Architecture
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Mardin’s architectural landscape reflects centuries of Artuqid, Syriac, and Ottoman influences. Its religious and residential landmarks embody a fusion of Islamic and Christian traditions, which were built almost entirely from beige-colored limestone quarried locally for centuries.
Artuqid architecture[edit]
Great Mosque of Mardin
The Sultan Isa or Zincirye Medrese
Mardin came under the influence of various Turcoman dynasties beginning from the 12th century. Under the Artuqid rule from the 12th century until the 15th century, Mardin became a prominent center of Islamic architecture through a blend of Anatolian Seljuk elements, such as monumental portals, muqarnas and stone carvings, and local influences, all adapted to the region’s limestone and sandstone materials. Important monuments from this era include the Great Mosque (Ulu Cami) of Mardin and the Sultan İsa (or Zinciriye) Medrese. Artuqid architecture in Mardin played a key role in shaping the city’s unique identity and contributed significantly to the development of early Turkish architecture.
Mosques[edit]
Great Mosque of Mardin: The historic main congregational mosque of the city. According to the inscription dated 1176 on the minaret, the mosque, which has sixteen inscriptions, was built by the Artuqid ruler Kutbettin Ilgazi II. According to the inscription in the courtyard, it was built by Hüsameddin Yavlak Arslan, another Artuqid ruler, in 1186. The original structure, which reportedly featured two minarets, was damaged during the Timurid invasions and destroyed during the Battle of Mardin in 1833-1835. It was rebuilt afterward, likely following the original layout. Today, only the north wall and the carved wooden minbar (pulpit) survive from the Artquid period.
Şehidiye Mosque: It was built by Melik Mansur Nasreddin Artuk Aslan, and later expanded during the Ottoman period. The structure, which presents a madrasa layout with a porticoed courtyard and iwans, with a two-aisled mosque on the south side, has undergone numerous alterations, repairs, and additions, leaving little of the madrasa's original state. Its minaret was rebuilt in 1916/17 by the Ottoman Armenian architect Sarkis Lole.
Latifiye Mosque: It was built in 1314 by Abdüllatif bin Abdullah, who served during the reign of the Artuqid sultans Melik Saleh and Melik Muzaffar. Its minaret was added in the 19th century by the Egyptian governor Muhammad Ziya Tayyar Pasha.
Melik Mahmut Mosque: According to the mosque's inscription found at Savur Gate, it was built between 1312-1362 by the Artuqid ruler Melik Salih. The mosque's name is derived from the fact that the tomb of the Artuqid ruler Melik Mahmut is located here. It is known for its richly carved entrance portal and central dome.
Necmeddin Mosque: It was built by Emineddin Sökmen, the son of Artuk Bey, and completed by his brother Necmeddin Ilgazi as part of the broader Emineddin Külliye, a social complex. Local tradition holds that Necmeddin Ilgazi himself was buried within the mosque, contributing to its identification as the "Yellow Mosque" after his tomb. Today, only portions of the original mosque survive, including the prayer hall and remains of the minaret and arcaded structures.
Nizameddin Begaz Mosque: It was built under the patronage of Nizameddin Begaz, who served as vizier of Artuqid ruler Kutbettin Ilgazi II, at the Diyarbakır gate in 1186 AD.
Sheikh Salih Mosque: It is not known when and by whom it was built, though it is accepted to belong to the late Artuqid period. A domed tomb (türbe) next to the mosque contains the burial of a person named Salih, and an additional tomb approximately 50 meters to the west holds the remains of someone named Şirin, both enclosed within chiseled stone sarcophagi.
Kale Mosque: It is documented that the mosque underwent repairs in 1269, as indicated by an inscription attributed to Necmeddin İlgazi, an Artuqid ruler. However, the exact date of its initial construction remains unknown.
Hamidiye Mosque: It was built in 1347 by Şeyh Zebuni, who himself is buried within the mosque. It features a single-domed, rectangular floor plan, and is complemented by two courtyards, one of which is arcaded. In the late 19th century, it underwent renovation by Hamit Pasha, at which point the mosque acquired its current name.
