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From Gaziantep to Mardin
To explore the sites along Turkey's southern border, take
the highway which connects Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Mardin to
Syria and Iraq.
Gaziantep (685 km southeast of Ankara) is located on a wide
and fertile plain cultivated with extensive olive groves and
vineyards and produces a wide variety of agricultural crops.
It is especially known throughout Turkey for its excellent
pistachios. Industry also contributes to the local economy.
The 36 towers of the city's fortress were originally
constructed in the Justinian era and were later rebuilt by the
Seljuks. The Archaeology Museum has important artifacts from
Neolithic, Hittite and Roman times. The Hasan Sьzer House,
from the turn of the century, has been beautifully restored as
the Ethnographical Museum. The artisans of Gaziantep
specialise in copperware and furniture inlaid with
mother-of-pearl. The kitchens there produce some of the best
lahmacun, a delicious pizza topped with spicy meat and herbs,
and also baklava, a honey and nut pastry.
 West of Gaziantep, the Dьlьk
Forest makes a good day's outing, or you can stay overnight in
the campsite. In the woods, stroll through the archaeological
site which dates back to prehistoric times. A Hittite school
of sculpture was centred in Yesemek, where the 200 works of
art still reveal the beauty of the Hittite period. Next to the
Syrian border, on the banks of the Firat River, Kargamis, once
a late Hittite capital, is another important archaeological
site. The site's finds, including immense bas-reliefs, have
been moved to the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara.
The ruins of Belkis (Zeugma) are on the edge of Nizip.
There is a mound which was turned into a citadel and mosaics
from the Roman period, which are well worth seeing.
Kilis, near the Turkish-Syrian border en route to
Gaziantep, was originally known in the Assyrian archives as
Kilizi. Kilis is important for its cotton and silk weaving and
also for its leather products. This most charming area is
dotted with vineyards and olive groves on all sides. Also
interesting are the Canbolat Bey complex, the old baths and a
center that once housed a dervish order. Several other sites
worth seeing nearby include Ravanda Castle, situated between
Kilis and Gaziantep. 5 km to the northeast is the town of
Kuzeyne (Korus) that is like an open-air museum with its
castle and mosaics. What makes it special is that here one can
view ruins from Hittite, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic times
all in one place. An ancient Roman center is found 20 km east
of Kilis in the town of Korus (Kiriz). Ruins of a castle, a
temple and a theatre await your visit.
 In the 12th century B.C.
Kahramanmaras (78 km north of Gaziantep) was the capital of
the Hittite state of Gurgum. A massive citadel built in the
2nd century B.C. now houses the city museum with a good
collection of Hittite sculptures. Other sites include the
15th-century Ulu Mosque and the Tas Medrese. The city is
famous throughout Turkey for its ice-cream thickened with gum
arabic and beaten with a wooden paddle.
 Adiyaman (153 km northeast of
Gaziantep) the Archaeological Museum houses regional finds
from the Lower Firat which date from the Neolithic and
Chalcolithic ages. Good quality kilims woven in bright colours
sell for reasonable prices in the bazaar. Surrounding
monuments include the ruins of an Abbasid citadel (restored by
the Seljuks) and the 14th century Ulu Mosque. The discovery of
oil in the region has brought prosperity to Adiyaman. 5 km to
the north is Pirin (Perre), that boasts a large Roman
necropolis dug out of the rock and soil.
Adiyaman, as well as Kahta (which also has good
accommodation and camping facilities), make good bases from
which to visit Nemrut Dagi (Mt. Nemrut) National Park. You can
hire transportation in either town. On the summit of Nemrut
Dagi, at 2,150 meters the highest mountain in Northern
Mesopotamia, sits the gigantic funerary sanctuary erected in
the first century B.C. by King Antiochos I of Commagene. The
engineering involved continues to amaze visitors seeing for
the first time the artificial tumulus as it is flanked by
terraces on which rest the colossal statues of Apollo, Zeus,
Heracles, Tyche and Antiochus. Time has inflicted heavy damage
on the sculptures - their torsos sit with their beautifully
carved heads at their feet.
At ancient Eskikale (Arsameia of Nymphaios), a magnificent
relief in the ruins of what scholars believe might have been
the Commagene Palace depicts Heracles greeting the Commagene
king, Mithridates. Opposite this site, separated by the Eski
Kahta river, are the remains of Yenikale (New Castle) built by
the Mamluks. Other nearby sights include the Roman bridge at
Cendere and another Commagene royal tumulus, Karakus.
In the great Upper Mesopotamian plain, Sanliurfa, thought
by some to be the ancient city of Ur and later known as
Edessa, proudly exhibits the legacy of all the civilisations
that have prospered in this region. Some of the oldest signs
of civilisation, dating to 7000 B.C., were found 70 kilometres
northwest of Sanliurfa, at the village of Kantara. The recent
development of dams and a hydroelectric plant stand in stark
contrast to the ancient site of a temple and Neolithic
settlement which is nine thousand years old. The temple has
been identified as a religious center for moon worship. This
site is still the only one of its kind in the world. Visitors
can view small idols and religious figures as well as some
very early and beautiful mosaic work from the settlement. On a
hill 20 kilometres northeast of Sanliurfa lies Gцbekli. This
settlement is perhaps 9000 years old, and may rest atop even
older settlements in lower layers of the artificial hill. The
probable workplace of an ancient idol maker can be seen here
where many finished and unfinished human and animal figures
and tools have been found. The Sanliurfa area, in the second
millennium B.C., was a city of a Hurrite state. Some believe
that Abraham was born in a cave near where the Mevlid Halil
Mosque now stands. Today the cave is a pilgrimage site and
flocks of pigeons do not seem to disturb the elderly men
praying around the entrance. The remains of a castle with two
lone Corinthian columns rising above the ruined walls stands
atop a small crest. At the foot of the hills, the lovely Halil
Rahman Mosque is built around a quiet pool in which sacred
carp swim. The 17th-century Ottoman Ridvaniye Mosque and the
Firfirli Mosque, formerly the Church of the Apostles, are
worth a detour. The Archaeology and Ethnography museum, one of
the best in Turkey, houses important Neolithic and
Chalcolithic finds from the Lower Firat region. To capture the
spirit of Sanliurfa, wander through the vaulted eastern bazaar
and linger in the courtyards of the old hans (inns). See if
you can find Gьmrьk Hani and Barutзu Hani - the most
interesting of the old hans.
