After wandering around various cities in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, I also included Diyarbakır in my schedule.. Upon the invitation of a friend, I went to Diyarbakir, where I was staying for one night, via Bingol.
My Diyarbakir trip, which started with the uncertainty of my travel route and extremely unplanned, turned into a quick and concise Diyarbakir trip thanks to my dear friend Caner.
Towards Diyarbakir
Reaching Diyarbakir from Bingol requires a 3-hour journey. The distance, which should be reached in a shorter time under normal conditions, has grown longer and longer due to the neglect of the road and its abandonment to its fate.. While the passengers in the midibus, including myself, are clinging to the windows as if they were stunned by the heat, the “king” policeman with a cigarette in one hand wanders around indiscriminately and looks at us with hateful eyes. sensitive specially trained dogs are given tours. And I’m wondering if they ask for ID, thank god they don’t bother with him.. Cops loot whatever acidic drinks are in the special section of the midibus, haunting the cold drinks. They forget that the people in front of them are human.. However, by behaving properly, they can explain to people that they are making a call.
Well, I don’t bother with them…
Finally Diyarbakır
After a short while, our last stop We are standing on the roadside in Diyarbakir, which is. After that, there will be city shuttle services…
I prefer walking because Kantar, the district where Caner awaits me, is close to where I landed.. We come across Caner a short distance away.
Diyarbakır is a very different city than I expected.. They used to call it the Paris of the East, and I wouldn’t believe it!
I honestly did not expect such a neat, well-groomed, environmentally sensitive city image.. The images envisioned in our minds from the West are always different, you know…
Long story short, Diyarbakir embarrassed and surprised me.
Diyarbakır with its tall and newly constructed buildings and wide squares. This environment where I learned to be the new face of .. It is no different from cities such as Istanbul and Izmir, on the contrary, it has more in terms of beauty…
After resting our road fatigue, we can go to the Office in Diyarbakır city center with Caner to make the best use of the short time. We are going. Art Street in Ofis was the meeting point of young people from Diyarbakır.. When we really come, I realize that dozens of cafes lined up side by side are well above the average of Turkey in terms of both their designs and their business understanding.. I envy it!
Everyone is enjoying themselves cheerfully with a deep conversation, drinking their hookahs. Due to the smoking bans, open areas in front of the cafes were generally preferred.
We come from the cafe where we sit on the main streets of the office.. Caner’s friend will pick us up from the street and take us on a city tour by car.. Since I have to go to another friend in the evening, our tour will be quite fast.
I, who carefully examine the environment, get stuck on the city buses.. I’ve had an interest in possible local transportation and especially city buses.. Most of the buses are BMC from Izmir and they are very well-maintained.. Above each of them is the message that the municipality wants to convey to the citizens in Turkish and Kurdish.. I liked it. When I looked from the west, I could not imagine that the majority of the city and the region spoke so much Kurdish in daily life.
Diyarbakır Walls
After getting in the car we went directly to the Diyarbakır Walls. Old Diyarbakir, which is called Suriçi and is the first settlement of Diyarbakır, draws attention with its appearance as a slaughterhouse rather than its historical appearance. ordered this side of the city. There is no place to step in the green areas around the walls. Children of Diyarbakır are trying to sit on the grass around the city walls.. On the other hand, the fountains water the walking paths, not the grass.
We are climbing on the world’s second largest long walls after the Great Wall of China.. The exact date of construction is unknown.. Years ago, the inhabitants of Diyarbakır lived within the walls.. When the city grew, a new settlement, which was named Yenişehir, was established, and then the city grew day by day.. When I look, what I see are houses built attached to the walls!
The roofs of the houses have reached almost half of the walls.. Diyarbakir’s oldest and most distorted structures continue to exist in this region.. Of course, these images do not fit the contemporary image of Diyarbakir…
Gazi Mansion
Without wasting time, take a look at the city walls and visit the Gazi Mansion. We are going.. It has become a frequently preferred recreation spot for the people of Diyarbakır.
A box office guard appointed by the Governor’s Office shows us the way to visit the mansion for 50 cents.
Related to Gazi Mansion. maintenance and all responsibility belongs to the Special Provincial Administration…
The Bridge with Ten Eyes
After circumambulating the mansion quickly, the Tigris River We come to the Ten-Eyed Bridge. The bridge, which was tried to be brought back to life with a restoration project by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, preserves its magnificent appearance.
Information written on the inscription of the bridge, which was built in 1065 by the Diyarbakir ruler NiZamüddevle Nasr during the Mervanoğlu period. This is how I see the most important places to see for. This time, we are moving towards the Great Caravanserai Hotel, which I will see from the car due to my little time left.. We continue with the car without stopping. Dicle University Campus is waiting for us.
We are entering the campus of Dicle University, which is one of the largest universities in Turkey as a campus area.. The never-ending campus is really big.. There are also enormous gaps in space between faculties.. Even though it’s a holiday, summer school students are in cafes…
Our university campus tour is also as short as possible and I’m on my way to my friend where I will spend the night.
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Short and I remember from my Diyarbakir tour, that Diyarbakir is really a different place in the region…
It should be seen, of course!