The Mezopotamian city: Mardin

Mardin is one of the poetic cities of Southeastern Anatolia which gives the impression that time stands with its architectural, ethnographic, archaeological, historical and visual values. During the excavations in the region, Mardin was settled in a classical sense starting from 450 BC; Subari, Hurri, Sumerian, Akkadian, Mitani, Hittite, Assyrian, Scythian, Babylonian, Persian, Makkedonya, Abgar, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Seljuk, Artuqid and Ottoman period is an important open-air museum that can blend many structures. The city has many important areas for scientific excavations. As a result, the history of the city will be presented better.

Charming View of Mardin

There are many myths about the name of Mardin; J.A.Dupre’ and J.Von Hammer describe that the word Marde relates to the Mardes, a warring tribe and that the Martes was placed here by Arshedir (226-241), an Iranian ruler. The similarity between the names of the city and the tribe, the worship of the Yazidis living in the Mazıdağı region, and the continuation of an old Iranian pineapple are proof that the Mardes, who worship evil for evil, have been placed. Although C.Ritter posts this statement, it looks suspicious.
In Most Sources: Mardin’s real name is “Merdin”. Because most of the people say that today. This name means “castles”. The reason for this name is given to the city because there are many castles nearby. Birds Nest, Eagle Castle or Eagle Nest, which is Mardin Castle, Kal’at ül Mara Castle located in Old castle village, Arur Castle and Erdemeşt Castle in the northeast of Deyrulzafaran monastery.
VII. Theophilaktos Simokattes and Historian Procopius, who wrote the history of the Emperor Maoricius (1582-602) in the 18th century, and Georgius Cyprius, the same geographer; It is stated that Merdin in Armenian sources, Merdo, Merdi, Marda and Mardin are found in Syriac sources and that the differences in Syriac spelling stem from the differences in certain, vague and plural forms of this word.
Many names have been used for Mardin in history. These are Erdobe, Tidu, Merdin, Merdö, Merdi, Merda, Merde, Eagle’s Nest, Birds’ Nest, Mardin.

Street of Mardin

The main actor of the narrow streets decorated with centuries-old Mardin mansions, which stone men are stitched with dazzling elegance çocuklar Dozens of black eyes at every corner, watching, hearing and speaking… They are the eyes of Mesopotamia. An exuberant choir that welcomes every stranger in the stone streets that have witnessed countless civilizations with ‘hello’ sounds … Whoever they come from, wherever they come from, the playground they see on the streets of Mardin they know, they cannot hide the innocence of childhood. Don’t settle for touching or caressing your cheeks, join in their games. Let them tell you the secrets of Mardin…

Multicultural Heritage

Old Mardin seems like a city in a fairy tale

Faisal, Gabriel, and Bejan… It is their friendship like the fate of Mardin, which has lived the Turkish, Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian brotherhood for centuries üzere As it is seen in Mardin, the number of people who speak three languages ​​in their families is high. In addition to the Turkish language they developed at school, some of them speak Kurdish because of their mother and some speak Arabic because of their father. They are grandchildren of ancient civilizations. As we make friends with children in Mardin, we understand that being in Mardin means breathing in a multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-lingual city. In one part of the conversation, they talk about the most colorful entertainment of the Mardin nights, which are likened to a glittering necklace worthy of princesses, as old storytellers. You know, one of the folk poets who gather the children around him in a different house every night and tell old-time stories for hours without getting tired. With the enthusiasm for learning the language of the stones, it is necessary to go after the children and dive into the streets of Mardin, which resembles a giant maze. The only thing that contradicts the homogeneous structure of the city, when you climb up and down the main avenue, is the narrow, damp streets. You are now safe in short cut tunnels called ‘abbara’, which pass under windy terraces and connect the streets. You’re a kid on a stone staircase, walking up and down. When you are a guest on a house terrace, you are as spacious and unobstructed as possible. Just like the children of Mardin…

Crossroads of Religions

The oldest mosque in Mardin: Grand Mosque

Mardin stands like a glamorous ornament made by a skilled hand around the castle, which resembles a giant ring stone on the banks of the Diyarbakır Basin. Again a child’s face in every photo frame. Following the eternity of the Mardin Plain; children selling handkerchiefs, clasps, amulets, necklaces and waiting for their craftsmen in front of silver processing workshops med. During the day, some of the greatest entertainment for tourists. They’re the amateur guides who turn around without a second. Even if you have guide books with you, if you give them one or two pounds, they will tell you all day long without bothering you about Mardin. They start right away to tell the city: Kırklar Church, this is the Deyrulzafaran Monastery, directly opposite Kasımiye Madrasa, this is the Great Mosque … On one side is the Revaklı Bazaar and the Bakırcılar Bazaar. This is the Mardin Castle … here is the view of all Mardin houses and terraces, more or less the same angle; The dizzying disorder of the Upper Mesopotamian Plain karşı An ancient city resembling a head aggravated by the hum of thousands of thoughts against the immobility of the plain. The most ideal place for those who want to dive into the sea is the domed roof of Zinciriye Madrasah at the foot of the castle. Newcomers to the city must breathe here before leaving themselves in the maze of streets.

