Turkey: Mardin
Mardin is perhaps the most interesting city in Turkey. One of the oldest cities in the world, it has been conquered and defended throughout history by nearly every Euro-Asian civilization: Assyrians, Arabs, Seljuk, Kurds, Persians, Mongols, Ottomans, and many of these twice or thrice tried to control the strategic town. The city clings to a steep hill, with narrow ancient streets and tiny alleyways cascading downhill. At the top of the hill stands an ancient citadel, while a dozen equally old mosques are tucked in in the narrow staircase of streets. It’s a total labyrinth of streets and everything on this town is vertical. A lot of old historic all-stone buildings are architectural gems – the 14th century Zinciriye Medresesi, the 15th century Kasımiye Medresesi, the stone palace of the Mardin Museum, the 14th century Şehidiye Mosque, and the absolutely awesome 11th century Ulu or Grand Mosque. Mardin is awesome!
