Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey.
It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. It is considered one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, having been continually inhabited since c. 8,000 BCE.
Getting to Diyarbakır
- 01Diyarbakır Airport
- 02Diyarbakır Otogar is
10 km west of city centre along the highway to Urfa.
Worth seeing
- 01Great Mosque
The oldest mosque in Anatolia, built in 1091 by Malikh Shah, Emir of the Seljuk Turks.
- 02Surp Giragos Armenian
The largest Armenian church in the Middle East, founded in 1515, and built in its present form in 1883.
- 03Diyarbakır Fortress is in the northeast corner
The outer fortress is free to enter, the inner fortress has the main sights: the archaeology museum, St George Church and Atatürk Museum.
- 04Virgin Mary Church
A Syrian Orthodox church founded in the 3rd century.
- 05Mardin Kapı is
Hazreti Ömer Mosque next to the gate was built in 1190.
Things to do
Hamams are traditional Turkish baths, with a dozen in Old City. Yeni Paşa Hamamı was built in the 1560s as part of a religious complex: the building has been restored but it’s no longer in use. Football: Amed SFK were promoted in 2026 and now play soccer in Süper Lig, the top tier. Their Diyarbakır Stadium (capacity 33,000) is 5 km northwest of city centre.
Where to eat
Local specialties include ciğer kebabı grilled lamb liver, ekşili etli dolma stuffed vine leaves, meftune and içli köfte meatballs, and mehir a mix of wheat grain, chick-peas and yoghurt. Kadayıf and künefe are sticky-sweet desserts. Dağ Kapı Ciğercisi by the north city gate is open daily 08:00-03:00. Saim Usta is a dessert café just outside north city gate.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.