routes to various historical sites. We felt very grateful (alhamdulillah).
Copperware shop
There are many copperware shops in Mardin where you can buy handmade dried fruit plates and coffee pots. It is also popular here to craft the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Friends (dosti) in West Asia and North Africa use the right hand of Fatima as an amulet, believing it protects people from the evil eye and other dangers. The palm-shaped amulet dates back to ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It was later adopted by Sephardic Jews and then entered the traditions of Arabs and Berbers, becoming widely spread throughout the Middle East.
Street view of Mardin old town.
Mardin Museum of Life
We visited the Mardin Living Museum (Mardin Yaşayan Müze), which displays various traditional Mardin handicrafts. In the first room, an Assyrian man showed us silver filigree work and made beautiful earrings for us on the spot using silver wire.
In the second room, an Arab man was busy hammering out various copper items.
In the third room, a Kurdish woman sang traditional Kurdish folk songs for us and played the Kurdish frame drum (Daf). The Daf drum has a very long history. It appeared in Assyrian reliefs over 3,000 years ago and was an important instrument in Zoroastrian rituals. The museum's Daf drum features the Zoroastrian symbol, the Faravahar. As an Iranian-speaking group, Zoroastrianism once had a profound influence on Kurdish culture.
I read in reviews that the museum sometimes has Kurdish dance performances, but unfortunately, we missed them when we visited.
Pistachio dessert
In the old city of Mardin, we ate at a century-old Turkish dessert shop called HELVACI ALİ, which opened in 1900. They started opening branches across Turkey and former Ottoman countries in 2018, and now they have 200 locations.
We had the pistachio-flavored sesame fudge (Halva) served with Maraş goat milk ice cream (Maraş Dondurması). This ice cream contains mastic resin and a type of orchid flour called salep.
We also tried a fruit jam flavor that was delicious, containing several fruits like cherries, figs, and oranges.
The founder of HELVACI ALİ was Idris Efendi. He moved from Kosovo to Turkey in 1892 and opened his shop in 1900 to sell Middle Eastern sesame fudge (Halva) and a fermented grain drink (Boza). The business has now been in the family for four generations. Idris's son, Ali, started making Halva with his father after finishing elementary school. Because of his superb skills, people called him Helvaci, which is where the shop's name comes from.
Mardin grilled meat platter
For lunch, we went to the most popular restaurant in the old city of Mardin, Tarihi Sultan Sofrası. They specialize in the Mardin grilled meat platter (Mardin tabağı), which almost every table orders. The platter includes six types of food:
First is Mardin kebab (Mardin Kebabı), made by mixing minced meat with onions, chili peppers, black pepper, and salt before skewering it.
Stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması) is a rotisserie dish that is part of Ottoman cuisine, and it is especially famous in Mardin and Diyarbakır. When eating stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması), you must pair it with the local specialty pilaf, which is made with onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices.
Fried meatball (İçli Köfte) is a fried meatball that originated from the Levantine kibbeh. The shell is made from crushed bulgur wheat, flour, eggs, pepper, and spices, while the filling consists of minced meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Unlike the spindle-shaped kibbeh found in the Levant, the ones we ate in Mardin were shaped like meat patties.
Vegetable casserole (Güveç) is a clay pot dish containing stewed potatoes, eggplants, green peppers, and other vegetables.
Sembusek, also called Mardin pizza, is a thin meat pie that looks a bit like a sealed Turkish flatbread (Lahmacun). The minced meat filling includes onions, green peppers, parsley, black pepper, and various spices.
Lamb flatbread (Etli ekmek) is a lamb-filled pastry. It is made by mixing lamb mince with dried red chili and spices, kneading it into dough, and baking it in an oven. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looking a bit like a cracker.
Besides this, whenever you order meat here, they always serve a plate of vegetables and a plate of onions. The vegetable plate includes cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon makes it very refreshing. In Turkey, you can basically avoid the situation of only eating meat and no vegetables while traveling, which I think is great.
Finally, I have to praise the owner for being very welcoming! In the evening, after the sunset prayer (maghrib), I ran into the owner on the street again. He greeted me first, and I felt very grateful (shukr).