Suleyman Pasha Mosque: Built in 1195 by Kudbeddin ibn Emir Ali Sincari, the vizier of Artuqid ruler Melik Isa, the mosque retains its original Artuqid structure and continues to serve as a local place of worship.
Şeyh Çabuk Mosque: A mosque of uncertain date, though it is accepted to have been built no later than the 15th century, during the Akkoyonlu period. It is named after Abdullah bin Enes el-Cüheyni, known as "Şeyh Çabuk", a messenger of Prophet Mohammad, whose tomb lies adjacent to the mosque. It was restored in the 19th century, with the gate bearing an inscription dating to 1843, and the old minaret was rebuilt in 1969 by a philanthropist from Mardin named Haci Izzi Çaçan.
Tekiye Mosque: Foundation records indicate that the mosque was built by Ibrahim Tekye in 1445, the nephew of the Akkoyunlu Kasim Bey, and that the madrasa building, the bulk of which has survived to this day, was commissioned by Ibrahim Tekye's wife, Şah Sultan Hatun.
Zeynel Abidin Mosque Complex: It is an Islamic complex built in 1159, according to the inscription on the tomb of Molla Zeynel Abidin, a reputed 13th-generation descendant of Prophet Muhammad, and his sister Sitti Zeynep, within the mosque.
Kızıltepe Ulu Mosque: Its construction began by Hüsâmeddin Yavlak Arslan (1184-1200) and was completed during the reign of his son Nasireddin Artuk Arslan (1200-1239). It repeats the plan of the Grand Mosque of Mardin with the mihrab section placed on the axis. The mosque underwent major restoration from 2015 to 2019.
Reyhaniye Mosque: Mosque of uncertain date, probably of the Akkoyonlu or early Ottoman period (15th-16th centuries).
Medreses[edit]
Sultan İsa (or Zinciriye) Medrese: One of the most impressive Islamic monuments in the city, dated to 1385, during the reign of Artuqid sultan Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isa (r. 1376–1407). Built as a madrasa, it also includes a mosque (prayer hall) and a mausoleum, arranged around two inner courtyards. The mausoleum was likely intended to be Sultan 'Isā's burial site, but he was never buried here after his death in battle. It has an imposing entrance portal carved with muqarnas, and two ribbed domes over the mausoleum and the mosque that are visible on the city's skyline.
Kasım Pasha (or Kasımiye) Medrese: Another major Islamic monument begun by Sultan 'Isa but left unfinished upon his death in 1407. It was completed in 1445, under Akkoyonlu rule. It is located to the west, just outside of the town. It has a large central courtyard, a monumental portal, and three domes arranged near the front façade.
Hatuniye Medrese or Sitt Ridwiyya Madrasa: Believed to have been built by the Artuqid sultan Qutb ad-Din Il-Ghazi II (r. 1175–1184), with a mausoleum that may have been intended for the sultan's mother, Sitt Ridwiyya (Sitti Radviyye). The building now serves as a mosque. Both the prayer hall and the mausoleum contain finely-decorated mihrabs.
Citadels[edit]
Mardin Castle: The citadel occupies a long ridge at the city's highest point. It was probably first built under the Hamdanids (10th century), but its present walls were likely rebuilt in the Akkoyonlu and Ottoman eras, possibly with some reuse of Artuqid materials. Up until the 19th century it was densely inhabited, but is now occupied by a military radar station. The interior includes the remains of a small mosque.
Külliyes[edit]
Emineddin Külliyesi: A külliye (religious and charitable complex), believed to be the oldest Islamic monument in the city, founded by Emin ed-Din, the brother of Sultan Najm ad-Din Il-Ghazi (r. 1115–1122). Il-Ghazi may have finished the complex after his brother's death. The complex contains a mosque, a former madrasa, a fountain, and a hammam (bathhouse).
