From Diyarbakir, the Turkish tourist authorities tend to point out that it is an agricultural area that produces prodigious watermelons, which are staged in an annual contest in which the largest sometimes exceed 20 kilos. And that it is tradition to photograph babies sitting inside one of these emptied fruits so that their size can be appreciated (that of the watermelon, not that of the child). In fact, in the access roundabout to the city airport there is a controversial sculpture that reproduces this custom, disputed because it cost a million lire. But nothing else, Ankara does not have an excessive interest in diverting foreign tourists to this town of around 700,000 inhabitants.
Anyone who is not afraid of long bus journeys through southern Anatolia should get to know Diyarbakir, the unofficial capital of Kurdistan. It is a town that is already mentioned in documents from 3,500 years ago, and that constitutes a rich cultural visit.
The most obvious civil (but also military) monument is its wall, practically intact, which surrounds the entire old center of the city and has been declared a World Heritage Site. It has an irregular oval shape, and is built with a characteristic black stone of the region that makes it intimidating to attackers. Well, to the ancients, in recent decades the fighting between Kurdish militias and the Turkish army had this place as a recurring scene.
There are up to seven useful doors to enter and leave the walled city. And in some sections, access to the battlements is also practicable, with which an aerial view of the traditional neighborhoods is obtained. In its eastern sector, moreover, it spills over the Tigris River, mythical where there are. From there you can see his power.
Diyarbakir has beautiful mosques like Ulu Cami and Behram Pasa Cami or enchanting caravanserais like Hasan Pasa Hani. Although where the caravaneers of the silk route used to sleep and refuel, there is now a bazaar that sells extraordinary crafts and bars and restaurants where they can take refuge from the intense sun of the Kurdish steppe. Those monuments are to be expected.
More surprising is the small collection of Christian churches that are hidden in the old core. And they hide is not in this case a verb to beautify them. It’s that they keep a low profile in a majority Muslim community. In fact, the practitioners of Christianity are already very few in Diyarbakir.
The temples always remain with the doors closed, you have to look for the guardians -generally grumpy- in the nearby houses to open them and show them. Normally, assuring that one is a Christian and comes from a country that is also a Christian overcomes –in part– resistance. Inside, simple but beautiful temples dating back 1,500 years are among the oldest churches in Christendom surviving without extensive restoration.
Keldani, Surpagab and Meryem Ana are the three jewels. The latter is the most used, the previous two have seen their original Chaldean and Armenian populations disappear and are carefully preserved but there are few trades. It is shocking, however, to see inside images of Christs and saints in a Muslim country full of mosques in which –as is well known– representations are prohibited.
On a less spiritual and more festive terrain, you should not miss visiting the Diyarbakir yogurt market, which is located in the heart of the bazaar. There the artisans of this product compete to offer their wonderful creations. As a sign that the consumption of the natives is high, there are eight-kilo containers for sale (some aluminum buckets reminiscent of our milkmaids). They can also be purchased in more modest quantities.
Diyarbakir, as a reference, is almost a thousand kilometers from Ankara and 500 from Erzurum. Efficient and comfortable Turkish coaches make it easy to get there. It is worth following the news for the political situation, as when the Kurdish conflict flares up, Diyarbakir is the first place to show symptoms. Hence, there is not much propaganda for the place from the Turkish government.
Warning for irreducible geeks: do not be tempted by the nearby city of Batman, there is nothing to see in it except the ugly oil fields.