Believed, to be the ancient city of the same name mentioned
in the Old Testament, Harran is known more now for its unusual
beehive dwellings than as the place where Abraham actually
spent several years of his life. Included among the
archaeological are those of the largest ancient Islamic
university, city walls dating from the eighth century, four
gates and a citadel. The GAP project will transform Harran
into one of the most fertile areas in Turkey.
Birecik, 80 km west of Sanliurfa, straddles the Firat river
and is dominated by the citadel. A good place to take a break,
there are good accommodations and camping facilities here.
 Diyarbakir, known in ancient
times as Amida, spreads across a basalt plateau close to the
banks of the Dicle river. The black basalt triple walls which
encircle the old town give the city a rather ominous
appearance. These ramparts are 5.5 km in length, have 16 keeps
and five gates, are decorated with inscriptions and
bas-reliefs, and represent a superb example of medieval
military architecture. The Ulu Mosque, built by the Seljuk
sultan Melik Shah, is notable for its original design and for
its utilisation of both Byzantine and more ancient
architectural materials. The mihrab of the nearby Mesudiye
Medrese is made of the local black basalt. The Nebii Mosque
represents the typical Ottoman style, while the Safa Mosque
exhibits Persian influences in its tiled minaret.  The third century Aramaic
Church of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana Kilisesi), which is still
in use today, also makes for an interesting visit. For an
example of early domestic architecture, stop at the restored
home of the writer Cahit Sitki Taranci. The Deliller Hani
(1527) by the Mardin Gates, convened and refurbished into a
hotel, recreates the atmosphere of the days when trading
caravans stopped in Diyarbakir. Just outside the city walls,
by the river, stands Atatьrk's house, now a museum. South of
town at the Dicle Bridge, built in 1065, you can take a great
picture of the Dicle River, the bridge and the city walls.
In Silvan, 77 km east of Diyarbakir you should stop at the
graceful Ulu Mosque, which dates from 1185, to admire the fine
flowing lines of stone-relief work that outline the pointed
arch portal.
Зayцnь, one of the earliest Neolithic settlements yet to be
discovered, dates from the seventh millennium B.C.
 From a distance, the golden
stone houses of Mardin blend into the rock of the hills on
which the city is built. On closer inspection, the stone
carving and decoration of the houses and public buildings
reveals the city to be an architectural treasure-chest. Among
the jewels are the ancient citadel and several mosques, in
particular, Ulu Mosque. The 15th-century Kasim Pasa Medrese is
remarkable for its fine stonework. At the lovely Isa Bey
Medrese, from the 14th century, you can admire the
magnificently carved portal and climb to its roof to enjoy a
fantastic view of the Mesopotamian Plain.
Only 7 kilometres east of Mardin is the Syriac Jacobite
Monastery of Deyrulzaferan, which was once a thriving
religious community. At nearby Kiziltepe, the 13th-century Ulu
Mosque, one of the best examples of Artukid architecture; has
superb mihrab reliefs and a beautiful portal. Midyat, famous
for its silver jewellery known as 'telkari', also has many
elegant and historic houses. Eighteen kilometres east of town
is the active Syriac-Jacobite monastery of Deyrelumur (San
Gabriel), which dates from the beginning of the fifth century.
Batman is Turkey's most important oil-producing center,
with oil wells pumping the precious fuel dotting the
surrounding area. North of Batman, the Malabadi Bridge, built
in 1147, spans the Batman River. Undisturbed by time, peaceful
waters still reflect the widest single-arch bridge of its day.
Two guard towers ensured the bridge's security.
At Hasankeyf are the ruins of the 12th-century capital of
the Artukids. The bridge, which once spanned the Dicle and
connected the two pans of the city with the ruined palace
inside the citadel, evokes the ghosts of a vanished dynasty.
The 15th-century Zeynel Bey Mausoleum, attractively decorated
with turquoise tiles, reveals Persian influence.
 Siirt was an especially eminent
city at the time of the Abbasid Caliphate. Among the city's
monuments, be sure to visit the 12th century Seljuk Ulu Mosque
and the 13th century Asakir Зarsi Mosque. At Aydinlar (Tillo),
only 6 km from Siirt, the Ibrahim Hakki Mausoleum Complex and
nearby private Ibrahim Hakki Astronomical Museum are worth a
visit. Siirt produces fine and large pistachio nuts and is
known as well for its excellent goat-hair blankets and kilims.
Sirnak, on the north face of Mt. Cudi (2,114 meters),
derives its name from the Moslem belief that Noah's Ark landed
on this mountain: Sir - City, Nak - Noah. Forty-five
kilometres from Sirnak, Cizre is the supposed location of his
tomb
Southeastern Anatolia
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