I visited Diyarbakir in Spring 2021 after Sanliurfa and before heading towards Van lake and spent 2 nights and 3 days here. When planning my road trip loop I had marked this area as the one I was to be most careful in based on some rough experiences some travellers went through here. It's close proximity to conflict stricken countries such as Syria and Iraq, plus being the unofficial capital of Turkish Kurdistan, all seem to contribute enough to being a bit more careful in principle.

During our visit though, we encountered no problems whatsoever and the locals were really friendly and proud that two Western tourists made an extra effort to visit their city notwithstanding its reputation and the COVID-19 travel restrictions. Due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed on most locals, such as the ban on inter-state travel, when we visited most if not all refugees or migrants from neighboring countries were either pushed back or living in tent communities in the fields on the outskirts of the city. Police and military forces are always on the alert here, so expect numerous checkpoints not only on the way to/from the city but also within different districts within the city walls. Together with the CCTV cameras installed literally everywhere, the city (especially inside the area inside and near the city walls) felt extra safe at all times.

The city walls have gone through constant turmoil or acts of vandalism, but the UNESCO inscription seems to have helped to protect and restore as much as possible all of the components of this site. The immediate areas on either side of the city walls are now green areas with playgrounds, and benches to sit down and relax while many locals are always roaming around night and day selling hot chai tea. Some of the city gates are still pretty much in the middle of main roads now, but most areas are being pedestrianised. Only very negative aspect I noticed is that a whole district of the city centre (southwestern area of Sur) has been recently (since the 2015-2017 Kurdish-Turkish conflict) closed off and turned into an administrative area with government buildings, sometimes only leaving a few facades of the several monuments that litter this extraordinary city at the crossroads of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and further east Iran and Armenia. The same wipeout operation is planned for the very poor district right outside the city walls near one of the main gates, which should help to get rid of the graffiti problem and the local goats left grazing about by the city walls. However, much of the living character will be lost this way in favour of a museum city, a problem experienced also in Shahrisabz in Uzbekistan.

This is a real pity as the city exudes history in every other building, and considering the fate of other ancient cities nearby such as Aleppo or Damascus, the unique monuments and ensemble have been preserved quite well despite the very recent troubles. The city walls come from the old Roman city of Amida and are the widest and longest "complete" defensive walls in the world after only the Great Wall of China. Even though they underwent a lot of restoration and reconstruction efforts to be maintained, 65 of the original 82 towers still remain on the outside of the city's walls and 18 of the citadel's towers remain today. The first thing we did upon arrival in the afternoon was to walk around the outside of the city's walls from , as we knew that walking on the city walls themselves or on the inside we would have missed out on some of the unique features of some of the towers which are best appreciated from outside towards sunset. The best ones to admire the Artukid symbols and Koranic inscriptions, together with nature reliefs are those of Nur, Yedi Kardes (top left photo) and Evli Beden. Another tower worth visiting is Keci Burcu or Goat Tower, mostly because of the former Zoroastrian sun temple underground. A peculiar feature of the city walls are a pair of heart-shaped stairs apparently leading to nowhere.

I sincerely had thought that the city walls together with the Hevsel gardens by the Tigris were the only highlight of this old city, but I was deeply mistaken. Inside the city walls, notwithstanding the current demolition of about a third of the citadel, there are interesting monuments everywhere and the city, with an overwhelming Kurdish majority, is very much alive especially during the calls for prayer. The easiest to cover the citadel is walking up and down both its central axis, Gazi Caddesi and Melik Ahmet/Yeni Kapi Caddesi. Close or right along these two main roads are mosques, madrasas, minarets, churches, bazaars, and the Hasan Pasha and Deliller/Husrev Pasha caravanserais (the latter is a perfect stop for a tea if not your actual base to visit the city). The heart of the citadel is definitely the Great Mosque of Diyarbakir (Ulu Cami; top right photo) which was inspired by the Great Mosque of Damascus in Syria. The Kufic inscriptions found on the exterior of the facades record in detail the rebuilding and additions made to the complex throughout its long history. Lavish carvings and decorations of the pillars and columns in the courtyard are one of the distinguishing features of the Great Mosque of Diyarbakir and are truly unique and in great condition (bottom right photo). Don't miss the El Cezeri sundial in the courtyard as well as all the other ingenious inventions by El Cezeri inside the mosque. The western arcade of the courtyard also includes the first use of the broken arch. Make sure to knock on the door on your right beneath the porticoes, just after entering the main courtyard. A friendly security guard opened and without speaking a common language except smiling at each other, he proudly showed me around the beautiful Mesudiye Madrasa which I had almost missed. The ornate decorations with influences from Syrian Islamic architecture are worth viewing.

Within the city walls lies also the unique Seyh Muhtar four-legged minaret which was the site of a tragic political assassination. According to a story, the four columns or pillars represent four denominations of Sunni Islam and the minaret above represents the religion of Islam as a whole. A local belief says that any individual who passes seven times between the four columns will have all their wishes granted, not worth trying if your taller than six feet as you're only wish will be not bumping your head on the hard basalt rock! The best remains of an Armenian church are probably those of Surp Giragos Armenian Church which can only be seen from afar for the time being as the whole area around the church as well as the church itself were confiscated in 2016 under a controversial expropriation law. This is the area which has since been largely demolished or is in the process of being wiped out. By roaming around the metal scaffolding around this district, you'll easily be able to spot other interesting monuments which are the only buildings being restored in this area. The rest is being built from scratch. Obviously police presence is mostly around this area and to access the area close to Saray Gate, near the inscribed locations of Amida Mound and the water distribution system at the Artuk Palace devised by El Cezeri/Al Jazeri, I went through what looked like a pedestrian checkpoint. Access is given to tourists without any problem though. Unless your into the history of science and the invention of the first "robots" by El Cezeri, you can easily skip going inside this site. Just outside the city walls from here you can gaze at the 178 meter ten-arched Dicle Bridge (On Gozlu Kopru; bottom left photo) over the Tigris River as well as the 700 hectares of cultivated fertile land of the Hevsel Gardens. The area closest to the bridge to the Hevsel Gardens is a lovely place to hike at sunrise and at sunset but you won't find any alcohol (not even beer) for sale here as its not allowed at all!

I really enjoyed my time here and had I an extra day to spare I would have also visited nearby Mardin as it seems worthwhile too. An excellent take away I also discovered here (which can be found all over Turkey) is Bulent Borekcilik for some Borek cheese pastry. All in all another great WHS in Turkey, and hopefully UNESCO and ICOMOS manage to intervene to stop the ongoing demolition and preserve all of the old citadel of Diyarbakir.