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Mardin is perched at
the edge of a plateau in southeastern
Turkey overlooking the sweltering Mesopotamian
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.
But most people come to visit the Saffron
Monastery (Deyrul Zafaran), 6
km (4 miles) to the east. This was
a holy place even in pre-Christian
times. The monastery has been here
since 495 AD. Some of its existing
floor mosaics are 1500 years
old.
Once the seat of the Assyrian patriarch (who
now resides in Damascus), Deyrul Zafaran
is now mostly an orphanage run by a
few monks.
Church services are still chanted
in Aramaic,
the language Jesus spoke.
Other Assyrian monasteries are scattered
throughout the Tur Abdin ( the
region to the east), particularly
at Midyat and Mor
Gabriel.
Minibuses run
frequently from Diyarbakır to Mardin throughout
the day.
Turkish
Airlines flies from Istanbul via Ankara to
Mardin several times weekly, as does
Onur
Air. There are more frequent
flights to Diyarbakır.
The nearest train station is
at Şenyurt,
25 km (16 miles) south on the Syrian
border. Thus the nearest trains
now serve Diyarbakır.
Distances & Travel Times
Adıyaman: 280
km (174 miles) W, 4.5 hours
Ankara: 1005
km (625 miles) NW, 15 hours
Diyarbakır: 95
km (59 miles) N, 1.5 hours
Istanbul: 1459
km (907 miles) NW, 22 hours
Kâhta (Nemrut
Dağı): 312 km (194 miles)
NW, 5 hours
Midyat: 59
km (37 miles) E, 1.25 hours
Nusaybin (Syrian Border): 60
km (37 miles) E, 1 hour
Şanlıurfa: 172
km (107 miles) W, 2.25 hours
Southeastern
Turkey
Eastern
Turkey
Where to Go
TTP
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