Local coffee and desserts
In the afternoon, I had coffee and dessert at a cozy cafe in Mardin, which had a very local feel. Local Mardin coffee is richer than standard Turkish coffee. It contains orchid root powder (salep) and carob powder (carob), and the local Kurds and Assyrians both enjoy drinking it this way. Tabbaka is a yellow rice pudding invented by the Assyrians. Harire is a brown pudding made from local Mazruna grapes, and we finished with a purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet).
Kurdish flatbread shop
At a Kurdish flatbread shop on the streets of Mardin, the bread is handmade with patterns pressed in by fingers. This flatbread goes well with grilled meat and stews, and restaurants serve it with almost any dish you order.
Traditional Kurdish dance
On the streets of Mardin in the evening, the passionate Kurdish people seem ready to dance at any time. A young man played traditional Kurdish music on a tanbur, and passersby spontaneously gathered to perform the traditional Kurdish dance, Helperkê.
Helperkê is a classic form of traditional Kurdish group dance where everyone holds hands to form an open circle and moves in a ring to the music. Both men and women can join this dance, and everyone can add their own spontaneous movements, reflecting the Kurdish spirit of unity and freedom.
A young Kurdish man sings folk songs while playing the tanbur.
Mardin barbecue
We had a traditional barbecue for dinner at a shop that has been open for 101 years, since 1922. Turkey has not gone through the social changes we saw in the 1950s and 1980s, so it feels common to see old shops that have been passed down through generations for decades or even a century.
Minced meat is charcoal-grilled with green peppers and served with thin flatbread, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, much like Zibo barbecue where you wrap the meat in the bread. The main difference from our barbecue is that we grill chunks of meat and add seasoning while cooking, while they mix the seasoning into the meat paste beforehand and add nothing while grilling.
Kurdish traditional clothing
I took a walk in the old city of Mardin in the evening and bought a traditional Kurdish mesh headscarf (pushi) and baggy trousers (shalwar) at a local Kurdish clothing shop.
Shalwar are traditional baggy trousers introduced to the Middle East from Persia during the Ottoman period, and the word literally means "trousers" in Persian. These trousers are very loose and held at the waist with an elastic band, and they are especially popular in the farming and herding regions of southeastern Anatolia.
The pushi headscarf is called a keffiyeh in Arabic and is common throughout the Middle East as a way to protect against sunburn and sand in arid regions. However, the styles and ways of wearing these headscarves vary across the Middle East. For example, people on the Arabian Peninsula usually wear a black headband (agal) over a plain white headscarf, while Palestinians use a fishnet-patterned headscarf as a symbol of their national identity. Kurdish headscarves, like those of the neighboring Arabs and Yazidis, generally have a black-and-white or red-and-white mesh pattern, and they are worn by rolling up one side to keep them in place. Today, young Kurds in Mardin mostly use the pushi as a scarf.
Assyrian snack shop
In the evening, I ate fried chickpea balls (falafel) and chickpea dip (hummus) at an Assyrian snack shop, served with tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage. The shop is very popular, and the food was truly delicious.
I chatted with the owner and asked if he was Kurdish or Arab, and he told me he was a Syriac. I initially thought he meant he had moved from Syria, but after looking it up, I learned that Syriacs refers to Syrian Christians, which includes all denominations that use Classical Syriac for their rituals. The Church of the East (Jingjiao), which was popular in China during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, was one of these branches. Therefore, the term Syriac today refers to a group that includes several peoples, such as modern Arameans, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
Street view
The old town of Mardin has many shops selling prayer beads (tasbih), and they come in a wide variety of materials. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This first part covers food, lodging, streets, and everyday travel details while preserving the original facts and photos.
Layover in Istanbul
I flew direct from Beijing to Istanbul on China Southern Airlines and finally arrived at the new Istanbul Airport after a 10-hour flight. This was my first time on such a long direct flight, but the China Southern seats were comfortable enough. I watched two movies, took a nap, and ate two meals, so the time passed without feeling too long. I remember flying from Beijing to Urumqi 10 years ago. Back then, we couldn't use phones and there was no entertainment system. Reading on the plane made me dizzy, and even four hours felt like a very long time.
My last trip to Istanbul was in 2018, when I flew into the old Ataturk Airport. That airport is closed now. I didn't stay at the new airport and transferred directly to a Turkish Airlines flight to Mardin. We took a wrong turn and accidentally went through immigration. We had to go to the departure hall, line up for check-in, go through security, and then enter the domestic departure lounge. Luckily, everything went smoothly without any crowds, and the whole process took less than an hour.
