We planned to finish our time in eastern Turkey with quick stops in Mardin and Diyarbakir before heading to the mountainous Lake Van area. When we arrived in Mardin, however, we learned that a 7.2-magnitude earthquake had struck Van, claiming the lives of over 600 people, injuring more than 4,000, and devastating the region’s infrastructure. Instead of continuing east, therefore, we extended our stay in Diyarbakir and then flew back to Istanbul early to spend our last few days in Turkey.
Mardin, where we spent just one night, lies 20 miles from the Syrian border and 100 miles from Iraq. The old part of town is sunbaked and dusty, with several pretty mosques and a large bazaar. There is definitely more of a Middle Eastern feel here than elsewhere in Turkey, no doubt due to its geography. Sitting on a high promontory overlooking the plains of Mesopotamia, it was a great spot from which to admire the vast expanse of the “fertile crescent.”
From Mardin we moved on to Diyarbakir, the heart of Kurdish Turkey. Though there are an estimated 15 million Kurdish people living in Turkey, their cultural and linguistic identities have been basically denied by the Turkish government and, understandably, there is tension between the Kurdish people and the Turkish government. Diyarbakir has a somewhat bad reputation around Turkey because people associate the city with the actions of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), a frequently violent organization tied to the Kurdish separatist movement Aware of this history and reputation, we were somewhat wary of the city at first, but ultimately didn’t think it was all that different from other Turkish cities that we visited. It may have been poorer than anywhere else we visited in Turkey, it lacked the Ataturk statues that sat ubiquitously at every street corner and square in other cities, and fewer people spoke English, but the people were as friendly and open as anywhere else (though they were quick to identify as Kurdish and point out they were not Turkish).
During our longer-than-expected stay in Diyarbakir we explored the city walls (supposedly second most extensive in the world after the Great Wall of China), mosques, churches and bazaars. We were glad to get to visit this Kurdish center and are thankful to our friend Sozdar, a native of Diyarbakir, who helped inspire our visit and recommended some lovely restaurants for us to try during our stay!
Click on the photo below to view our Mardin and Diyarbakir photo album.
Mardin, where we spent just one night, lies 20 miles from the Syrian border and 100 miles from Iraq. The old part of town is sunbaked and dusty, with several pretty mosques and a large bazaar. There is definitely more of a Middle Eastern feel here than elsewhere in Turkey, no doubt due to its geography. Sitting on a high promontory overlooking the plains of Mesopotamia, it was a great spot from which to admire the vast expanse of the “fertile crescent.”
From Mardin we moved on to Diyarbakir, the heart of Kurdish Turkey. Though there are an estimated 15 million Kurdish people living in Turkey, their cultural and linguistic identities have been basically denied by the Turkish government and, understandably, there is tension between the Kurdish people and the Turkish government. Diyarbakir has a somewhat bad reputation around Turkey because people associate the city with the actions of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), a frequently violent organization tied to the Kurdish separatist movement Aware of this history and reputation, we were somewhat wary of the city at first, but ultimately didn’t think it was all that different from other Turkish cities that we visited. It may have been poorer than anywhere else we visited in Turkey, it lacked the Ataturk statues that sat ubiquitously at every street corner and square in other cities, and fewer people spoke English, but the people were as friendly and open as anywhere else (though they were quick to identify as Kurdish and point out they were not Turkish).
During our longer-than-expected stay in Diyarbakir we explored the city walls (supposedly second most extensive in the world after the Great Wall of China), mosques, churches and bazaars. We were glad to get to visit this Kurdish center and are thankful to our friend Sozdar, a native of Diyarbakir, who helped inspire our visit and recommended some lovely restaurants for us to try during our stay!
Click on the photo below to view our Mardin and Diyarbakir photo album.
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