Limestone buildings cascade down the rocky hill, tumbling to the Mesopotamian Plain far below. Between these heritage homes, a labyrinth of tight cobblestone lanes wind up and down the slope. Spread along the top of the long cliff sit the remains of Mardin Castle. As soon a we saw this historic site from below, we knew Mardin’s Medieval Old Town was going to be a great city to explore.
Old Town
Like many cities in Turkey, Mardin has been inhabited by many different civilizations as early as the 11th century BCE. Its location on a rocky ridge above the Mesopotamian Plain meant it was ideally positioned and therefore coveted by many leaders. Today Mardin’s Old Town is a blend of these varied civilizations, but the majority of buildings were built between the 12th to 15th centuries during the Artuqid Dynasty. These Turkic people were closely allied with the Seljuks, and a lot of their buildings have similar styles, although not nearly as elegant. You can read more about the Seljuk architecture in our post about Erzurum.
Staying in an 800 year old mansion in the middle of Mardin’s Old Town gave us the perfect vantage point to begin our exploration of this magnificent city. Walking up and down the narrow streets, is like walking in an open-air museum. We wandered through tight lanes, up and down uneven stairways and through covered passages making us feel like we had stepped back in time.
Some buildings were decorated with stone carvings, others had perfectly arched stones gates in front of their doors. All of this added to the magic of this perfect old town. You could easily spend a few days exploring its winding streets.
1. Cadde
Old Town is still a living part of the city so you have to forgive its busy 1. Cadde (1st Street) packed with cars, tourists, shops and cafes. One block on either side of 1. Cadde and all is forgotten because you are back in the Middle Ages.
In Canada we often see groups of men sitting together in our national coffeeshop chain, Tim Hortons. We saw this a lot in Turkey too and started calling these meetings the ‘Tim Hortons of Turkey’.
Amid all of the fantastic buildings in Old Town Mardin are a few notable ones that shouldn’t be missed.
Zinciriye Madrasa
Built in 1336 by the last sultan of the Artuqid Dynasty, Zinciriye Madrasa is located near the top of the hill. During his reign, the Artuqid Sultan fought with Amir Timur. This is the leader of the Timurid Dynasty that we learned about in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. During this battle, the Artuqid Sultan was imprisoned in this madrasa. It seems ironic that it was the very building that he ordered to be built.
The madrasa doesn’t have as many design elements as we’d come to expect from Seljuk architecture. On the first floor, the only intersecting features in the mosque are the muqarnas above the windows and interesting tilework around the mihrab.
The most interesting feature in the entire madrasa is seen from above. A pair of matching sliced domes are best viewed from the top floor. If you climb the hill above the madrasa you have an even better view of the domes as well as Old Town and the Mesopotamian Plain, far below. This view is the best reason to visit Zinciriye Madrasa.
Entrance fee – 10 TRY (35 cents USD) (as of Autumn 2023); Opening hours – 8 am – 6 pm
Mardin Castle
A castle has been on the top of this rocky cliff for at least 3,000 years. What we see today was originally built in the 10th century by the Hamdanid Dynasty, and was added on to by successive rulers. During the Armenian genocide in 1915, Ottoman rulers used Mardin Castle as a prison for Christian Armenians.
The castle is almost a kilometer long and can been seen from most parts of the Old Town and even from newer Mardin below. Although not much is left of the old fortress, it provides a great back drop to the Old City.
Unfortunately the castle is not open for tourists. It is currently used by the Turkish military and houses a radar operated by NATO.
Mardin Churches
Even though the rulers of this land were mostly Muslim, a large population of Syriac and Armenian Christians lived in the area. A few of their historic churches are still standing in Old Town Mardin. We saw even more when we visited the nearby city of Midyat.
Church of the Forty Martyrs
This 4th century Syriac Orthodox Church received its name because the bones of 40 Orthodox martyrs were brought to the church.
