Diyarbakir

The city was called Amida when the region was under the rule of the Roman (from 66 BC) and the succeeding Byzantine Empires. From 189 BC to 384, the area to the east and south of present-day Diyarbakir, was ruled by a kingdom known as Corduene.

In 359, Shapur II of Persia captured Amida after a siege of seventy-three days. The Roman soldiers and a large part of the population of the town were massacred by the Persians. The heroic siege is vividly described by Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus who was an eyewitness of the event and survived the massacre by escaping from the town.

Come for the walls which surround an old city still showing its Roman town plan; for the interesting old Arab-style mosques, a few Chaldean churches, and nice old historic houses. The lush gardens along the banks of the Tigris are worth a look as well.

One full day should be enough time to see Diyarbakir. With an extra day you can make a day-trip south to Mardin, if not to the amusingly-named (but boring) nearby oil town of Batman. (Also see my recommended Eastern Tour itinerary.)

Although the Guney (Southern) Express train runs from Istanbul to Diyarbakir three days weekly via Ankara, it takes nearly two days to make the trip. Buses get you to Diyarbakir faster, more reliably and more comfortably. Turkish Airlines flies to Diyarbakir’s Kaplaner Airport (DIY) daily from Istanbul and Ankara, as does Onur Air.