The restaurants in the domestic departure area of the new Istanbul Airport don't have as much variety as the international area, but they are relatively cheaper. I ended up choosing Burger King and got a double beef burger. The burger was huge! I specifically took a photo to compare it with my fist. It feels like there are very few McDonald's or KFCs in Turkey, but there are many Burger Kings on the street, and they are actually quite tasty.
Istanbul Airport also has many branches of the local snack shop Simit Sarayi, where you can grab a Turkish-style cheese sandwich with Turkish black tea.
Historic hotel in Mardin
After a flight of nearly two hours from Istanbul, I arrived in Mardin, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey near the borders of Syria and Iraq. I had already arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up through Agoda, and it took us straight to the hotel in the heart of the old city.
Mardin is located in the Upper Mesopotamia region, upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The entire old city is built on the southern slope of a mountain ridge. At the very top of the cliff sits a thousand-year-old castle, with the terraced stone city built below it. Because of this, you can look out over the Mesopotamian plains from any terrace in the old city, and the view is spectacular.
Our hotel, Maristan Tarihi Konak, is inside a 700-year-old building. It was originally built by Jewish people and is now run by Kurds. Five hundred years ago, many Armenians and Jews lived in the ancient city of Mardin. Today, it is mainly home to Kurds and Arabs, along with a significant number of Assyrian Christians, making the culture very diverse.
The taxi drove into the maze-like alleys of the old city, weaving left and right up very steep slopes, which made us feel quite nervous. The car finally stopped on a slope. Idris, a young Kurdish man from the hotel, greeted us warmly by the roadside. It was a coincidence that my name is also Idris, which is the name of a prophet.
Idris led us further up the stone steps until we finally reached the Maristan Tarihi Konak hotel. I checked online before we left. Most hotels in the old city of Mardin feature stone houses. This one is not on the main road, so it offers better value for money. The reviews also mentioned that the staff are very friendly, and that turned out to be true.
The walls of our stone house are very thick. Even when it is 30 degrees outside in the summer, you do not need air conditioning inside. However, it does not get as much light as a wooden house because the windows are very small. It is very interesting that our door is also very traditional. You have to insert the large key and turn it several times in the opposite direction, which feels very ancient.
We had a very rich breakfast on the hotel terrace. It included four types of cheese, yogurt, two types of olives, honey, fig jam, pomegranate jam, and grape jam. The main staple was not the bread commonly found in Turkey, but Kurdish flatbread (nan).
The manager of Maristan Tarihi Konak is a Kurdish man named Zahit. He took us for a walk through the old city bazaar and pointed out the general direction of various historical sites on the main road, which was very thoughtful. The bazaar in the old city of Mardin is right behind the main road. It is very lively and stays open until 6:30 in the evening. We saw an older man wearing traditional clothing at the bazaar.
The ancient city of Mardin has a very long history. It was called Merida (castle) during the Roman period. It was incorporated into the Arab Empire in 640 and was later ruled in turns by several tribal dynasties of Mesopotamia. After 1085, Mardin was ruled successively by the Seljuk Empire, the Artuqid dynasty, and the Kara Koyunlu dynasty, all established by Oghuz Turkic tribes. It was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Assyrian pastries and salty yogurt drink (ayran).
At the old town bazaar, I ate the Mardin specialty Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) and drank the Kurdish version of salty yogurt drink (Doogh).
The Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) is said to have a 2,000-year history. It is made with 32 different spices and comes in flavors like date and almond. It is a signature food for Assyrian engagement ceremonies. Assyrians have lived on the Mesopotamian plains for 4,000 years. They built a massive Assyrian Empire before 2000 BC, which helped spread Assyrian culture widely. As an important settlement for Assyrians, many of the local delicacies in Mardin were invented by them. Although Assyrians are Christians, they live alongside Kurds and Arabs, so their snacks are safe for Muslims to eat.
Unlike the Turkish version of yogurt drink (ayran) which only uses salt, water, and yogurt, Kurds add dill, mint, and seeds from the Kurdish pistachio tree (Pistacia kurdica) to their (Doogh). Kurds also make a drink called (Ava Mast) by mixing water into milk and adding these same seasonings.
Purple basil sherbet
In another alley, we drank a Turkish summer specialty, purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet). It is made with purple basil, lemon salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a classic drink for Kurds to break their fast during Ramadan. The man selling the sherbet was very friendly. He used Google Translate to chat with us and pointed out the routes to various historical sites. We felt very grateful (alhamdulillah).
