Diyarbakir Citadel

Come through, and civilization of Mesopotamia, the fertile lands of many people, which produced a geography. M.Ö.3. Assyrians in the region's dominant Millennium. Assyrian texts can present the first known name of Diyarbakir: "Amit"

Over millennia, Hurri-Mitanniler, Urartu, Persians, Romans, Seleucids, Parthians, United Tigranlar, Arabs, Umayyads, Abbasids, Şeyhoğulları, Mervaniler, İnaloğulları, Nisanoğulları, Seljuks, Artuk, Eyyübiler, Ilkhanate, leave traces the history of Diyarbakir.

All these different cultures and states; surprising truths about the city's main settlement uzlaşırlar: İçkale'den present evidence and to reach the stairway until recently, looking at the city's "management center" is understood as a continuous function sees.

Therefore, Suleiman the Magnificent 16 bastions and two new door expands ekleterek İçkale'yi.

İçkale Virantepe Mound excavations in the 13th uncovered the remains of the Palace of the Artukid century. The most important part of the remains, a fancy swimming pool is opened eyvanlarla four sides. Artuk seen in both the sound of the water, as well as to take advantage of the cool of the "selsebil" solution, the same term as the administrative center of the structure of the Gazi Mansion still İçkale'de yaşar.Yakın periods, and some new functionality is important buildings have been emptied for . Old Courthouse, Prison, Army Corps and the Gendarmerie building a new life is about to recover the Church of Saint Corc.

Standards in historic buildings İçkale World 'in the Archaeological Museum, the Stone Works Museum, the Museum Cafe, Church, Art Gallery, Prison Building: Convention Center as işlevlendirildi.

DIYARBAKIR of Culture and Tourism Directorate. BUILDING

Diyarbakir Walls and Citadel

The city walls of Diyarbakir are more than five kilometers long, among the longest of medieval fortifications; only the Great Wall of China is longer. It is constructed of imposing masonry in black basalt (a stone of local origin), and had along its circuit more than 75 towers, all but six of which are still standing. There are four original gates in the wall, the Harput gate in the north, the Yeni Kapi in the east, the Mardin gate to the south, and the Urfa gate to the west. The citadel of Diyarbakir is on a hill in the northeast corner of the wall, defended by its own ring wall built during the Ottoman period.

The location of the gates and the line of the wall dates from the late fourth century A.D. A north-south street connects the Mardin Gate with the Harput Gate; an east-west street connects the Urfa Gate with the Yeni Kapi. The central market is at the intersection of these main avenues. Although some Byzantine stonework is incorporated into the fortifications as we see them today, the late Roman walls were largely repaired or replaced piecemeal in Medieval times, in 909 by the Abbasid caliph Al Muktadir, and substantially during Diyarbakir's rise in prominence between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries.

Al Muktadir rebuilt the Harput gate and the Mardin gate following their intentional demolition by his predecessor ten years earlier. The Harput gate is a Byzantine design embellished during the rebuilding with crude animals carved in relief. The entrance, as are all gates, is heavily fortified between two half-round towers that project almost 15 meters from the line of the wall. The Mardin gate is similar in plan and decoration. Carved fauna became a tradition among subsequent rebuilders of Diyarbakir's towers and walls.

Sultan Malik Shah of the Great Seljuks built four towers on the western wall, celebrated in floriated Kufic inscriptions. One of these inscriptions, on a tower dated 1088, has a figural carving in the center of the dedication featuring a seated man flanked by two bulls, while at each end of the writing a lion is carved above a ram and an eagle with outstretched wings. Another similar tower, built in 1089, has carvings of a seated man with galloping horses at his sides above the inscription, and lions with knotted tails at each end of the first line. These are followed by hares facing each other and an eagle above a seated female nude.

In 1183 Diyarbakir became the capital city of the Artukids, who made the most significant additions to the walls. That year the Urfa Gate was rebuilt by the Muhammad, son of Kara Arslan. The gate has finely carved figures of dragons on either side of an inscription, and on the keystone of the arched gate is a bull's head surmounted by an eagle with outstretched wings. In the same area of the western wall, south of the gate, are the two most imposing towers, Ulu Beden and Yedi Kardes. Both were commissioned in 1208 by the Artukid al-Malik al-Salih Mahmud (who designed the Yedi Kardes tower himself). The Ulu Beden tower was built by the architect Ibrahim bin Jafar; Yedi Kardes was constructed by the architect Yahya bin Ibrahim Sufi. The Ulu Beden tower is almost a full circle in plan, as it defends a sharply acute angle in the walls. It is 25.5 meters in diameter, faced with smooth basalt, and encircled midway up its height by a monumental inscription. The bulk of the inscription is one line of Kufic script, but in the center there are three lines forming a rectangular focal point. Winged, human-headed lions decorate the top two corners of the plaque; the bottom corners are each decorated with bulls. In the center above the inscription is the Artukid double-headed eagle. The Yedi Kardes tower is similar in all respects to the Ulu Beden tower, but it is slightly larger, 27.8 meters in diameter.

By the early thirteenth century the fortifications were strong and needed few additions. The Ottomans expanded the internal wall that separated the citadel from the rest of the city in the sixteenth century, but by then they had abandoned the fashion of decorating the construction.

The citadel was fortified in the east by the city wall, and separated from the city by an additional wall on the west. In the early thirteenth century, during the Artukid period, the fortifications enclosed administrative buildings; the area still functions much the same today. Just outside the thirteenth century walls is the Kale Mosque, built in 1160. Its position compromises the security of the walls (which were built later). Also within the citadel is the Artukid palace that was used as a prison by the Ottomans.

Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum House

This house belongs to Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı. The former is non-architectural features. Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı was born in this house. In this house of the poet's books, scripts, used articles, photos, and library are on display. This museum in Mountain Gate neighborhood in Diyarbakir. Diyarbakir is one of the places you should visit. There is a statue of the poet at home. This statue is located on the poet's verses.

Places To Visit in Diyarbakir

Ziya Gokalp museum house

Ziya Gokalp Museum House

Ziya Gokalp, one of the old architecture models Diyarbakir House was built in 1808.


The two-storey building materials used in the black basalt stone. Selamlık haremlik and is in two sections, and places are located around the middle of the courtyard. One of the fronts of two arches, porticoes, in the form of an iwan and a cool pool and a living showplace of this section.

As ornamental element; local phrase "ciz" or "kehal called " white-colored decoration is remarkable. There are also some inscriptions written in Arabic in the upper part of the doors.

Celebrity thinker Ziya Gökalp was born in 1876 in this house, was purchased in 1953, attested to in-house as a museum was opened on March 23, 1956. The museum, as well as those of the authors of articles, the local ethnographic works are exhibited.

Diyarbakir Pictures

Diyarbakir Photos

Reflected all the frames of Diyarbakir on our blog. Diyarbakir is located in Turkey's southeast. Historic sites of Diyarbakir, Diyarbakir Berries, Diyarbakir city walls, fortifications diyarbakir all signs, the former diyarbakir homes, Diyarbakir and dicle river, the new face of Diyarbakir, diyarbakir and life, stay in Diyarbakir, Diyarbakir grand mosque,

About Diyarbakir

Situated on the banks of Tigris (Dicle), Diyarbakir still carries a medieval air with its walls encircling the city.

These black basalt walls are perfect examples of the military architecture of the Middle Ages. They are also very well known since they are the second largest (5.5 kms) and bestpreserved walls in the world after the famous Great Wall of China. Although there were Roman, and probably earlier walls here, the present walls date back to early Byzantine times. There are sixteen keeps and five gates, each of which deserves seeing along with their inscriptions and relief. There are four main gates along the wall called as Dag Kapi, Urfa Kapi, Mardin Kapi and Yeni Kapi.

You will have the chance to go back to bygone days at the Deliler Han by the Mardin Kapi of the City Walls. Now it is restored as a hotel preserving the original air of the old days when caravan travelers used to stop and rest.

Another fascinating sight in the city center, is the Ulu Mosque, notable for its original architecture and the ancient materials used in the restoration of the building at various times. Nearby the Ulu Mosque is the Mesudiye Medresse and Hasan Pasha Ham, a caravanserai now being used by carpet and souvenir shops. The Nebii Mosque is a typical example of the Ottoman style. The Church of the Virgin Mary is interesting and it is still in use.

Turk-medyasi-burada-ne-duruyorsunuz-TIKLAYIN

The Kasim Padisah Mosque is also interesting, especially due to the engineering which built a large tower upon four tiny pillars about two meters high, called the Dort Ayakil Minare.

The location of noted mythological cave Eshab-ul Keyf, and Dacianus ruins are in the town of Lice. The holy Mount Zulkufil and Hilar Caves are in the town of Ergani. Within the environs of Diyarbakir are the Birkleyn and Hasun Caves, the Antak City ruins and the Cayonu Archaeological Site.

The city holds many mosques and buildings of long historical and archaeological importance. There are four museums in the city center. When you add to those the renowned watermelons of about 40 kilograms approximately, and its silver and copper artifacts Diyarbakir certainly stands as a destination to be visited. Gazi Kosku is a nice place for picnicking.

The town of Cermik is a spa center.
Also spelled DIYARBEKIR, historically AMIDA, city, southeastern Turkey, on the right bank of the Tigris River. The name means "district (diyar) of the Bakr people." Amida, an ancient town predating Roman colonization in the 3rd century AD, was enlarged and strengthened under the Roman emperor Constantius II, who also erected new walls around the city (349). After a long siege, it fell to the king of Persia in 359. It changed hands frequently in the later wars between the Romans and the Persians and was in Byzantine hands when the Arabs took it (c. 639). With the weakening of 'Abbasid control over the region and the emergence of the Hamdanid dynasty of Mosul (in Iraq) in the 10th century, Amida was ruled by various Arab, Turkish, Mongol, and Persian dynasties until its capture by the Ottoman sultan in 1516. Capital of a large and important province under the Ottomans, it regained its prosperity. Its location, near the Persian frontier, also gave it strategic importance, and the town was used as a base for armies facing Persia.



The old town is still surrounded by the ancient black basalt walls that gave it the name Kara (Turkish: "Black") Amid. The triple walls, an outstanding example of Middle Eastern medieval military art, were greatly expanded and restored during the Arab and Turkish periods; they are about 3 miles (5 km) long and have numerous towers. Industries include woolen and cotton textiles and copper products; it long has been famous for its gold and silver filigree work. Tigris University in Diyarbakir was founded in 1966 as a branch of Ankara University and acquired independent status in 1973. Diyarbakir is linked by air and railroad with Ankara, and the region has a well-developed road network.

The surrounding region is part of upper Mesopotamia, comprising a large depression crossed by the Tigris River. It is separated from eastern Anatolia by the Taurus Mountains in the north and from the Mesopotamian plain by the Mardin hills in the south; the Karaca Mountain lies to the west. Agricultural products include cereals, cotton, tobacco, and fruits, notably watermelons; mineral deposits include copper and some coal and petroleum. A large proportion of the population is Kurdish. Pop. (1990) 381,144.