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

Mardin Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...

, 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 ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

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 (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

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 () was a Shia Muslim Arab dynasty that ruled modern day Northern Mesopotamia and Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib tribe of Mesopotamia and Arabia. History Origin The Hamdanids hailed ...

to the Artuqid dynasty 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 (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

had again fallen into disrepair. During the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

, Mardin Castle served as a prison and holding place for Orthodox and Catholic Armenians prior to their execution. More recently, works were carried out to strengthen the castle structure and prevent loose 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, in Derik, Turkey, Derik, Mardin Province, Mardin, Turkey) is a Kurds in Turkey, Kurdish politician from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). He has been a member of the Grand National Assembly of T ...

of the People's Democratic Party "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 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