Magical Mesopotamia: The Best Things to Do & Places to See in Mardin, Turkey

However, it’s worth noting that hotels in Old Mardin are generally more expensive and tend to get booked up quickly. So plan and book in advance if you want to stay in the Old City. On the other hand, Yenişehir offers cheaper rooms but requires taking a bus or taxi to reach Mardin’s attractions.

The Hilton in Yenişehir gets excellent reviews if you want to stay in the New City.

We stayed at the Zerzevan Hotel in a quiet alley next to the Post Office in Old Mardin. Our en-suite room was clean, comfortable, and quiet. We had a great stay. The breakfast served on the terrace with a great view was good and came with unlimited tea.

The Ulu Camii was built over 800 years ago during the Artuqid period, with inscriptions on the epigraph of the minaret dating the mosque to 1176. It is one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia. The mosque is constructed from cut stone and features a beautiful sliced dome and a large rectangular courtyard. However, inside, the Ulu Camii is relatively bare.

Despite being a historical landmark, the Ulu Camii is still a functioning place of worship and is open to everyone regardless of religion. Visitors should dress and behave appropriately when entering the mosque.

Entrance Fee: Free

Aside from the breathtaking views of the city, castle, and plains, the Zinciriye Madrasa (also called the Sultan ‘Isa Madrasa) is one of the most stunning buildings in Mardin. Before entering, take some time to appreciate the incredible calligraphy in Kufic script and the teardrop medallion in the muqarnas vault on the roof of the portal.

Once you’ve seen the beautiful courtyard, seek out the staircases that lead up to the rooftop. When you reach the top, you’ll be greeted by the two distinct domes of the madrasa. While these domes are impressive, the scenes behind them of Mardin and the plains are the real stars of the show.

Hours:  9:00am – 5:00pm (Monday to Saturday)
Entrance Fee: 10 TRY

Besides getting good and clean and fresh, a hamam visit is perhaps the most genuine cultural experience tourists to Turkey can have. You really should give it a try.

Hours:
Men: 6:30 a.m. – noon, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m
Women: Noon – 5:30 p.m.

First built around 1890 as a home for the Şahtana family, it was turned into a post office in the 1950s. Today, only a small room still does post office business, with the rest of the building open to visitors.

Turkey’s most beautiful post office might have remained just a post office were it not for the Turkish TV drama, Sıla. The post office was used as the set for the popular TV series, which attracted domestic tourists.

The most prominent feature of the post office is the elegant staircase leading up from the courtyard to the terrace.

The Mardin Post Office is highly photogenic, making it a popular spot for taking wedding photos.

Entrance Fee: 10 TRY

When the king became gravely ill, a rumour went around that the only cure was the flesh of Şahmeran.

Tahmasp was spotted in the hamam with snake scales on his body, and soldiers tortured him until he gave up Şahmeran’s hideout.

As Şahmeran was chopped up, she claimed that eating a piece of flesh from her tail would grant a person all the secrets of the world, but eating from her head would result in instant death. The king and his followers devoured the tail meat, while Tahmasp, grief-stricken, wished to end his life by eating from her head.

However, Şahmeran had planned ahead and deliberately given the wrong instructions to save her lover. Tahmasp survived and became a renowned doctor, while the king and his men perished instantly.

While some woodworkers remain in the area, the Tarihi Marangozlar Kahvesi is now a popular spot for tourists seeking the charming atmosphere of one of the city’s historic cafes.

The inside of the cafe, with its large sunny windows, was perfect for us on a slightly chilly spring morning, but the outside terrace was full anyway. We imagine it gets perfectly toasty in here when the stove is fired up in winter.

We loved the cafe and ended up having more than just one cup of çay. Seriously, we couldn’t get ourselves to leave. They also do tasty toasties and other light meals if you’re hungry.

Our bill came to TRY 105 for at least 6 cups of tea and two toasted sandwiches.

A stroll along the alleys making up the bazaar takes you past fresh produce vendors, tailors, blacksmiths, carpenters, bakers, donkeys, and some of the friendliest folk imaginable.

Between all of this, you can find anything from a copper pot or a litre of honey to a donkey saddle or lingerie that looks like it was hot in 1983.

While there is the odd souvenir shop, the bazaar is refreshingly free of tacky tourist tat. Most souvenir shops are on the main street, leaving the bazaar full of authentic and unique finds.

The church’s exterior features intricate stonework and carvings in Syriac and Aramaic language. Inside are a few very nice paintings, especially the one depicting the legend of the 40 martyrs. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside. 

SCAM ALERT: Upon entering the church grounds, we were met by a friendly young man speaking English. He seemed genuinely nice and convinced us to let him take a picture of us in front of the bell tower. Off course, he also wanted to do the touch-the-belltower pose thing, which seems common practice for taking photos in Mardin. 

