Sitting on the terrace at night in Mardin, sipping your tea and wine, you look up. You can say that magnificent lighting and magnificent structure. An aesthetic wonder that adds beauty to the beauty of Mardin. Then you turn your back to the castle and dive into the Mesopotamian Plain. The scenery all around you is magnificent. Then you look far, far away. A collection of lights in the distant darkness. You ask, where are those lights? Answer: Syrian lights …

Sitting on the terrace at night in Mardin, sipping your tea and wine, you look up. You can say that magnificent lighting and magnificent structure. An aesthetic wonder that adds beauty to the beauty of Mardin. Then you turn your back to the castle and dive into the Mesopotamian Plain. The scenery all around you is magnificent. Then you look far, far away. A collection of lights in the distant darkness. You ask, where are those lights? Answer: Syrian lights …

An Epic Journey to Mardin Castle

Let’s come to the history of Mardin Castle…
It is a very important fortress that has been used by many civilizations such as Persia, Rome, Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Mitanids, Umayyads, Abbasids, Seljuks, Artuqids, Karakoyunlular, Akkoyunlular, Safavids, and Ottomans.

Şad Buhari, a fire-worshipping king, stayed in this castle when he got sick, and when he recovered quickly, he built a pavilion for himself and continued his life here for 12 years. Over the years, he settled his soldiers and civilians from Persia and Babylon here.

Then, there was a plague epidemic in the economically enriched region, causing the death of all the people in the castle. The castle, which has a magnificent view overlooking Mardin, is also among the important castles as it was built on rocks.

Mardin Castle as told by Evliya Çelebi

Evliya Çelebi calls the castle “Dara’s Throne” and mentions a legend! Based on the Islamic historian Maqdisi’s account, he says that Prophet Yunus himself built the castle in this place, which was then called Mount Shahika. He lived in a city near Mosul in the winters and worshipped in a cave in Mardin in the summers where the castle is located. Yunus (one of the caves inside the castle is called Yunus Nebi Savma) killed a dragon that ate his ummah here. This power of Yunus led 3000 people who were previously non-believers to believe and become his neighbors on the mountain. Since a dragon lived on the mountain, the mountain was called “Mar”, meaning snake, and the city was called Mardin. But according to some sources, Mardin’s name derives from the Syriac word “Marde”, which means “Castles”.