My first solo visit to Mardin was in 1994 when the troubles in the east were at their height with checkpoints everywhere and 5pm curfews on some of the surrounding roads. Inevitably tourists travelling in groups were pretty thin on the ground, those travelling alone conspicuous by their absence. There was a perfectly decent hotel in the new town but of course i had my heart set on staying in old Mardin, the lovely area made up of terraces of honey-coloured houses accessed via secretive alleyways that had so reminded me of old Jerusalem on a previous accompanied visit.
But up in old Mardin there were only two ‘hotels’ in business. The more conspicuous of the two, the Bayraktar, was a ’60’s- style high-rise block so ugly and inappropriate that it might as well have been sticking two fingers up at the glorious 19th-century building housing the museum immediately across the road. As I walked towards it, my heart was already sinking. It’s never a good sign when every other letter of a hotel’s name has fallen off the sign and yet management has not seen fit to replace them, so it came as little surprise to find reception staffed by a man whose bottle-thick glasses were held together with sellotape and who jumped with shock when I approached him.
Was there a vacant room? I asked. The man looked as if he wanted to cry but quickly collected himself and, one behind the other, we mounted four flights of stairs (it went without saying that the lift was out of action) where he threw open a door to reveal a room in which every piece of wiring was hanging out of the wall and the bathroom merited a starring role in a horror movie. I was just about to make my apologies and scuttle back to the safety of the new town when something made me walk across to the window and look out. And there in front of me lay the plain of Mesopotamia, a vast sea of yellow stretching seemingly to infinity. Who needs a shower, I thought, when they can lie on the edge of their bed and soak up this view?
Roll down the years and the Mardin of 2012 could hardly be more different. Today boutique hotels are opening so fast that it’s hard not to envisage a day when, as in Cappadocia, almost every house will be seen as a hotel-in-waiting with the locals moving down to the new town and passing the cost of restoring their beautiful old homes to those with deeper pockets and an eye on the profit to be made.
After all, who couldn’t love Mardin, a town which seems to have everything going for it? There’s the fantastic hillside location, the glorious architecture, the heady mix of mosques, medreses, monasteries and churches to visit and two fantastic museums, the newer of the two, the Sabanci Museum, lovingly laying out the details of the local culture. But one of the most surprising developments in this once blighted city is the blossoming of cafe society. In a town where it used to be hard to find anything to eat after eight o’clock at night these are a few of the places where it’s now possible to while away as much time as you like over tea or coffee, be you male or female.
Mezopotamya Otantik Cafe
An old faithful, the Mezopotamya has a fantastic location deep inside the bazaar and right beside the Ulu Cami whose minaret is one of the iconic images of the city. The view of the plain of Mesopotamia is very much the thing here which means that the handful of tables lined up along the front of the terrace are in high demand. 2. Cadde, 101 Sokak, Ulu Cami Yanı No 1, Tel: 0482-212 4075
Seyri Merdin Cafe A more modern – and easier to spot – take on the Mezopotamya, the Seyri Merdin offers comfy cushions on benches that resemble the tahts (thrones) that people put on their roofs to sleep during the blazing hot summers. The views here take in not just the Ulu Cami and the plain but also the striking and easily overlooked building that houses the Kız Meslek Lisesi (Girls Vocational High School) built in 1898. The jazz playing in the background should soothe nerves that have become frazzled in the heat. 1. Cadde No 429, Tel: 0482-212 1840
Zinciriye Kafeterya Built in 1385 and tucked up under the hillside, the Zinciriye (Sultan İsa) Medresesi is one of the finest buildings in Mardin and might seem a rather unlikely place to find a cafe. But a few tables have been set up in a courtyard facing a lovely fountain and rose garden. During the day you must pay an admission fee to go into the medrese but after 5pm the fee is waved for cafe visitors.
Dilmon Cafe Upstairs in the old Suru Hanı, the Dilmon is potentially wonderful but can actually seem a bit bleak at quieter times. Its specialty is big eastern-style breakfasts with a choice of cheeses and jams. You can tuck into them at tables along the gallery or in the cosier small rooms leading off it where travelling salesmen would once have bedded down for the night. There’s a full-blown restaurant, the Antik Sur, in the downstairs courtyard. 1. Cadde, Surur Hanı. Tel: 0482-212 7159
Atilla Çay Parkı The Atilla has been going strong since the days when only local men thought to venture out for tea in Mardin. Right opposite what was once the most beautiful post office in Turkey and is now a rather half-hearted tourist attraction, this traditional tea garden boasts unbeatable views of the plain – and, as usual, you’ll need an eagle eye and sharp elbows to land a table along the perimeter (reservations possible).
Cafe del MardinThis beautiful cafe stands at the junction with the road leading up to the Sabancı Museum and is a three-in-one with a pretty courtyard cafe offering fruit juices and cakes, a cosy indoor cafe for a winters and an upstairs restaurant with views of the plain for those in need of more substantial sustenance. Think Gypsy Kings on Spotify and you won’t go far wrong. Eski Hükümet Konağı Üçyol Girişi, Sanat Sokağı No 17. Tel: 0482-212 7080
Simit Sarayı So it’s part of a chain which means no surprises on the food or drink front but the Mardin branch has several things going for it. In the first place it is right opposite the Sabancı Museum for those in desperate need of a caffeine hit after their studies. Better still, it offers air-conditioning, a real plus in the blistering summer heat. The decor is pretty cool too. Hükümet Caddesi, Eski Belediye Binası No 1. Tel: 0482-212 1247
Antik Cafe Deep in the bazaar is an area where craftsmen make images of the fertility deity called the Şahmaran under glass. Find it and you’ll also find the Antik, a Mezopotamya lookalike without the great view of the Ulu Cami but with more seats available at busy times.
Written: 2012
