Mardin
Mardin is a jewel of a city, unforgettable for its yellow sandstone houses and buildings. The city is nested on the shoulder of a large monolith of rock, with a fantastic () castle from the () century. The city has a unique feeling, being made up of an almost equal number of kurds and arabs, you really feel yourself at the meeting point of cultures. The city is not only famous for it’s beautiful architecture, but also for the produce on sale here. The streets are lined with shops, selling silver and gold jewelery, locally grown nuts, and the famous Mardin olive oil soap.
Pigeons fly above the golden city - with a skyline of arabesque mosques and syrrian church spires - and with views south over the syrian plains Mardin is a unique location, with a definite middle-eastern atmosphere, much more similar to cities in Syria than Istanbul or Ankara.
Mardin is perched at the edge of a plateau in southeastern Turkey overlooking the swelteringMesopotamian plain 95 km (59 miles) south of Diyarbakir.
Mardin is a provincial capital (population 62,000, altitude 1325 m/4347 feet) and an ancient town built of sandstone with some interesting old buildings, including the medieval Sultan Isa Medresesi (1385), Kasim Pasha Medresesi (1400s), the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque, 1000s), and a rambling bazaar.
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