The honey-stone city, Syriac monasteries and the filigree market: two days above the plain.
Mardin looks out over the Mesopotamian plain in terraces, and the whole city is built from the same honey-coloured limestone. The first day is spent in town: the six-hundred-year-old Kasımiye Medrese with the water channel in its courtyard, the Grand Mosque with the longest minaret in the region, the coppersmiths' market and the historic lanes, the Mardin Museum and the Zinciriye Medrese. The second day descends to the plain: the Deyrulzafaran Monastery, named for the colour of saffron, Dara, one of the great garrison cities of the Eastern Roman empire, and finally Midyat, with its Syriac mansions, the market of the filigree masters and a tea break in the courtyard of the Gelüşke Han. The route works for photography and for series tourism alike. Accommodation, guiding and every transfer are included; museum entrance fees and meals are quoted separately.
Stops flex with the weather, traffic and your guest's pace.
What to know before you go
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Deepen the programme with these touches.
Gastronomy, Göbeklitepe and the stone cities of Mesopotamia, over eight days. Flights optional.
From the Bosphorus to the valleys to the stone terraces of Mesopotamia. Flights optional.
Toppled stone heads above two thousand metres: light on the royal tomb of Commagene.
Istanbul to Sapanca, Bursa, Şile or the airports of the second city.
Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı and the Bazaar: at the client's pace.
Fener and Balat on foot: four hours of colour, courtyards and the quiet layers of the old city.
European highlights first, then the Asian side and Çamlıca. Lunch optional.
