Midyat Old Town

Priority Stop Popularity 88/100 Visit ~2 saat 30 dk Best Season Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) — mild weather and clear light. Category Historic Buildings / Culture

Culture

Midyat Old Town, in the east of Mardin province, is the cultural heart of the limestone plateau known as Tur Abdin ("Mountain of the Servants of God").

History and Architecture

Its settlement history reaches back to the Assyrians, and over the centuries Roman, Byzantine, Artuqid and Ottoman rule each left their mark on the region. The town's defining feature is its mansions carved from the local cream-white Midyat stone. Soft when quarried and hardening on contact with air, this stone let master masons cut geometric friezes, column capitals, arched windows and ornate fountains, turning nearly every mansion into a showcase of stonework. Home for centuries to Syriac (Assyrian), Kurdish, Mhallami and Arab communities living side by side, Midyat offers a multicultural fabric of bell towers, mosque minarets and caravanserais.

The Guest House and TV-Drama Tourism

The Old Town's most striking building is the three-storey stone mansion commissioned in the 1850s by the Syriac Shabo family at the highest point of the city, today operated by the municipality as the State Guest House (Konukevi). As the set for TV series such as Sıla, Hercai and most recently Uzak Şehir, this mansion has turned Midyat into a nationwide attraction through series tourism, and from its rooftop terraces visitors take in the entire old town and its minaret-and-bell-tower skyline. This is exactly why agencies build Midyat into their itineraries: its proximity to Mardin, its strong TV-drama associations, photogenic streets and silver telkari (filigree) workshops make it a strong half-day stop.

Visiting and Access

The average visit lasts two to three hours, and on guided tours it usually sits between central Mardin and the Deyrulzafaran or Mor Gabriel monasteries. The best photo spots are the Guest House terrace, the narrow stone lanes, and the courtyards of the Mor Barsaumo and Mor Sharbel churches. Access is about 65 km and one hour by car from central Mardin; parking and tour-coach drop-off points sit near the old town, though buses stop at the outer edge because the lanes are narrow and steep. Wheelchair access is limited due to cobblestones and stairs.

The best seasons are spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October); summers are very hot and July-August is peak. Recommended route: begin at the Guest House and descend the stone lanes to the filigree bazaar.

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons — click a photo for author and licence.

Visit & Logistics

Getting thereAbout 65 km / 1 hour from central Mardin (D380 highway); Batman and Diyarbakır airports are the nearest air links. A short distance from the Midyat bus terminal to the old town.
ParkingPublic car parks and roadside parking are available on the old town's edge near the Guest House; these can fill up during the season.
Coach accessTour coaches stop at drop-off points on the outer edge of the old town; the lanes are narrow and steep so coaches cannot enter, and the visit continues on foot.
AccessibilityLimited: cobblestone surfaces, sloping streets and stairs within the mansions make wheelchair access difficult.
Photo spotsThe State Guest House rooftop terrace (old town and minaret-bell-tower skyline); narrow stone lanes and carved façades; the Mor Barsaumo and Mor Sharbel church courtyards; the filigree bazaar's shop windows.
Suggested routeA half-day stop following the central Mardin tour, combined on the same day with the Deyrulzafaran or Mor Gabriel Monastery.

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