The main reason we went to Diyarbakir was so that we could take a day trip to Mardin, a small town less than 200 kilometers away. The main reason to visit Mardin is to walk around the old, sandstone-colored houses and buildings that sweep down the side of a mountain. The mountain is right on the edge of the Mesopotamian plain that stretches into Syria and Iraq.

At first we weren’t incredibly impressed with the town because the main street was really dirty and the narrow sidewalk was packed with slow-moving pedestrians, and the narrow street was packed with slow-moving cars. After walking around a bit and getting our bearings, however, we started to enjoy the town for what it was. We had lunch in a beautiful old Syrian Christian house. It had high, arched ceilings and looked really fancy with heavy, dark wood tables and nice silverware. The menu was pricey, but for lunch it wasn’t too bad.

The restaurant also had a terrace (closed unfortunately) that afforded us our first glimpse of the incredible view toward the vast plains stretching away into the horizon. This perked us up a little bit and sent us back into the town with renewed interest. We found the post office, which is located in an 18th century building and has a rooftop with views of the city and of the surrounding areas. A nice police officer approached us and practiced his English, asking us where we were from and telling us a few interesting points about the town.

Tourism on the Way

It was obvious during our time in the mostly unvisited areas of eastern Turkey that they are getting ready for tourism in earnest. Mardin, like Harran, has few places to stay and doesn’t see many guests. Sanliurfa is ripe for tourism, but is still mostly visited by Muslim pilgrims coming to see the holy sites. Everywhere we went we talked to people who would ask us how we felt about their city or town, giving us the feeling that they hope more visitors start coming their way soon. With so many interesting historical sights to visit, and with mostly dramatic landscapes, I’m sure it is only a matter of time.

After finding out what time our bus would take us back to Diyarbakir in time for our night bus to Van, we drank some tea at a cafe with a splendid view over an old mosque and down to the plains below.

More Ramadan Observations

We got on the bus for Diyarbakir about fifteen minutes before sunset, so we were in an interesting position to see what people would do on the bus. Would people start pulling out food and drink excitedly and have a mini celebration right there on the bus? Would the bus attendant walk by with special food for everyone? We glanced constantly at the sinking sun while we observed our surroundings and waited.

A few minutes before the official sunset time, the bus attendant came by and gave everyone (except us) a sealed cup of water. All the men kept checking their watches, and most of them opened their waters early and either held them or set them back on their tray tables. Right before the sun dipped below the horizon they started checking the exact time of sunset, and one man in front of us thought it was time and quickly downed his water. He then realized he had jumped the gun a little and sort of looked around at everyone else with a sheepish grin on his face. Then the sun was down and everyone quickly drank their water. The bus attendant came around with more water for everyone (but us), and someone handed out some candy. Fifteen minutes later the bus stopped at a restaurant and everyone ran in and ate amid chaos while Val sat at a far away table and tried to stay out of the way.