Copperware shop
There are many copperware shops in Mardin where you can buy handmade dried fruit plates and coffee pots. It is also popular here to craft the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Friends (dosti) in West Asia and North Africa use the right hand of Fatima as an amulet, believing it protects people from the evil eye and other dangers. The palm-shaped amulet dates back to ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It was later adopted by Sephardic Jews and then entered the traditions of Arabs and Berbers, becoming widely spread throughout the Middle East.
Street view of Mardin old town.
Mardin Museum of Life
We visited the Mardin Living Museum (Mardin Yaşayan Müze), which displays various traditional Mardin handicrafts. In the first room, an Assyrian man showed us silver filigree work and made beautiful earrings for us on the spot using silver wire.
In the second room, an Arab man was busy hammering out various copper items.
In the third room, a Kurdish woman sang traditional Kurdish folk songs for us and played the Kurdish frame drum (Daf). The Daf drum has a very long history. It appeared in Assyrian reliefs over 3,000 years ago and was an important instrument in Zoroastrian rituals. The museum's Daf drum features the Zoroastrian symbol, the Faravahar. As an Iranian-speaking group, Zoroastrianism once had a profound influence on Kurdish culture.
I read in reviews that the museum sometimes has Kurdish dance performances, but unfortunately, we missed them when we visited.
Pistachio dessert
In the old city of Mardin, we ate at a century-old Turkish dessert shop called HELVACI ALİ, which opened in 1900. They started opening branches across Turkey and former Ottoman countries in 2018, and now they have 200 locations.
We had the pistachio-flavored sesame fudge (Halva) served with Maraş goat milk ice cream (Maraş Dondurması). This ice cream contains mastic resin and a type of orchid flour called salep.
We also tried a fruit jam flavor that was delicious, containing several fruits like cherries, figs, and oranges.
The founder of HELVACI ALİ was Idris Efendi. He moved from Kosovo to Turkey in 1892 and opened his shop in 1900 to sell Middle Eastern sesame fudge (Halva) and a fermented grain drink (Boza). The business has now been in the family for four generations. Idris's son, Ali, started making Halva with his father after finishing elementary school. Because of his superb skills, people called him Helvaci, which is where the shop's name comes from.
Mardin grilled meat platter
For lunch, we went to the most popular restaurant in the old city of Mardin, Tarihi Sultan Sofrası. They specialize in the Mardin grilled meat platter (Mardin tabağı), which almost every table orders. The platter includes six types of food:
First is Mardin kebab (Mardin Kebabı), made by mixing minced meat with onions, chili peppers, black pepper, and salt before skewering it.
Stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması) is a rotisserie dish that is part of Ottoman cuisine, and it is especially famous in Mardin and Diyarbakır. When eating stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması), you must pair it with the local specialty pilaf, which is made with onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices.
Fried meatball (İçli Köfte) is a fried meatball that originated from the Levantine kibbeh. The shell is made from crushed bulgur wheat, flour, eggs, pepper, and spices, while the filling consists of minced meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Unlike the spindle-shaped kibbeh found in the Levant, the ones we ate in Mardin were shaped like meat patties.
Vegetable casserole (Güveç) is a clay pot dish containing stewed potatoes, eggplants, green peppers, and other vegetables.
Sembusek, also called Mardin pizza, is a thin meat pie that looks a bit like a sealed Turkish flatbread (Lahmacun). The minced meat filling includes onions, green peppers, parsley, black pepper, and various spices.
Lamb flatbread (Etli ekmek) is a lamb-filled pastry. It is made by mixing lamb mince with dried red chili and spices, kneading it into dough, and baking it in an oven. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looking a bit like a cracker.
Besides this, whenever you order meat here, they always serve a plate of vegetables and a plate of onions. The vegetable plate includes cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon makes it very refreshing. In Turkey, you can basically avoid the situation of only eating meat and no vegetables while traveling, which I think is great.
Finally, I have to praise the owner for being very welcoming! In the evening, after the sunset prayer (maghrib), I ran into the owner on the street again. He greeted me first, and I felt very grateful (shukr).