What a lovely young Christian man, I thought as he directed us to the church entrance.

We went to look around inside the church and made a donation to the church box. Upon exiting the church, our friend awaited us and suddenly insisted on TRY 100 for his photo service. 

This left us with a sour taste in the mouth, as we really enjoyed the church visit. I gave him TRY 50 to get rid of him, and we walked off with a tainted memory of the beautiful church. 

After we visited the 40 Martyrs Church, we walked downhill to the hotel, located at the bottom of the hill that Mardin sits on. The views from here are magnificent.

You’ll have an unobstructed vista of the plains, as there are no buildings blocking your view. The view of the Mar Mihail Kilisesi church on the plains below was one of my favourite views in Mardin.

After overdosing on the views of the plains, head to the hotel terrace to see Old Mardin in its entirety. Order a çay or two to sip on while you’re rubbernecking to take in the layers and layers of the architecture of Mardin Old City.

With a striking resemblance to the original Marylin, Merdin Monroe has a small boutique selling unique soaps and other novelties. (Donkey milk shampoo, anyone?)

We suspect that most of her earnings go into the cat shelter she created in the alley behind her shop.

Pop in to buy something for a good cause or snap a pic with her before or after taking your selfies in Cat Alley. She doesn’t bite and is happy to pose for a snap.

You might stumble upon a hidden courtyard, catch a glimpse of a craftsman at work, or find yourself face-to-face with a friendly donkey or cat.

As you walk around Mardin, the scent of spices and freshly baked goodies waft through the air, and the sounds of the city – the call to prayer, the clip-clop of donkey hooves, the fluttering of pigeon wings – create an unforgettable atmosphere.

With each step, you’ll feel like you’re peeling off another layer of Mardin’s psyche and quickly fall under the city’s timeless charm.

Don’t believe other travel blogs claiming the castle to be the best viewpoint in the city or describing a visit to Mardin castle. The castle is FIRMLY OFF LIMITS, so don’t even try to get up there.

The castle is roughly three thousand years old and is popularly known as Eagle’s Nest. It’s kind of fitting that the fortification still serves its original purpose. The radar station and technology up there must be able to spot even a mouse fart across the Syrian border.

The nearest you can get to the top is probably the roof of the Zinciriye Madrasa.

This once-thriving city dates back to the Roman Empire and was the seat of the empire in Mesopotamia. Dara is home to many stunning ruins, including a few incredible water cisterns, a necropolis, and a sprawling agora, among others. Best of all-, entrance to the entire site is free.

Dara is about 30km from Mardin and is best reached by taxi or driving yourself. We got a taxi, and the driver turned out to be a great guide too.

If you’re coming to Dara (yes, you should), read our post on visiting Dara Ancient City.

The church is still active and holds a daily service in Aramaic – the language spoken by Jesus.

Entrance to Mor Hananyo is by guided tour only and costs TRY50.
The monastery is about 10 km outside Mardin, so you will need a taxi or your own wheels (or the stubbornness of a donkey to walk) to get here.

We stopped at the Saffran Monastery on the way back from Dara, as it’s in the same direction.

We found two great places and liked them so much that we didn’t bother much finding any alternatives. We visited each place twice for dinner during our four days in Mardin. For lunch, we found more than enough snacks on the streets to keep us going.

Most places don’t put the prices on the menu, possibly because they will need to print new menus every week due to inflation.

We also had Adana kebab and cheese pide here, but it was the lahmacun that called us back. Don’t be shy; order a few each, throw on a few fresh herbs and a squeeze of fresh lemon, fold them up and bite into that heavenly crunchy crust!

This was by far the best lahmacun I’ve ever had, even putting Gaziantep lahmacun to shame.

One lahmacun goes for TRY 2o.

The must-try at Al Hayaal is a fantastic dish called Kaburga Dolması.
What is that, you ask?

Kaburga Dolması is meat stuffed with meat, and yes, it’s as good as it sounds.

The stuffed lamb rib is served on a silver platter, and moments after arriving at your table, the waiter will unravel the stitching and start ripping the meat from the bone with his hands.

The final product is tender lamb meat, nuts, apricot seeds and raisins on a bed of fragrant rice. Yes – I told you it is good. We had this with a mezze platter, so this dinner turned into a mini banquet. The bill for this dinner and soft drinks came to TRY 480.

The other night we had soup (beyran for me and lentil for Jin) and lamb chops, which were also delicious.

There are two varieties of çöreği, one made with almonds and another made with tahini molasses and sesame, both containing dates.

They are sold by the kilo, so grab a bag to enjoy at your hotel with tea or for late-night munchies.