(CNN) — Donkeys meander through narrow streets past doorways and through low arches, suddenly braying around corners at startled tourists as residents imperturbably carry on their way.
Ancient stone walls echo with the soft murmurs of conversations in Arabic, Syriac, Armenian, Kurdish, Torani, Turkish and Aramaic, an ancient Semitic language once believed to be used by Jesus.
This is Mardin, a city in southeastern Turkey where thousands of years of history are visible around every corner.
Seen from above, Mardin’s glittering white-gold buildings form a row of terraces built on a hill that overlooks the plains to present-day Syria, but the city was once part of Mesopotamia, an area bordered by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
Located where great civilizations such as the Sumerians and Babylonians came to power, Mardin has a complex history.
change hands
There is history and culture around every corner in Mardin.
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At one time or another, almost everyone had a piece of Mardin. Nabataean Arabs called it their home from 150 BCE to 250 CE, but by the 4th century it was an important Syriac Christian settlement, founded by the Assyrians. Then came the Romans and Byzantines.
In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks began to make it their own, but were thwarted by the arrival of the Artuqid Turkmen in the 12th century.
This dynasty, originally from northern Iraq (Diyarbakır in present-day Turkey), held the reins for three hundred years, until the Mongols took control. They were in turn replaced by a Persian Turkmen monarchy.
Surprisingly, when the Ottoman sultan Selim the Grim took over in 1517, a Christian population still lived in the town. Today, Mardin has a unique atmosphere and taste due to this diverse ethnic and religious background.
Despite its old references, Mardin is a vibrant and dynamic city where the past lives on in the present.
Take Kırklar Kilisesi, also known as Mor Behnam, one of the Seven Syrian Orthodox Churches. Originally built in 569 CE, the Church of the Forty Martyrs, as it is called in English, got its name when the relics of 40 martyrs were brought here in 1170.
Architecturally, the church is simplicity itself. Outside is an elegant domed bell tower topped by a cross in a rectangular courtyard bordered by golden stone walls. Services take place regularly inside, part of an unbroken tradition that has been performed by Aramean Christians for over 700 years.
Queen of the Snakes
A few blocks away is the Mardin Protestant Church built by American believers over 150 years ago and now has an active congregation after being closed for nearly 60 years, while shop windows are decorated with paintings of the Shahmaran.
The mythical half-snake, half-woman Shahmaran gets its name from Persian. Shah means king (or in this case queen) and mar is snake, so the Shahmaran was queen of the snakes. According to Anatolian folklore, she lived in Mardin.
The decorations on the Abdullatif Mosque from 1371 are in stark contrast to the austerity of the churches.
The two large portals are so finely carved that it is hard to believe that they are made of solid stone. A recessed stalactite carving forms the focal point, with vertical and horizontal patterned stone framing.
The Deyrulzafaran (House of Saffron) Monastery is the original seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate.
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The mosque is a sublime architectural example from the Artuqid period, while Zinciriye Medresesi, a religious school from 1385, is another. Also known as İsa Bey Medresesi after the last Artuqid sultan, the seminary has an imposing doorway with exquisite masonry technique. The ridges on the stone domes on the roof make them appear lighter than air. Pretty gardens lead to a small mosque with an ornately carved mihrab niche leading towards Mecca.
Also worth a look is the post office, for good reason. Converted for public use in the 1950s, it came to the attention of domestic tourists in the early 2000s when it was used as the setting for the highly popular Turkish miniseries ‘Sıla’.
The building was originally designed as a private residence by the Armenian architect Sarkis Elyas Lole in 1890. Stairs lead through a small arch to a large terrace overlooking the Şehidiye Mosque to the empty plains beyond.
Lole also built the 1889 cavalry barracks that now house the Sakıp Sabanci Mardin City Museum. The displays include lifelike tableaux and contemporary exhibits that provide a clear picture of everyday life in Mardin, both past and present.
Located in the former Assyrian Catholic Patriarchate from 1895, the Mardin Museum represents ancient history through artifacts from Mesopotamia and Assyria, Roman mosaics, and Ottoman artifacts.
Underground Sanctuary
Mardin is said to take its name from the hilltop fortifications.
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Walk in any direction and the streets of Mardin offer beautiful statues, none more so than Ulu Camii, the Great Mosque. Though founded by the Seljuks, its current form is largely due to the Artuqid ruler Beg II Ghazi II.
He commissioned new works in 1176, with more completed by the Ottomans in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The surface of the mosque’s only surviving minaret is embellished with Seljuk, Artuqid, and Ottoman inscriptions. This obsession with detail is reflected in tel kare, the filigree silver jewelery sold in many of the shops, although most of the pieces are produced in family businesses in neighboring Midyat.
A few miles out of town, the gloomy but majestic Deyrulzafaran (House of Saffron) Monastery and the original seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate is a must-see. This large walled complex is built on a site dedicated to the worship of the sun.
Though destroyed by the Persians and then looted by the 14th-century Mongol-Turkish conqueror Tamerlane, the original underground sanctuary still exists.
Guided tours lead visitors through beautifully carved 300-year-old wooden doors, past inscriptions in Syriac, ancient wooden palanquins and thrones, hand-embroidered Bible scenes and other religious paraphernalia. The simple rooms accommodate the pious services held in Aramaic.
Meanwhile, since 1986, excavations have been underway at Dara, an important military city in eastern Rome, about 30 kilometers outside of Mardin.
The finds are plentiful to say the least. The most recent was an olive workshop from the sixth century. This confirms that the city was an important production and trade center for olive oil, as well as the site of numerous military conflicts.
Many underground reservoirs left over from Mesopotamia’s original irrigation system are open to the public. One is so huge that the locals refer to it as zindan, a dungeon, and tell stories of it being used as a prison. It descends 25 feet underground with access through the basement of a village house, provided you can find the man with the key.
Back in Mardin, another ancient attraction is the castle – during the Roman period, the town was called Marida, an ancient Neo-Aramaic word meaning fortress.
The stronghold is very high above the city and although a path leads almost to the gates, it is not open to the public. Some may find the effort (and risk of sunstroke in the summer) worth it for the amazing view.
Others may prefer to stay in town and enjoy a glass of wine. Most of the local winemakers are Assyrians. They follow ancient traditions and use regional grapes to produce wines that are completely different from those found elsewhere in the country. Definitely a fitting way to salute Mardin’s multicultural mix.