Fourties Church

The Blessings of the East
As we run after our tireless ‘little friends’, our way falls to the market area, which spans a vast area south of the main road. Here, not only beautiful velvets but all kinds of embroidered and non-embroidered fabrics, shawls and headscarves brought from the Middle East, Indian work sunken, black and red pushiles from Syria, in short, it is not difficult to come across something for every taste. The bazaar area, where the children look with curious eyes as if looking at a giant fairground, still bears the traces of the commercial vigour that Mardin once had. As you stroll through the streets divided by different craft groups, you will hear a velvet-like, soft but deep and accent dialect everywhere. Here, you may think yourself in an old Middle Eastern or North African city. Today, the main street in the city has become a kind of bazaar where traditional and modern shops are combined. We keep up with the dream world of children and turn to the Mardin souvenir photos in the showcases of studios that attract much attention on the main road. Studio showcases, most of which are adorned with city photographs in the lights of the night, and Mardin photographs exhibit pleasure. Following the rhythmic melody of a full hammer, we find ourselves at Bakırcılar Bazaar this time. Copper, craftsmen in the hands of bracks, trays, into the conversion of coffee pots; we witness the child’s eyes adorned with fine patterns Kal The tinners, who breathe the same grey air all day long, are side by side with the coppersmiths. But these traditional shops with wooden shutters, one by one, cannot resist time.

Dara Antique City

Poetry of Stone
The traditional Mardin houses continue to preserve all the subtlety of the past, stubbornness to the multi-storey reinforced concrete buildings of the New City, which resemble grumpy children who are pulling the skirts of the city. Mardin, which carries the medieval elegance to the present day, owes the silhouette of the stone houses to the Assyrians and the craftsmanship to the Armenian craftsmen. If you have visited Cercis Murat Konağı, Erdoba Houses and Cebburilerin Evi which is now used as Gazipaşa Elementary School, you should drop your way to elegant mansions of Mardin’s long-standing families such as Munganlar, Ensariler, and Tatlıdedeler. You can even knock on the door and make a guest into a Mardin house. Don’t be surprised if they set up a Halil İbrahim Sofrası in Mardin houses decorated with heavy embroidered furniture, built-in glass cabinets, chandeliers, barbecues, and giant mirrors. As a closed type of lahmacun, symbolic, boiled stuffed meatballs, stuffed ribs, walnut sausage, sumac sherbet, Mardin people who do not miss the ‘mırrası’ in the place and after dinner, it is like an official gateway to the mystical tastes of the East. The best thing to do after an unforgettable feast is to go after our little friends …

Deyrüzzaferân Monastery

Bazaar, Mirra, Pigeon

Have a delicious Turkish Coffeee in Mardin


At every step, passing through narrow damp streets, nested bazaars; with the doors, gavels and carved windows, we meet the historical texture of the city, which has been transformed into a poem of stone. Until a short downpour stopped this game. While the masonry waits for the rain to stop under the eaves of a mansion, our guide Faisal grabs our hands and drags us through an old door. Among the workshops in the Carpenters’ Bazaar, this is an artisan coffee barely noticed by the entrance gate. You can buy Turkish Coffee which still protects their old secrets for hundreds of years from our website: https://sultanofbazaar.com/product-category/beverages/coffee/turkish-coffee/

The depictions of the Virgin Mary and Arabic verses coexist on the walls of the coffee, which is often used by the elderly. In the morning, the stone walls are washed with a saffron yellow light, and the goers sitting on wooden tables and chairs play with pleasure and dive into sweet conversations all day. Then, our ‘mırra’, which is the traditional bitter coffee of the region, is filled with tiny cups from traditional coffee pots called ‘güm güm’. The pigeons, the symbol of peace that quickly plunged to the ground and then rolled over by minarets, mingled in the deep blue sky, the sun slowly paints the vast Mardin Plain in purple… *http://www.artuklu.edu.tr/sosyal-tesisler/tarihi

You can buy handmade rosaries and misbahas made in Mardin from our website: https://sultanofbazaar.com/product-category/decor-and-gift/rosary-tesbih-misbaha/

Handmade Rosary

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