Mardin City and Travel Guide

Located between Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Mardin is one of the most curious cities of the Southeastern Anatolia Region. The city, where you will go on time travel with its unique architecture, has a long history with its structure that embraces different religions. It has borders with Turkey’s most populous city with 26 mardinsuri to. According to TUIK’s 2016 data, the area of ​​Mardin, where 796,237 people live, is 8,858 square kilometers. There are 10 districts in Mardin, especially Kızıltepe, Midyat, Dargeçit, Yeşilli, Nusaybin, Ömerli, Derik, Mazıdağı and Midyat. Mardin, located on the Silk Road, is one of the oldest cities of Upper Mesopotamia. The findings obtained in the excavations around Artuklu University in the city, whose history is estimated to date back 3,000 years, point to the Paleolithic Age. Findings belonging to the Polished Stone Age were found in the excavations around Boncuklu Tarla in Dargeçit district, and from the Chalcolithic Age in the excavations made in Kerküşti Höyük. In addition, there are ruins dating to the Bronze Age and Iron Age in different parts of the city. After being under the rule of Assyria in 2000 BC, Mardin came under the sovereignty of Hittites, Urartu and Medes. Although Alexander, who conquered Iran and Anatolia in the 4th century BC, dominated the region for a while, Persians and Sassanids dominated the region after the death of Alexander. Although the Roman Empire struggled with Iran for a long time in order to dominate the Eastern and Northeastern Anatolian lands from the 1st century AD, they could not establish a full domination in the region and the region came under the rule of Byzantium. Hz. During the caliphate of Ali in 640, Mardin was conquered by the Islamic armies and joined the Islamic state, and with the 1071 Malazgirt Victory, the region became Turks. From this date, an intense Turkmen influx started in the Mardin region, and the city, which came under the rule of the Artuklu Principality in 1103, remained under the rule of Mardin Artukluları, which was established by Ilgazi Bey, for 300 years. Later, in 1517, when the Ayyubils, Anatolian Seljuks, Ilkhanians, Karakoyunlu and Akkoyunlu ruled, Mardin joined the lands of the Ottoman Empire after the Çaldıran War.

Although the British and French wanted to be occupied by the British and the French during the War of Independence, the Mardinites defended the city by resisting and saved it from occupation. There are different opinions about where the name of the city, which gained the title of “Metropolitan” with the law enacted in 2012, came from. According to some, the word Merde, which means “City of Castles”, comes from Mardeler, which was settled in this region in the 3rd century by Ardashir, a warrior tribe, according to others. In Arabic sources, the city is mentioned as Maridin.

Mardin’s economy is largely based on agriculture, animal husbandry and trade. Close to 80% of the population works in the agricultural sector. Further development is expected in the agricultural sector with the introduction of modern agricultural tools. The main products grown in the Mardin region are wheat, barley, chickpeas and rice. Vegetable cultivation is carried out around the Tigris River. Tomato, eggplant, watermelon, melon, grape and pomegranate are the most grown vegetables and fruits. Mardin is also known as the land of grapes. It takes fourth place in Turkey in grape exports. Although animal husbandry has an important place in the economy, the city is not rich in forest assets. Only lignite and phosphate are operated as mines. The province has not developed much in terms of industry. Even if the feed, flour, textile and cement factories were established with the support of the state after 1968, it is not sufficient. The tourism sector has been adversely affected by the terrorist incidents in the city, but has recently started to develop in terms of tourism again. Turks, Kurds, Assyrians, Christians, Arabs and Yazidis live together in Mardin, which is called the city of religions and languages. This cultural richness is reflected in the fabric of the city. It is possible to see mosques, madrasas, tombs, caravanserais, churches and monasteries side by side. The city where you can admire the unique Mesopotamian view is the cradle of tolerance and civilizations. Mardin, which looks like an open-air museum, is waiting for those who want to go on a journey of history and culture.