Local coffee and desserts
In the afternoon, I had coffee and dessert at a cozy cafe in Mardin, which had a very local feel. Local Mardin coffee is richer than standard Turkish coffee. It contains orchid root powder (salep) and carob powder (carob), and the local Kurds and Assyrians both enjoy drinking it this way. Tabbaka is a yellow rice pudding invented by the Assyrians. Harire is a brown pudding made from local Mazruna grapes, and we finished with a purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet).
Kurdish flatbread shop
At a Kurdish flatbread shop on the streets of Mardin, the bread is handmade with patterns pressed in by fingers. This flatbread goes well with grilled meat and stews, and restaurants serve it with almost any dish you order.
Traditional Kurdish dance
On the streets of Mardin in the evening, the passionate Kurdish people seem ready to dance at any time. A young man played traditional Kurdish music on a tanbur, and passersby spontaneously gathered to perform the traditional Kurdish dance, Helperkê.
Helperkê is a classic form of traditional Kurdish group dance where everyone holds hands to form an open circle and moves in a ring to the music. Both men and women can join this dance, and everyone can add their own spontaneous movements, reflecting the Kurdish spirit of unity and freedom.
A young Kurdish man sings folk songs while playing the tanbur.
Mardin barbecue
We had a traditional barbecue for dinner at a shop that has been open for 101 years, since 1922. Turkey has not gone through the social changes we saw in the 1950s and 1980s, so it feels common to see old shops that have been passed down through generations for decades or even a century.
Minced meat is charcoal-grilled with green peppers and served with thin flatbread, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, much like Zibo barbecue where you wrap the meat in the bread. The main difference from our barbecue is that we grill chunks of meat and add seasoning while cooking, while they mix the seasoning into the meat paste beforehand and add nothing while grilling.
Kurdish traditional clothing
I took a walk in the old city of Mardin in the evening and bought a traditional Kurdish mesh headscarf (pushi) and baggy trousers (shalwar) at a local Kurdish clothing shop.
Shalwar are traditional baggy trousers introduced to the Middle East from Persia during the Ottoman period, and the word literally means "trousers" in Persian. These trousers are very loose and held at the waist with an elastic band, and they are especially popular in the farming and herding regions of southeastern Anatolia.
The pushi headscarf is called a keffiyeh in Arabic and is common throughout the Middle East as a way to protect against sunburn and sand in arid regions. However, the styles and ways of wearing these headscarves vary across the Middle East. For example, people on the Arabian Peninsula usually wear a black headband (agal) over a plain white headscarf, while Palestinians use a fishnet-patterned headscarf as a symbol of their national identity. Kurdish headscarves, like those of the neighboring Arabs and Yazidis, generally have a black-and-white or red-and-white mesh pattern, and they are worn by rolling up one side to keep them in place. Today, young Kurds in Mardin mostly use the pushi as a scarf.
Assyrian snack shop
In the evening, I ate fried chickpea balls (falafel) and chickpea dip (hummus) at an Assyrian snack shop, served with tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage. The shop is very popular, and the food was truly delicious.
I chatted with the owner and asked if he was Kurdish or Arab, and he told me he was a Syriac. I initially thought he meant he had moved from Syria, but after looking it up, I learned that Syriacs refers to Syrian Christians, which includes all denominations that use Classical Syriac for their rituals. The Church of the East (Jingjiao), which was popular in China during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, was one of these branches. Therefore, the term Syriac today refers to a group that includes several peoples, such as modern Arameans, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
Street view
The old town of Mardin has many shops selling prayer beads (tasbih), and they come in a wide variety of materials.
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This first part covers food, lodging, streets, and everyday travel details while preserving the original facts and photos.
Layover in Istanbul
I flew direct from Beijing to Istanbul on China Southern Airlines and finally arrived at the new Istanbul Airport after a 10-hour flight. This was my first time on such a long direct flight, but the China Southern seats were comfortable enough. I watched two movies, took a nap, and ate two meals, so the time passed without feeling too long. I remember flying from Beijing to Urumqi 10 years ago. Back then, we couldn't use phones and there was no entertainment system. Reading on the plane made me dizzy, and even four hours felt like a very long time.
My last trip to Istanbul was in 2018, when I flew into the old Ataturk Airport. That airport is closed now. I didn't stay at the new airport and transferred directly to a Turkish Airlines flight to Mardin. We took a wrong turn and accidentally went through immigration. We had to go to the departure hall, line up for check-in, go through security, and then enter the domestic departure lounge. Luckily, everything went smoothly without any crowds, and the whole process took less than an hour.
