This is the first order of the
day, after all this is the first sight I saw upon jumping off the bus. The Mardin Museum is not-to-be missed, the mansion or church-looking building is the
backdrop of the statue of Kemal Ataturk at the very center of the old
city, along the Cumhuriyet Cad.
with the big parking lot in front.
The building of the museum was
originally constructed as a Syriac catholic patriarchate by Antakya’s patriarch
Ignatius Banni but converted several times for different uses prior to becoming
a museum. It served as military
barracks, cooperative building, health center, police station, until the
government bought the property in 1988, did a restoration, and then relocated
the old museum from the Zinciriye Madrasa to this beautifully restored
building.
The museum opened to the public in
1995.
The new museum building is
completely made of cut limestone. There are unique ornaments on the internal
and external vaults, arches, rails and column heads. On its three floors of exhibition
halls are displays of artefacts of different dynasty.
Old coins from Artukid, Byzantine and Ottoman
periods, Seljuk pots and ceramics dugged from nearby Hasankeyf, collection of
Roman glasses, mosaics, vases,
steles, figurines, busts, jewelries,
ceremonial masks, Assyrian vessels. A
separate hall for all the objects found around the Mardin mountains, some vases
and interesting terracotta animal and female figurines from Chalcolithic period
(5500-3000BC), toy cars from the same period, a collection of bronze age
(3000-2000BC) spearheads, and so many other objects.
Entry Fee is TL5 from the
friendly lady at the booth and the security staff at the gate are courteous as well.
I was thinking of heading next to
Zinciriye Museum but it’s up further the hill, so I have got to find the
nearest sight – the Meryem Ana Kilisesi - and then crawl slowly to the upper
hill onto the foot of the castle or fortress.
 |
| A hybird chicken(?) wandering around the terrace of Mardin Museum. |
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