Mardin witnesses influx of tourists

MARDİN

Türkiye’s southeastern province of Mardin hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year for its natural beauties and local delicacies, as well as its history, culture and faith tourism. The city has recently witnessed a surge in visitors as the temperature is above the seasonal norms.

While the number of tourists, which was 2.15 million last year, is expected to exceed 3 million this year, Mardin Tourism and Hoteliers Association President Özgür Azad Gürgör said that they have achieved their goal of spreading city tourism to 12 months.

Many historical and cultural sites, such as the Mardin Museum, Kasımiye Madrasah, Deyrulzafaran Monastery and the ancient city of Dara, one of the important settlements of ancient Mesopotamia, are among the most visited places in Mardin.

Gürgör noted that Mardin, the city of civilizations, is a special province with its culture, structure and beliefs, and that is why there is high demand, and stated that guests coming from metropolitan cities as well as nearby provinces throughout the four seasons enjoy the beauty of the city.

“We hosted nearly 650,000 tourists accommodated in the city in 2023. We have many daily guests, according to the statistics from the entrances to Deyrulzafaran Monastery and Kasımiye Madrasah. Our main goal is 1 million accommodations. We think we will reach this goal by the end of 2024,” he said.

The city’s street musicians, who sing folk songs and songs in Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish and Syriac, have become the center of attention of tourists.

Farıs Gerici, one of these musicians, said that they attract a lot of attention from tourists who come to the historical city, and sometimes they perform the songs asked by their listeners.

City attractions

One of the tourist attractions in Marcin, the ancient city of Dara, was founded by the Eastern Roman Empire in order to protect their border against the Sasanian or Neo-Persian Empire.

The ruins, featuring ancient rock tombs dating back to the fifth century A.D., have been compared to the famed city of Ephesus in Aegean Türkiye, giving it the nickname the “Ephesus of Mesopotamia.”

An important settlement along the famed Silk Road, the city served as the last stronghold of the Byzantine Empire in southeastern Anatolia.

The necropolis (city of the dead), where religious ceremonies were held during the Roman era and hundreds of people were buried together, is one of the most popular spots in the ancient site.

Another significant attraction in the city, the history of Deyrulzafaran Monastery, also known as Mor Hananyo Monastery, is a significant site for Assyrian belief located approximately 5 kilometers from Mardin. The monastery is situated on a hillside, providing a stunning view over Upper Mesopotamia.

The Kasımiye Madrasah, which attracts attention in terms of its plan features, stone workmanship and ornamentation motifs, is located within a social complex with a mosque and a tomb. There is a fountain and a large pool in the courtyard of the madrasah. It is one of the largest buildings in Mardin.

Stone and ceramic artifacts of Mesopotamian civilizations, dating from the Assyrian, Byzantine, Artuqid and Ottoman eras, are on display in the Mardin Museum, located in the ancient town square. There is also an Arkeopark, where educational classes and activities for children are held, as well as an amphitheater for 500 persons, in the front yard of the museum.