The restaurants in the domestic departure area of the new Istanbul Airport don't have as much variety as the international area, but they are relatively cheaper. I ended up choosing Burger King and got a double beef burger. The burger was huge! I specifically took a photo to compare it with my fist. It feels like there are very few McDonald's or KFCs in Turkey, but there are many Burger Kings on the street, and they are actually quite tasty.
Istanbul Airport also has many branches of the local snack shop Simit Sarayi, where you can grab a Turkish-style cheese sandwich with Turkish black tea.
Historic hotel in Mardin
After a flight of nearly two hours from Istanbul, I arrived in Mardin, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey near the borders of Syria and Iraq. I had already arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up through Agoda, and it took us straight to the hotel in the heart of the old city.
Mardin is located in the Upper Mesopotamia region, upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The entire old city is built on the southern slope of a mountain ridge. At the very top of the cliff sits a thousand-year-old castle, with the terraced stone city built below it. Because of this, you can look out over the Mesopotamian plains from any terrace in the old city, and the view is spectacular.
Our hotel, Maristan Tarihi Konak, is inside a 700-year-old building. It was originally built by Jewish people and is now run by Kurds. Five hundred years ago, many Armenians and Jews lived in the ancient city of Mardin. Today, it is mainly home to Kurds and Arabs, along with a significant number of Assyrian Christians, making the culture very diverse.
The taxi drove into the maze-like alleys of the old city, weaving left and right up very steep slopes, which made us feel quite nervous. The car finally stopped on a slope. Idris, a young Kurdish man from the hotel, greeted us warmly by the roadside. It was a coincidence that my name is also Idris, which is the name of a prophet.
Idris led us further up the stone steps until we finally reached the Maristan Tarihi Konak hotel. I checked online before we left. Most hotels in the old city of Mardin feature stone houses. This one is not on the main road, so it offers better value for money. The reviews also mentioned that the staff are very friendly, and that turned out to be true.
The walls of our stone house are very thick. Even when it is 30 degrees outside in the summer, you do not need air conditioning inside. However, it does not get as much light as a wooden house because the windows are very small. It is very interesting that our door is also very traditional. You have to insert the large key and turn it several times in the opposite direction, which feels very ancient.
We had a very rich breakfast on the hotel terrace. It included four types of cheese, yogurt, two types of olives, honey, fig jam, pomegranate jam, and grape jam. The main staple was not the bread commonly found in Turkey, but Kurdish flatbread (nan).
The manager of Maristan Tarihi Konak is a Kurdish man named Zahit. He took us for a walk through the old city bazaar and pointed out the general direction of various historical sites on the main road, which was very thoughtful. The bazaar in the old city of Mardin is right behind the main road. It is very lively and stays open until 6:30 in the evening. We saw an older man wearing traditional clothing at the bazaar.
The ancient city of Mardin has a very long history. It was called Merida (castle) during the Roman period. It was incorporated into the Arab Empire in 640 and was later ruled in turns by several tribal dynasties of Mesopotamia. After 1085, Mardin was ruled successively by the Seljuk Empire, the Artuqid dynasty, and the Kara Koyunlu dynasty, all established by Oghuz Turkic tribes. It was finally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Assyrian pastries and salty yogurt drink (ayran).
At the old town bazaar, I ate the Mardin specialty Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) and drank the Kurdish version of salty yogurt drink (Doogh).
The Assyrian pastry (Süryani Çöreği) is said to have a 2,000-year history. It is made with 32 different spices and comes in flavors like date and almond. It is a signature food for Assyrian engagement ceremonies. Assyrians have lived on the Mesopotamian plains for 4,000 years. They built a massive Assyrian Empire before 2000 BC, which helped spread Assyrian culture widely. As an important settlement for Assyrians, many of the local delicacies in Mardin were invented by them. Although Assyrians are Christians, they live alongside Kurds and Arabs, so their snacks are safe for Muslims to eat.
Unlike the Turkish version of yogurt drink (ayran) which only uses salt, water, and yogurt, Kurds add dill, mint, and seeds from the Kurdish pistachio tree (Pistacia kurdica) to their (Doogh). Kurds also make a drink called (Ava Mast) by mixing water into milk and adding these same seasonings.
