Midyat: A City Hidden in the Memory of Stone

Midyat is one of Southeastern Anatolia's stories written in stone. This ancient city, located east of Mardin, bears the traces of Mesopotamian cultures for thousands of years. The architectural texture of the Assyrian, Syriac, Artuqid, and Ottoman periods has survived here virtually intact to this day.

In Midyat, stone is not just a building material; it is a language. Every house facade, every arched street, speaks silently, its colors changing with the angle of the sun. The light-colored limestone, known locally as "Midyat stone," with its soft texture, transforms into lacy ornamentation in the hands of masters. This stone's workability has given the city's architecture both elegance and character.

Walking along the narrow streets, you notice high arches, stone staircases, and courtyards adorned with wooden doors behind shaded courtyards. Every detail is an aesthetic reflection of a centuries-old way of life. The terraces of Midyat houses offer vantage points overlooking the Mesopotamian horizon; the stone houses shimmer in the golden morning light and take on an amber hue at sunset.

Today, Midyat is a unique destination for history buffs and photographers alike. In the timeless silence of the stone, the line between past and present blurs; one feels as if one is walking through history.