Mardin Castle is a 3,000 year old defensive fortification in the city of

Mardin Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...

, Turkey. It is known as the Eagle's Nest. The castle has been used as a military base as part of a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

agreement and hosts a radar station due to its position 1,000 meters above the Mesopotamian plain. One legend states that the castle was constructed in the 4th century BC by a

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...

n fire worshipper called Shad Buhari, who "recovered from a serious illness while staying up on the hill, and so he decided to erect a palace there". The castle was constructed during the 10th century rule of the

Hamdanid dynasty The Hamdanid dynasty ( ar, الحمدانيون, al-Ḥamdāniyyūn) was a Twelver Shia Arab dynasty of Northern Mesopotamia and Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib Christian tribe of Mesopotamia and Eastern Ara ...

to the

Artuqid dynasty The Artuqid dynasty (alternatively Artukid, Ortoqid, or Ortokid; , pl. ; ; ) was a Turkoman dynasty originated from tribe that ruled in eastern Anatolia, Northern Syria and Northern Iraq in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries. The Artuqi ...

from the 11th to 13th century. The castle was partly restored during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Selim III, but by the end of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

had again fallen into disrepair. In the 2010s, works were carried out to strengthen its structure and prevent rocks falling down onto the city. The castle has seen numerous attempts to open it to tourism which have often been blocked by bureaucratic obstacles. In 2014, Mardin Deputy Governor Ali Güldoğan told Hurriyet that the civilian administration "had applied many times since 2008 for the military unit to leave the castle and open it to tourism". In June, 2015, former Mardin co-mayor

Ahmet Türk Ahmet Türk (born 2 July 1942, Derik, Turkey) is a Turkish politician of Kurdish origin from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). He has been a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for several terms and was elected twice as the May ...

of the

People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan *People's Democratic Party (Belize) *People's Democratic Party (Bhutan) *People's Democratic Party (Chile) * People's Democratic Party (Dom ...

"initiated a campaign in collaboration with non-governmental organizations with the slogan “Mardin Castle belongs to the people of Mardin” and demanded the castle to be open to visitors", according to Hurriyet. In 2017, the

Justice and Development Party Justice and Development Party may refer to several political parties, the best-known ones being: * Justice and Development Party (Morocco) * Justice and Development Party (Turkey) Justice and Development Party may also refer to: * Justice and Dev ...

deputy Orhan Miroğlu suggested that the site could be opened to tourism. As of 2021 the castle remains a military base, but it is possible to walk almost to the top to see views of the city.

References

{{Castles in Turkey Castles in Mardin Province Castles in Turkey