Mardin blends into the hillside on the Mespotamia Plains

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Part of an article to be published in the Weekend Argus Travel supplement in 2007

Other travellers had recommended the city of Mardin, and it was there that I headed the next day. Crossing the endless Mesopotamia Plains I was suddenly taken aback by an amazing sight. Blending into the hillside, rising in tiers were tightly packed honey-coloured houses topped by a 10^thC citadel.

Later, when scorching temperatures dropped, I explored the maze of lanes passing under the tunnels of houses. Exhausted, I gave up my quest to reach the castle (later finding that it’s a military zone), and enjoyed a cold Efes (beer), pistachios and endless views across the Plains, in spitting distance of Syria, broken byMardin’s oldest mosque Ulu Camii, built in 1186.

Woken early by the heat, out and about, exploring what Mardin had to offer, I passed through a carved portal of the 14^thC Isa Bey Medrese climbing to the roof for a better view of the Plains.

Mardin is known for its bazaar, a warren of alleys and stairs where tightly packed stalls are noisy with shouting bearded vendors wearing salvar (baggy pants) selling carpets, clothing and food. Aromas of freshly baked bread, strawberries and spices drift by as Syrian orthodox goldsmiths and Muslim copperworkers beat their trade, side by side as customers jostle with donkeys decked in woven ropes and saddlebags.

Travelling in this part of Turkey requires resilience and is not for the faint hearted, but if you are willing to embrace the unpredictable then Mesopotamia will reward you with a treasure of memories.

DETAILS:

Fly with Egyptair, Air Kenya, Iberia, Olympic. Visas cost GBP20 at Istanbul’s airport.

There are plenty of regular buses from all major cities within Turkey, as well as accommodation in various price ranges.