Purple basil sherbet
In another alley, we drank a Turkish summer specialty, purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet). It is made with purple basil, lemon salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a classic drink for Kurds to break their fast during Ramadan. The man selling the sherbet was very friendly. He used Google Translate to chat with us and pointed out the routes to various historical sites. We felt very grateful (alhamdulillah).
Copperware shop
There are many copperware shops in Mardin where you can buy handmade dried fruit plates and coffee pots. It is also popular here to craft the Hand of Fatima (Hamsa). Friends (dosti) in West Asia and North Africa use the right hand of Fatima as an amulet, believing it protects people from the evil eye and other dangers. The palm-shaped amulet dates back to ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It was later adopted by Sephardic Jews and then entered the traditions of Arabs and Berbers, becoming widely spread throughout the Middle East.
Street view of Mardin old town.
Mardin Museum of Life
We visited the Mardin Living Museum (Mardin Yaşayan Müze), which displays various traditional Mardin handicrafts. In the first room, an Assyrian man showed us silver filigree work and made beautiful earrings for us on the spot using silver wire.
In the second room, an Arab man was busy hammering out various copper items.
In the third room, a Kurdish woman sang traditional Kurdish folk songs for us and played the Kurdish frame drum (Daf). The Daf drum has a very long history. It appeared in Assyrian reliefs over 3,000 years ago and was an important instrument in Zoroastrian rituals. The museum's Daf drum features the Zoroastrian symbol, the Faravahar. As an Iranian-speaking group, Zoroastrianism once had a profound influence on Kurdish culture.
I read in reviews that the museum sometimes has Kurdish dance performances, but unfortunately, we missed them when we visited.
Pistachio dessert
In the old city of Mardin, we ate at a century-old Turkish dessert shop called HELVACI ALİ, which opened in 1900. They started opening branches across Turkey and former Ottoman countries in 2018, and now they have 200 locations.
We had the pistachio-flavored sesame fudge (Halva) served with Maraş goat milk ice cream (Maraş Dondurması). This ice cream contains mastic resin and a type of orchid flour called salep.
We also tried a fruit jam flavor that was delicious, containing several fruits like cherries, figs, and oranges.
The founder of HELVACI ALİ was Idris Efendi. He moved from Kosovo to Turkey in 1892 and opened his shop in 1900 to sell Middle Eastern sesame fudge (Halva) and a fermented grain drink (Boza). The business has now been in the family for four generations. Idris's son, Ali, started making Halva with his father after finishing elementary school. Because of his superb skills, people called him Helvaci, which is where the shop's name comes from.
Mardin grilled meat platter
For lunch, we went to the most popular restaurant in the old city of Mardin, Tarihi Sultan Sofrası. They specialize in the Mardin grilled meat platter (Mardin tabağı), which almost every table orders. The platter includes six types of food:
First is Mardin kebab (Mardin Kebabı), made by mixing minced meat with onions, chili peppers, black pepper, and salt before skewering it.
Stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması) is a rotisserie dish that is part of Ottoman cuisine, and it is especially famous in Mardin and Diyarbakır. When eating stuffed lamb ribs (Kaburga dolması), you must pair it with the local specialty pilaf, which is made with onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices.
Fried meatball (İçli Köfte) is a fried meatball that originated from the Levantine kibbeh. The shell is made from crushed bulgur wheat, flour, eggs, pepper, and spices, while the filling consists of minced meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Unlike the spindle-shaped kibbeh found in the Levant, the ones we ate in Mardin were shaped like meat patties.
Vegetable casserole (Güveç) is a clay pot dish containing stewed potatoes, eggplants, green peppers, and other vegetables.
Sembusek, also called Mardin pizza, is a thin meat pie that looks a bit like a sealed Turkish flatbread (Lahmacun). The minced meat filling includes onions, green peppers, parsley, black pepper, and various spices.
Lamb flatbread (Etli ekmek) is a lamb-filled pastry. It is made by mixing lamb mince with dried red chili and spices, kneading it into dough, and baking it in an oven. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looking a bit like a cracker.
Besides this, whenever you order meat here, they always serve a plate of vegetables and a plate of onions. The vegetable plate includes cabbage, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon makes it very refreshing. In Turkey, you can basically avoid the situation of only eating meat and no vegetables while traveling, which I think is great.
Finally, I have to praise the owner for being very welcoming! In the evening, after the sunset prayer (maghrib), I ran into the owner on the street again. He greeted me first, and I felt very grateful (shukr).