Syriac architecture[edit]
Mardin and its nearby cultural region Tur Abdin have been major centers of Syriac Christianity for over a millennium. The city served as the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate from the 13th century until 1932, and remains home to important churches like the Church of Mor Behnam or Kırklar (Forty Martyrs). Just outside the city lies the Mor Hananyo Monastery, founded in the 5th century on a former pagan site, which served as the patriarchal seat for centuries. Syriac churches in Mardin are characterized by austere limestone façades, semi-circular apses, and finely carved inscriptions, reflecting a distinct Christian architectural tradition that developed alongside and in dialogue with Islamic forms.
Churches[edit]
Mor Behnam or Kırklar (Forty Martyrs) Church
Mor Hananyo Monastery, also known as the Saffron Monastery
Meryem Ana (Virgin Mary) Church: A Syriac Catholic Church, built in 1895 as the Patriarchal Church, as the Syriac Catholic see was in Mardin up until the Assyrian genocide.
Red (Surp Kevork) Church: An Armenian Apostolic Church renovated in 2015
Mor Yusuf (Surp Hovsep; St Joseph) Church: An Armenian Catholic Church
Mor Behnam or Kırklar (Forty Martyrs) Church: A Syriac Orthodox Church with a niche containing the remains of Mar Behnam. The building dates from the mid-6th century. In 1293 it became the Syriac Patriarchal Church. Residential annexes for the Patriarchate were expanded in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Mor Hirmiz Church: A Chaldean Catholic Church in Mardin. It was once the Metropolitan cathedral of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mardin, prior to it lapsing in 1941.[citation needed] Nevertheless, One Chaldean family remains to maintain it. The building, or at least its overall design, may date from the 16th or 17th century.
Mor Mihail Church: A Syriac Orthodox Church located on the southern edge of Mardin.
Mor Simuni Church: A Syriac Orthodox Church with a large courtyard. The building may date from the 12th century.
Mor Petrus and Pavlus (SS. Peter and Paul) Church: A 160-year-old Syriac Orthodox Church, recently renovated.
Mor Cercis Church
Deyrü'z-Zafaran Monastery, or Monastery of St. Ananias, is 5 kilometers southeast of the city. The Syriac Orthodox Saffron Monastery was founded in 493 AD and is one of the oldest monasteries in the world and the largest in Southern Turkey, alongside Mor Gabriel Monastery. From 1160 until 1932, it was the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch, until the Patriarchate relocated to the Syrian capital Damascus. The site of the monastery itself is said to have been used as a temple by sun worshipers as long ago as 2000 BC.
Museums[edit]
Mardin Museum: an archeological museum dedicated to the city's history, opened in 2000, housed in the former Syriac Catholic Patriarchate building constructed in 1895, next to the Meryem Ana Church.
Ottoman architecture[edit]
Mardin Post Office, an example of traditional domestic architecture
Between the late 19th and early 20th century, during a period of Western influences on Ottoman architecture, Ottoman Armenian architect Sarkis Lole, also known as the "Mimar Sinan" of Mardin, led an era of construction that blended European elements, such as Renaissance and Gothic motifs, with Mardin’s existing Islamic‑Christian vernacular architecture. He is credited with designing numerous private mansions, schools, churches, and civic buildings throughout the old city. His work sought to preserve the harmony of Mardin’s stepped terraces, stone façades, and urban continuity while introducing refined Ottoman-era details like ornate cornices, arched windows, and richly decorated interiors. Additionally, he oversaw restorations and additions to key Artuqid mosques and madrasas, including the Şehidiye Madrasa, where the 1916 spiral minaret, featuring vegetal bands and sunburst reliefs, is attributed to his design or supervision.
Houses in Mardin tend to have multiple levels and terraces to accommodate their sloping site, giving the old city its "stepped" appearance from afar. They are typically centered around an internal courtyard, similar to other houses in the region. Larger houses, as well as other public buildings, tend to have stone-carved decoration around their windows. The courtyard of larger houses is often on the lower level, while the upper levels "step back" from this courtyard, giving the house an appearance similar to a "grand staircase" when seen from the courtyard.
