Diyarbakir Attractions
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Southeastern Anatolia
Diyarbakir, one of the most picturesque of all Turkish cities, with a high proportion of its inhabitants Kurds, stands on a pedestal of black basalt on the west bank of the upper Tigris (Dicle Nehri), surrounded by fertile plots of cultivated land. Provincial capital (and unofficial "capital" of Turkish Kurdistan) the city is located in a steppe-like plain, bordered to the southwest by the flat but massive basalt ridge of the Karaca Dag (1,938m/6,360ft). Once a staging post on the ancient trade route from the Persian-Arabian Gulf to the Old Syrian Mediterranean ports and, via Byzantium, to the West, Diyarbakir, with its excellently preserved town wall and citadel, its host of lovely medreses and mosques and its winding alleyways is the epitome of an old Anatolian town.
Diyarbakir, one of the most picturesque of all Turkish cities, with a high proportion of its inhabitants Kurds, stands on a pedestal of black basalt on the west bank of the upper Tigris (Dicle Nehri), surrounded by fertile plots of cultivated land. Provincial capital (and unofficial "capital" of Turkish Kurdistan) the city is located in a steppe-like plain, bordered to the southwest by the flat but massive basalt ridge of the Karaca Dag (1,938m/6,360ft). Once a staging post on the ancient trade route from the Persian-Arabian Gulf to the Old Syrian Mediterranean ports and, via Byzantium, to the West, Diyarbakir, with its excellently preserved town wall and citadel, its host of lovely medreses and mosques and its winding alleyways is the epitome of an old Anatolian town.
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Walls
The ancient defensive walls of Diyarbakir, which stand 12 m high, still maintain 72 of the original 78 towers, along with four gates.
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Citadel
The Diyarbakir Citadel is fortified with 16 towers along the length of the 650 m long citadel wall.
Diyarbakir Surroundings
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Tigris Tunnel
The Tigris Tunnel is 750 m long cave through which a fresh water spring flows. Nearby caves boast of impressive carvings of King Salmanassar III (858-824 B.C.)