Local coffee and desserts
In the afternoon, I had coffee and dessert at a cozy cafe in Mardin, which had a very local feel. Local Mardin coffee is richer than standard Turkish coffee. It contains orchid root powder (salep) and carob powder (carob), and the local Kurds and Assyrians both enjoy drinking it this way. Tabbaka is a yellow rice pudding invented by the Assyrians. Harire is a brown pudding made from local Mazruna grapes, and we finished with a purple basil sherbet (Reyhan Sherbet).
Kurdish flatbread shop
At a Kurdish flatbread shop on the streets of Mardin, the bread is handmade with patterns pressed in by fingers. This flatbread goes well with grilled meat and stews, and restaurants serve it with almost any dish you order.
Traditional Kurdish dance
On the streets of Mardin in the evening, the passionate Kurdish people seem ready to dance at any time. A young man played traditional Kurdish music on a tanbur, and passersby spontaneously gathered to perform the traditional Kurdish dance, Helperkê.
Helperkê is a classic form of traditional Kurdish group dance where everyone holds hands to form an open circle and moves in a ring to the music. Both men and women can join this dance, and everyone can add their own spontaneous movements, reflecting the Kurdish spirit of unity and freedom.
A young Kurdish man sings folk songs while playing the tanbur.
Mardin barbecue
We had a traditional barbecue for dinner at a shop that has been open for 101 years, since 1922. Turkey has not gone through the social changes we saw in the 1950s and 1980s, so it feels common to see old shops that have been passed down through generations for decades or even a century.
Minced meat is charcoal-grilled with green peppers and served with thin flatbread, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, much like Zibo barbecue where you wrap the meat in the bread. The main difference from our barbecue is that we grill chunks of meat and add seasoning while cooking, while they mix the seasoning into the meat paste beforehand and add nothing while grilling.
Kurdish traditional clothing
I took a walk in the old city of Mardin in the evening and bought a traditional Kurdish mesh headscarf (pushi) and baggy trousers (shalwar) at a local Kurdish clothing shop.
Shalwar are traditional baggy trousers introduced to the Middle East from Persia during the Ottoman period, and the word literally means "trousers" in Persian. These trousers are very loose and held at the waist with an elastic band, and they are especially popular in the farming and herding regions of southeastern Anatolia.
The pushi headscarf is called a keffiyeh in Arabic and is common throughout the Middle East as a way to protect against sunburn and sand in arid regions. However, the styles and ways of wearing these headscarves vary across the Middle East. For example, people on the Arabian Peninsula usually wear a black headband (agal) over a plain white headscarf, while Palestinians use a fishnet-patterned headscarf as a symbol of their national identity. Kurdish headscarves, like those of the neighboring Arabs and Yazidis, generally have a black-and-white or red-and-white mesh pattern, and they are worn by rolling up one side to keep them in place. Today, young Kurds in Mardin mostly use the pushi as a scarf.
Assyrian snack shop
In the evening, I ate fried chickpea balls (falafel) and chickpea dip (hummus) at an Assyrian snack shop, served with tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage. The shop is very popular, and the food was truly delicious.
I chatted with the owner and asked if he was Kurdish or Arab, and he told me he was a Syriac. I initially thought he meant he had moved from Syria, but after looking it up, I learned that Syriacs refers to Syrian Christians, which includes all denominations that use Classical Syriac for their rituals. The Church of the East (Jingjiao), which was popular in China during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, was one of these branches. Therefore, the term Syriac today refers to a group that includes several peoples, such as modern Arameans, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
Street view
The old town of Mardin has many shops selling prayer beads (tasbih), and they come in a wide variety of materials.
Halal Travel Guide: Mardin — Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian Food and Lodging (Part 2)
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 10 views • 16 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This second part continues the food and lodging notes with the original order and images preserved.
The empty streets of the old city of Mardin at dawn. view all
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This second part continues the food and lodging notes with the original order and images preserved.
The empty streets of the old city of Mardin at dawn. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This second part continues the food and lodging notes with the original order and images preserved.
The empty streets of the old city of Mardin at dawn.
Summary: Mardin is a stone-built city above the Mesopotamian plain where Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Muslim communities share a deep local food culture. This second part continues the food and lodging notes with the original order and images preserved.
The empty streets of the old city of Mardin at dawn.