Diyarbakir, known in ancient times as Amida, has been a cradle of 26 civilizations during its 5000 year history. The city is spread across a basalt plateau close to the banks of the Dicle (Tigris) River. The black basalt triple walls which encircle the old town give the city a rather ominous appearance. These ramparts are 5.5 km in length, have 16 towers and 5 gates, are decorated with inscriptions and bas-reliefs, and represent a superb example of medieval military architecture. Here you will find the juxtaposition of the old-fashioned tenement blocks of the earlier days with the modern apartment blocks of the expanding suburb. This dramatic city is nick named as the "Paris of the East" and is mostly inhabited by the Kurds.

This region is known for its excellence in production of jewellery and the specialties include mat bracelets, coriander necklaces and silver ornamented shoes. The history of Diyarbakir goes a long way back. Starting from the earliest period, the city had been successively ruled by the Hurri-Mithani, Hitites and the Assyrians and once, was also the capital city of the Aramean Bit-Zamani kingdom. From 189 BCE to 384CE, the region to the east and south of present Diyarbakir remained under the rule of a Kurdish kingdom called Corduene. Later, the Romans colonized the city and named it Amida. During the Roman rule, the first city walls were constructed (297 AD) and later, the greater walls were built as per the command of the Roman emperor Caonstantanius-2. After the Romans, the Persians came to power and were succeeded by the Muslim Arabs. It was the leader of the Arab Bekr tribe, Bekr Bin Vail, who named the city Diyar Bakr, meaning - the country of "Bakr" i.e. Arabs. Much later, in the Republican era the city got its current name Diyarbakir, which was derived from the Copper ore that exists here. After a few centuries, Diyarbakir came under the Ottoman Dynasty and earned the status of the capital of a large province.

The city became the base of army troops who guarded the region against Persian invasion. Diyarbakir faced a lot of turbulence in the 20th century, particularly with the onset of World War-I. Majority of the city`s Syriac and Armenian population was moved out from the city. In 1925, the Kurdish population rose in a rebellion against Kemal Ataturk, which was crushed by the Turkish force. Thousands of Kurds were killed in this attempt. With the outbreak of terrorism in 1984 in Southern Turkey, this seat of Kurdish population became a stronghold of the terrorist workers party (PKK) of Kurdistan. However, with the passage of time the PKK subsided and the Turkish government has declared a period of 15 years of emergency rule, starting from November 2002. Now, the city is much in order.

Places To Visit ;

Archeology Museum is a first museum of Diyarbakır was opened in 1934 in the Senceriye (Zinciriye) Theology school, an extension of Ulu Mosque. In 1985 it is transported to a new building on Elazığ Avenue. Traces remaining from Neolithic Age, Old Bronze Age, Urartu, Asurian, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Akkoyunlu and Ottoman periods have been exhibited with a chronological order. Coins, local materials, ethnographic works of art, the majority of which remained from Artuklu period have also been exhibited in the museum.
Museum Tel:(+90-412) 221 27 55

Ziya Gökalp Museum - House is one of the samples of typical civil architecture of Diyarbakır, this house was built in 1808. This house where the famous intellectual Ziya Gökalp was born in in 1876, was bought from his inheritors in 1953, and opened to visit on March,23 1956 as a museum - house. Beside the items belonging to the poet, ethnographic works of art of the region are exhibited at the museum.

Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum - House (Culture Museum) is in the Diyarbakır city center, at Cami-i Kebir quarter, on Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı street, dated to 1820. One of the most beautiful sample of typical civil architecture of Diyarbakır, it havesurvived to our present day.
Museum Tel : (+90-412) 223 08 02

Diyarbakır Ramparts are famous for being the longest second rampart after the great wall of China, with 5.5 km long and 7 - 8 m high. Black Basalt Ramparts composed of 16 castles and 5 main gates are the most attractive places of the city. Magnificent sample of mediaeval military architecture, these ramparts were decorated with inscriptions and embossments. Ramparts were restored by Byzantine Emperor Costantinus in 349 B.C. But the exact date of their construction is not known.

Çayönü Ruins are on Elazığ highway, 65 km north west of Diyarbakır, in Ergani county, the antique city is dating back to the Neolithic Age, that is its long history reaches back to 9000 years ago. It is estimated that this place of settlement is one of the first permanent settlement places. Findings that have been brought into light around the primitive settlement place of Çayönü, grind stones, flint stones, various items made from bone and clay are exhibited at Diyarbakır Archeology Museum.

Malabadi Bridge is near the Silvan county on the Batman brook. Among the stone ramparts in the world, it is the one with the widest arch. Mosques and Churches Nebi Mosque and Safa Mosque are the most famous mosques of Diyarbakır, magnificent with their historical and architectural properties.

Ulu Mosque built by Sultanı Melik Shah of Seljuks, displays an interesting outlook with its original design and usage of either Byzantine or older architectural materials and is one of the oldest mosques of Turkey. 77 km east to Diyarbakır, in Silvan county and built in 1185 Ulu Mosque is worth seeing with its well - bred embossments decorated on gate arches.

Among the most important churches of Diyarbakır, Mart Thoma, Meryem Ana (the Virgin Mary Church), Kırklar Church and Mart Pityon Church can be mentioned. Meryem Ana Church (the Virgin Mary Church), still been used by a few Süryani (Christian) community in the city.

Bazaars, Inns And Caravanserais Diyarbakır has important inns because of its being one of the center of the Historical Silk Road. Inside the Deliller Inn, Hasan Pasha, Çiftehan and Yeni Inn, there are shopping stores that are selling rugs, carpets and silver embroidery as it was usual in history.

• Baglar
• Bismil‎
• Dicle
• Ergani
• Egil
• Hani‎
• Hazro
• Kayapinar
• Kocakoy
• Kulp‎
• Lice
• Silvan
• Sur
• Cermik
• Cinar
• Cungus
• Yenisehir Diyarbakir