Diyarbakır

Last update October 1, 2026

Diyarbakır is situated on the banks of the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey and has seen settlement for about nine thousand years all in the same location; the city’s nickname, “Black Amid”, arises from the basalt which was used to construct its most well-known feature. The city walls extend for approximately 5.5 kilometres and are made entirely of black volcanic stone, and the local people will say that they are the second-longest continuous defensive walls in the world after the Great Wall of China. If you walk along part of the walls yourself, especially in the late afternoon, the black stone set against the golden light makes the assertion easy to accept regardless of whether or not it can be verified by exact measurement.

The Ulu Cami, or Great Mosque, which is located within the city walls, was constructed in 639 AD on the spot where the earlier Mar-Toma Church had stood following the conquest of the city. Over the years, both Seljuk and Ottoman influences have been superimposed upon it, and when you are in the mosque’s courtyard you get a good feeling for the number of different hands that have contributed to shaping the city throughout the centuries. The old town of Suriçi surrounding it is the area in which you really want to get lost, as you wind your way through the streets that contain mosques, churches, and the Dengbej Evi, a house devoted to traditional Kurdish oral storytellers, a tradition which is still very much alive in the area.

The Hevsel Gardens lie beneath the southern walls and cover an area of 700 hectares, lying between the fortifications and the Tigris river, having been cultivated for nearly eight thousand years by about thirty different civilizations. Entry is not possible by car and taxis will not take you there, so you have to walk down from the old town or simply watch the gardens from one of the cafés incorporated into the walls. The On Gözlü Bridge, locally known as the Ten-Eyed Bridge, spans the Tigris just south of the gardens and is the place that people go to see the sunset, with tea being served in large traditional pots at riverside cafés on both sides of the river.

Allow yourself two days in Diyarbakır: one to see the walls, the mosque, and the old town and another for the gardens with a more leisurely stroll along the river. The city can also serve as a base for day trips, since Mardin is about two and a half hours by road and Hasankeyf is as well within reach. Should you be in Diyarbakır in September, then the Watermelon Festival is a worthwhile reason to extend your stay by a day.