Divan Diyarbakır

Excavations at Çayönü Tell, located in the county of Ergani 65 kilometres (40 miles) from Diyarbakır, show that this is one of the first places that was home to settled communities. Çayönü Tell was first inhabited more than 10,000 years ago and numerous artifacts shedding light on life in the Neolithic Period have been discovered at Çayönü Tell. Developments like the production of clay pots and the making of copper tools took place here earlier than at many other places around the world. The numerous artifacts discovered at the Çayönü Tell site are on display at the Diyarbakır Archaeological Museum.

 

The Tigris River, one of the two rivers feeding the legendary Mesopotamian basin where civilizations were born and developed, is one of the most important geographical features not only in the region but in the whole of Turkey. Of the river's total 1,400-kilometre length, roughly 500 kilometers are within the borders of Turkey. Merging with the equally famous Euphrates River, the Tigris empties into the Persian Gulf. Viewing the Tigris from the Diyarbakır Castle you can watch it wend its way through fertile greenery and you can cross over it on the On Gözlü Köprü, or Tigris Bridge.

 

The Suluklu Han, or Leech Han, was built by Hanilioğlu Mahmut Çelebi and his sister Atike Hatun in 1683 and, following a thorough restoration in 2010, has become one of the city's most popular destinations, with its pistacia terebinthus, or turpentine coffee every visitor should try. The han takes its name from the leeches that were found in the han's well and once used by doctors for therapeutic purposes. Today, the han is the perfect place to take a break from sightseeing, relax and refresh yourself.
 

 

Constructed in 639 CE during the reign of the Caliph Omar and built on the site of the Martoma Church, the Grand Mosque underwent a major restoration in 1091 on the orders of the Great Seljuk Emperor Melikshah. Considered the 5th most important temple mount in the Islamic world, the mosque is of great symbolic value. The largest historic site in Diyarbakır, the Grand Mosque complex includes two mosques, two madrasas, and a large courtyard. One of the most noteworthy parts of the complex is the sundial located in the courtyard, which is more than eight centuries old.

 

Zerzavan Castle is built and used by East Roman Empire between years 400 – 700 BC to strategically control the antique trade road from Mardin to Diyarbakır. The settlement is located 13 km from Çınar and 1 km from Demirölçek Village on a rocky hill at the height of 124 m. The first excavation and restoration studies began in 2014 and are still going on. The whole settlement is surrounded by 12 - 15 meters high and 1.2 km length city walls. A church, rock altar, houses, rock tombs, arsenal, water cisterns, water canal and Mithraeum temple can be seen inside of the fortifications of the castle.