Turkey Travel

Diyarbakır

A City Where Old Meets New: Diyarbakır. The Diyarbakır City Walls were first constructed by the Roman Emperor Constantinus. The city walls were enlarged during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods and 82 towers were added. The Grand Mosque is the oldest and largest mosque in the city. The structure was initially St. Thomas Church and was later converted into a mosque. The Church of the Virgin Mary in the city is an old church dating back to the 3rd century A.D. The number of artifacts exhibited at the Diyarbakır Archaeological Museum, which were collected from the environs exceed 10,000. The houses, where Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı, one of the most famous poets of the Republic of Turkey and Ziya Gökalp, the great Turkish philosopher were born, were also turned into museums.

The folk art of Diyarbakır is very rich. The motifs and colors of the kilims, saddle-bags, socks and felt made at the foot of Karacadağ are very attractive. The Delilo, Halay, Çaçan and Çepik folk dances, which are performed to the accompaniment of a drum and zurna (double-reed instrument similar to an oboe), are very beautiful. Jewelry making, coppersmithing and sericulture are also developed in the city. Watermelons, which can be as heavy as 75 kilos, are the symbol of the city.

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