In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Türkiye (Turkey)
Mardin
Give Mardin 2 nights: one full day for the old city's stone lanes, madrasahs and monastery, one for Deyrulzafaran and Midyat. Skip it if you want beaches or nightlife.
Mardin is a hilltop old city of honey-coloured stone above the Mesopotamian plain, in Turkey's south-east. It is a Syriac, Kurdish, Arab and Turkish town, with Artuqid madrasahs, Syriac churches and monasteries nearby. Two nights covers the old city and the Tur Abdin monasteries; three lets you add Midyat and Dara. It is reached by air from Istanbul and Ankara, or by bus from Urfa and Diyarbakır.
- Country
- Türkiye (Turkey)
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (very hot), Dec–Feb (cold, occasional snow)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- TRY
- Money
- Currency is the Turkish lira (₺, TRY). About ₺56 to €1 in late September 2026 — check; inflation was still in the double digits, so prices rise several times a year.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₺1,200–2,000 excl. bed · Mid ₺2,000–3,500 excl. bed · High ₺3,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom sell tourist SIMs at airports (passport needed); they are dearer than in town shops — check.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European two-pin; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Lokanta / simple café: Leave the coins or round up.; Sit-down restaurant: 5–10% in cash, even if the card machine does not offer a tip; check for a 'servis' charge first.; Taxi: Round up to the next ₺10–50.; Hamam: 10–15% to the attendant (tellak/natır).; Guide / driver day: €10–20 for a guide, €5–10 for a driver per day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₺50–100.
- Water
- Tap water is treated and chlorinated but tastes of it; locals buy bottled or 19-litre dispenser water. Restaurants charge for bottled water.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, malls and restaurants; squat toilets (alaturka) in older mosques and bus stops. Public toilets (WC) cost ₺10–30 — carry coins or small notes. Most toilets have a bidet spray; paper goes in the bin in older buildings.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Glass of tea | ₺10–25 |
| Breakfast plate (kahvaltı) | ₺150–300 |
| Kebab or falafel main | ₺200–400 |
| Bottle of Süryani wine | ₺400–900 |
| Dolmuş ride | ₺20–30 |
| Museum entry (Sakıp Sabancı, madrasahs) | ₺100–300 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₺300–600 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MQM · Mardin Airport
- About 20 km south-east of the city; Havaş shuttle into town, or taxi.About 12 mi south-east of the city; Havaş shuttle into town, or taxi.
- DIY · Diyarbakır Airport
- About 1.5–2 h by road; useful if Mardin flights are full or expensive.
Typical fares
- Dolmuş, Yenişehir → Eski Mardin
- about ₺20–30, 10–15 min
- Taxi, old city → Mardin Airport
- about ₺600–900
- Minibus, Mardin → Midyat
- about ₺100–150, 40 min
Get around
The old city is walkable end to end in about 30 min, but the lanes are steep and staired, so no cars. Dolmuş M6, M7A and M8 link Yenişehir with Eski Mardin (about ₺20). Small yellow city buses run between the State Hospital and the old city and take contactless card or cash. Walking between the two levels takes 30–40 min uphill and is punishing in summer. No passenger trains; the nearest station with services is Batman.
See and do
Known for
- Old city stone architecture above the Mesopotamian plain
- Syriac Orthodox monasteries (Deyrulzafaran, Mor Gabriel)
- Artuqid madrasahs: Zinciriye and Kasımiye
- Southeastern Anatolian food and Süryani wine
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Deyrulzafaran Monastery | Dolmuş toward Cezaevi, then walk or hitch 4 km; or taxiDolmuş toward Cezaevi, then walk or hitch 2.5 mi; or taxi | About 30–45 min |
| Midyat | Minibus from the otogar, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Dara | Bus from the State Hospital, about 12:00, returns about 16:00Bus from the State Hospital, about 12:00 PM, returns about 4:00 PM | About 1 h |
| Savur | Minibus on the old mountain road to Midyat | About 1 h |
| Hasankeyf | Bus via Midyat and Batman, 2.5–3 h | 3–4 h |
| Nusaybin | Bus south, about 1.5 h | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Eski Mardin (old city)
- Stone hotels and terraces with plain views; walk to every sight. Best for a first visit, but streets are steep and staired.
- Yenişehir (new city)
- Modern hotels, Migros, banks and the otogar; 10–15 min by dolmuş up to the old city. Best for drivers and tight budgets.
- Midyat
- 40 min north; a base for Mor Gabriel and Tur Abdin monasteries if you want a second night outside Mardin.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Merhabamer-hah-BAH |
| Thank you | Teşekkürlerteh-shek-kewr-LER |
| How much is it? | Ne kadar?neh kah-DAR |
| The bill, please | Hesap, lütfenheh-SAP, lewt-FEN |
| Where is the toilet? | Tuvalet nerede?too-vah-LET NEH-reh-deh |
| Can I pay by card? | Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?KART-lah ur-deh-yeh-bee-LEER mee-yeem |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Merhaba' (hello) or 'Selamün aleyküm' in conservative areas; cheek kisses between friends of the same sex; avoid: Offering a hand to a conservative woman first — wait for hers
- Mosques: Covered clothing, headscarf for women, shoes in hand, quiet voice; avoid: Walking in front of people praying; visiting during Friday midday prayer
- Hospitality: Accept tea or at least a sip; bring sweets or pastries to a home; avoid: Refusing food repeatedly; showing the soles of your feet
- Politics and history: Listen; let hosts raise it; avoid: Opinions on Atatürk, the Kurdish issue, Armenia or Cyprus with people you just met
- Ramadan: Eat discreetly in conservative towns during the day; avoid: Eating, drinking or smoking in front of fasting people in small towns
- Gestures: A slight upward head nod with a tut means 'no'; avoid: The OK hand sign (can be read as rude) and a thumb between fingers
- Dress in town: Shorts are fine in Istanbul and resorts; longer clothes in the interior and east; avoid: Swimwear away from the beach
- Names: First name plus Bey (men) or Hanım (women): 'Ahmet Bey'; avoid: Using the surname alone
Scams and watch-outs
- The citadel is inside a military zone and closed: do not cross the barbed wire.
- Tap water is chalky and may be unsafe; drink bottled water.
- Old-city shops shut by 21:00–22:00, so buy water and snacks for the night in advance.
- Summer afternoons reach the high 30s °C; do sights early and late.
- Border areas to the south and south-east are sensitive: check your government's current advice before day trips toward Nusaybin or Syria.
- Agree taxi and barber prices before the service; some old-city touts overcharge.
Mardin is calm and heavily policed in the old city, and the 1990s conflict is long past. The real risks are summer heat, steep unlit stairs at night, and border zones to the south: check your government's advice before trips toward Nusaybin or Syria.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Mardin yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old city stone architecture above the Mesopotamian plain
- Syriac Orthodox monasteries (Deyrulzafaran, Mor Gabriel)
- Artuqid madrasahs: Zinciriye and Kasımiye
- Southeastern Anatolian food and Süryani wine
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Mardin Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism: mardin.ktb.gov.tr/
- Wikivoyage: Mardin, revision 5269514 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5269514
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Mardin
Bu adrese, lütfen
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- All emergencies112
No embassies in Mardin; most countries keep embassies in Ankara and consulates-general in Istanbul. The US, UK and others advise checking current security advice for the south-east before travel.
Carry small lira notes: many old-city shops and dolmuş drivers take cash only.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/mardin). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.