Mardin Castle, the strategic fortress of many empires from the Persian Empire to the Ottoman Empire, has been a source of inspiration for many Muslim and Christian travelers in history.
SHEIKHMUS EDIS (MARDIN NEWS)
7 thousand years of history Mardin, which has a history, is among the most important cultural treasures of the world with Kartal Castle, as well as different religions and languages. The castle, which was besieged many times, made history with its resistance that infuriated even Timur. The castle with 7 gates hosted exactly 32 civilizations.
Besides Mardin Castle, 14 more historical castles in 10 districts throughout the province have survived to this day. While many castles were in danger of collapse due to indifference, citizens asked the authorities to take action and start restoration work in order to bring the castles into tourism.
From Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Batuta, Evliya Çelebi, Ibn Jubayr From the Venetian Merchant Josaphat Barbaro, to the German Carten Niebuhr, from the Italian traveler Domenico Sestini to the author of Bezm u Rezm, one of the Mamluk period vice verses, many praises from the Mardin castle in the memoirs and books of many Islamic and Christian travelers.
Another name of Mardin Castle is “Eagle’s Nest”. It is a fortified place built on the upper cage of the dung on which a large part of the city rests. Subari, Sumer, Babylon, Mitanis, Assyrian, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, Abbasi, Hamdanis, Seljuks, Artukids, Karakoyunlu, Akkoyunlu, Safavids, Ottomans, sometimes victories and some disappointments. 2}
CLOSED TO VISITORS FOR 40 YEARS
Due to the Radar that was placed on the top of the Mardin fortress in 1963 to defend NATO against the Soviet Union during the cold war, When the closed Mardin Castle will be brought to tourism has turned into a snake story. According to the records, all attempts to open the Mardin Castle for tourism, which is 1 kilometer long, 30-150 meters wide, 1000 meters high from the Mesopotamia Plain in front of it, have been inconclusive.
THE CASTLE IS STILL NOT OPEN
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during his prime ministry, gave instructions to the public at the Mardin rally on June 7, 2011, saying, “I gave the order. The Air Radar Command will move to another location. ” After this statement, the correspondence between the two ministries resumed, but to date, no results have been obtained. The transfer of the Mardin Castle to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is also extremely important for this area to become an “Archeology Park” and for Mardin to be included in the UNESCO world heritage list. “Either it will be moved or the area outside the radar will be opened to the public,” he said. Although 10 years have passed, the castle is still not open to tourism. {2nd}