The building is quite pretty with detailed carvings on its exterior walls. Inside, multiple stone pillars break up the large room. Unfortunately pictures are not allowed inside.
Note: Church of the Forty Martyrs is also called Mor Behnam and Kirkler Church.
Entrance is free
St. Hirmiz Chaldean Church
Chaldeans are Catholics of Syriac descent from the Mesopotamian Region. The 4th century church, also known as Mar Hirmiz Keldani Kilisesi, is lovely building with vaulted ceilings, a chandelier and a brightly colourfed altar surrounded by tapestry.
Entrance fee – 2 TRY (70 cents USD)
Mardin Protestant Church
This is a reasonably new building for such a historic area. Even though it’s considered young in Mardin, the 160 year old church is one of the oldest protestant churches in Asia. It feels a bit like a castle inside with rough stone walls and vaulted arches.
Entrance is free
Mardin’s Mosques and Minarets
Of course, given its location and the number of Muslim rulers, there are a lot of historic mosques in Mardin. Many of them are behind high stone walls, or hidden in the nooks and crannies of the streets and sidewalks. That means that for most of them we could only see their minarets reaching high above the other buildings.
Ulu Camii (Grand Mosque) was originally built in 1176 by the Artuqid Dynasty. Its design includes a sliced domed roof that is said to have set the standard for mosques built during their reign. The mosque and minaret have been destroyed and rebuilt many times. The decorated minaret we see today is from the late 1800s.
Every morning from our hotel we ate our breakfast in the shade cast by the 14th century Minaret of Şehidiye Mosque.
In addition to these, there are many more including the 14th century Melik Mahmut Mosque on the edge of Old Town. At the base of the hill, Şeyh Muhammed Zırrar Mezarlığı and cemetery gave us lovely views of the city and castle above.
Mardin Post Office
Built in 1890, Mardin Post Office is one of the prettiest buildings in town. A grand, stone staircase leads up to the 2nd floor where carved stone frames decorate the archways and windows. The second floor courtyard offers great views of the castle above as well as Mesopotamia and Şehidiye Mosque Minaret below.
Entrance fee – 10 TRY (35 cents USD) (As of Autumn 2023)
Mardin Museum
The museum is set in a lovely 19th century building that was built as an office building by the Syriac Orthodox church. It has a similar exterior to the post office building. The original Syriac Church can still be seen on the grounds, but its behind a tall wall and isn’t open for visitors.
Inside, the museum has artifacts and information from early Mesopotamian civilizations dating as far back as the Paleolithic era (2 ½ million to 11,700 years ago).
Entrance fee – 90 TRY ($3.10 USD) (As of Autumn 2023)
Where to stay in Mardin
Make sure you stay in Old Town. The modern city below the hill doesn’t hold much interest for most visitors. We really enjoyed staying in Dara Konagi, an 800 year old mansion. From the hotel terrace we had amazing views toward the Mesopotamian Plain, Mardin Castle and Old Town. The decor inside the hotel made it feel like we were staying in a museum.
Where to eat in Mardin
Located on the busy 1. Cadde, Seyr-i Mardin has good Turkish food with large portions. The best part of the restaurant are the views, especially at night when the castle and minarets are lit. If you want pizza, burgers and beer, we suggest Taus Restaurant.
Getting to Mardin
The closest airport is Dr. Aziz Sancar Airport. It is 20 km away in the city of Kızıltepe. Minibuses run between the airport and Old Town.
Mardin is also easily accessible by bus from neighbouring parts of Turkey. The highways and bus system in Turkey are excellent. The Otogar (Bus depot) is at the base of Old Town, but due to the one-way main road in Old Town, the drive to your hotel will take about 20 minutes and cost a lot more than the taxi ride back to the station. There are public mini-buses that run between Old Town and part of the new city.
Note– Prices are from Autumn 2023, but prices throughout Turkey were escalating quickly so these may be out dated.
This article is now featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Mardin.
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Coming Next – Best Day Trips from Mardin
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