Exploring Turkey's magic Southeast: Mardin, Hasankeyf, Urfa

Inspired by an article about Hasankeyf, an ancient settlement on the banks of the river Tigris, soon to disappear under the waters of the Ilisu hydroelectric dam, I was on my way to explore Turkey's southeast. I want to see Hasankeyf, her caves, mosques and emblematic medieval bridge before it all vanished forever. But not only Hasankeyf -- Mardin, Urfa and Harran were also on my itinerary.

Mardin, Hasankeyf and Deyrulzafaran Monastery

My first stop on my SE Turkey tour was the city of Mardin, also known as the Window to Mesopotamia. The old town is built on a sloping hill with fabulous views of the plane of Mesopotamia stretching all the way to Syria.

Countless cultures and civilizations have left their mark in Mardin with ancient city walls right on top of the hill, mosques, Syriac churches, stone houses and palaces adorned with the elaborate stone carvings for which the region is famous.

The Sabanci Mardin City Museum houses a marvelous collection of artifacts. Visit the tiny alleys of the medieval market with its silversmiths who produce unique pieces of art and the sweet smelling soap factories, and replenish energy with a Mardin Kebab made from minced lamb, mixed with spices and chopped walnuts.

The next day I went to Hasankeyf, about 100 miles northeast. The settlement looks back over some 3000 years of history and spreads out along the banks of the river Tigris as well as up limestone cliffs where you can see thousands of man made (and inhabited) caves.

The most outstanding landmark are the remains of a medieval bridge over the river Tigris as well as the castle and palace walls. The atmosphere is incomparable, gazing at the slow flowing river which has been there since the beginning of time, all of which will soon disappear under the waters of a huge dam to be completed by 2013.

Christianity has deep roots in the southeast of Turkey and an impressive example not to be missed is the Deyrulzafaran of 'Saffron' Monastery which until 1932 was the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. The monastery has been built on the remains of a pagan temple which can be seen underneath together with Christian artifacts, the throne of the Patriarch, a library and much, much more.

Urfa and Harran

After Mardin, I took the bus to Urfa, also known as "The City of the Prophet". Its history has been recorded since the 4th century BC but Urfa is estimated to be much older. Like Mardin, Urfa has been subject to many civilizations until Islam arrived in 638. The old town with its massive city walls is particularly spectacular at night. Visit the Halil-ur-Rhaman mosque with the pool and sacred fish in its courtyard. It was here that Nimrod threw Abraham into the fire, but God intervened, turned the fire into water and the burning wood into fish. They swim there to this day.

Urfa is also the birthplace of Job. You can descend into the cave which is enclosed and a place of worship. Appropriate behavior is appreciated. There are many more monuments and sites to admire in Urfa, but you also have to eat. One of Urfa’s many specialties is the extensive use of eggplant, allegedly over 100 recipes include this purple vegetable. After dinner and listening to a concert in the gardens of the Cevahir Konuk Hotel, I hired a car and driver the next morning to visit the biblical site of Harran, some 50 km to the south. Harran is the site of the oldest Islamic university, the ample remains of which are worth a visit. Another excellent stop is at a typical beehive village of the region. These houses, made entirely without wood, were in use until the 1980. Today it is a ‘show village’ and tourist attraction but nevertheless give a great insight into this thousands of years old from of construction which keeps the summer heat out and the dwellers warm in winter.

Don’t forget to play around with the fabulously embroidered dresses if you are a woman. The people running the village like it if you do and they like it even more if you buy one or any of the many other artifacts.

How to get there

My preferred means of transport when traveling in Turkey is the long distance coach. The locals love them too, but other than to Istanbul, few tourists use them because they have a prejudice which says:’ dirty, cramped, uncomfortable and your neighbor may carry a live chicken on their lap’. All of which is untrue. Many bus companies operate all over Turkey, METRO and Kamilkoc being two of the biggest. The coaches are super modern Mercedes, with AC and TV, drink and snack service, plenty of leman cologne sprinkled over your hands to keep you fresh and sweet smelling and half hour stops every four hours or so. These are particularly needed because one thing even the most modern buses do not have are toilets. Just bear that in mind.

Different local companies run the routes to the east and the buses are a bit older but still fine.

I live in the west of Turkey at a distance of 1300 km to my destination, Mardin and the journey took 23 hours. I could have flown, Turkish airlines operates flights from Istanbul and Ankara to Mardin and Urfa, but there is no better way to see the country than traveling by bus.

Another alternative is to go by train, but train service can be slower than the coach and outside Sirkeci Gare in Istanbul, I have never seen a running train in Turkey. In other words, they are not popular.

Where to stay

My trip was to last 5 days plus 2 days for the journey and I had booked a hotel in Mardin for the first 3 nights and another one in Urfa. The fact that southeast Turkey is not a tourist destination is a great advantage as far as prices are concerned. The Zinciriye boutique hotel in Mardin was all I could have wished for. On a mountain slope right below a mosque and a converted madras (or Islamic school) the hotel affords fabulous views over the "Sea of Mesopotamia", features some of the excellent masonry for which the area is famous, and has spacious rooms, bathrooms with all amenities and offers free WiFi.

I was equally lucky in Urfa, where I stayed in the Cevahir Konuk Evi, another boutique hotel very much in the same style as the Zinciriye, within walking distance of all the major sites and with the additional benefit of a lovely tea garden where a huge breakfast spread was laid out in the morning and where you could enjoy dinner accompanied by traditional musicians at night. Both hotels provide very affordable luxury.

How to get around

Urfa and Mardin were my starting points to explore other sites in the surrounding area. I hired a car for a day in each location because I like to stop where I want, to see what I want and not to have to pay attention to the road and traffic as well as having an interpreter and knowledgeable guide all to myself. This kind of tourism doesn’t come exactly cheap but for me it was worth every penny. There is a tour company in Mardin, called gezikutusu, which offers half and full day tours. However, this is not a touristy area, so you need to book well in advance if you want your tour conducted in English.

If you come by car, you can of course drive around by yourself, roads are not bad and road signs are good. There are always local buses, but if you use them, plan overnight stays. The buses take quite a long time and stop frequently, so you have no time for a day trip even if your destination is no further away than 100 miles.

When to go

In one word: spring. The southeast of Turkey gets very, very hot in the summer and cold and rainy in the winter. I visited at the end of May and it was ideal.