Getting a trip to the east of Turkey

Those who have not seen and those who wish to see Diyarbakir, Mardin, Midyat and Hasankeyf should not wait any longer to visit these tourist and cultural centers. Though they are all beautiful tourism destinations, many, especially those who have been living abroad for a long time, may complain about the high cost of living in Turkey and even be puzzled by how the local people manage to make a living in the area

MARKUS ÜREK

MİDYAT - Turkish Daily News

Diyarbakır, by getting more new immigrants every day, is growing bigger all the time and, despite this, is becoming more modern in the real sense of the word. The number of new cafes and places where young people can meet is increasing rapidly. The two-lane highway from Diyarbakir to Mardin is still under construction, though it was supposed to have been completed 10 years ago. Workers are now working on the road at full speed to try to win the favor of the local people. In fact, the fields between Diyarbakır and Mardin are very suitable for the widening of the road. When this main road that will bind these two important cities is finished, the traffic will be eased even more and the number of fatal accidents will hopefully be reduced.

The city of Mardin, which overlooks the Mesopotamian plain, has lost none of its beauty and draws much the attention of many foreign and home visitors that come to the city. Mardin must have impressed the Hilton Hotel chain because the Mardin Hilton will open soon in the center of the city. The Mardin Airport Road on the other side of the city has become an important road for Syrians and Iraqis. Taxi drivers take tens of Iraqis and Syrians to the Habur and Nusaybin border gates every day, but businessmen who travel to explore investments in northern Iraq generally prefer the Diyarbakır Airport. According to a driver of a trading minibus from Şırnak, “If your trading minibus is registered in your name you can enter northern Iraq every week. There everything is very cheap to compare with the fees in Turkey. All the food products that are exported from Turkey are brought back to Turkey again in much cheaper price. For example, Turkish-made Lassa tires are much cheaper there. We buy them from there.'

Midyat busy in summer

Midyat, which is a center for handmade white stone masonry and handmade silver, is very busy, as every summer, with domestic tourists. The shops of the Syriac silver masters are very attractive. However, it is also possible that one may come across some Thailand-made imported silver in the shop windows.

The road from Midyat that leads to Idil and Cizre is quite good. However, the two-kilometer road of the monastery of Mor Gabriel attracts 100,000 home and foreign visitors each year, despite the fact that promises made for years have not been fulfilled and that the main bridge, which is the most important passage on the road, was poorly rebuilt after it collapsed. Tourists that come to the world-famous monastery form an important income source for the local people and the monastery welcomes world-famous home and foreign guests and the ambassadors and politicians of many countries. This monastery, which is important for introducing the country, must be preserved by the state authorities even more.

From Midyat towards Batman there is the town of Hasankeyf, which has been home to Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Artuqis and the Ottoman Empire and is renowned for its fortress and caves that are engraved in hard rocks. Hasankeyf during the summer months attracts about 20,000 domestic and foreign visitors a week. The fortress of Hasankeyf and most of the area's other historical remains, which are 100-120 metres above the Tigris River, will remain underwater. After the dam is finished, the water level will likely go to 60 metres high. The historic caves that will remain under the water will definitely attract divers.

Due to the Ilısu Dam, the settlement in Hasankeyf will be moved to the outskirts of the Raman Mountain, which is rich with oil reservoirs. Eight thousand new houses are set to be built in the new city. Hikmet Ayhan, who is one of the Hasankeyf locals and runs a little carpet shop at the entranc to the old fortress, said, “If our houses will remain under the water and they will move us to there, then let them be serious and mean business and build the new houses to fit to the local houses of Midyat with Syriac white stone masonry. We have applied to the government in this regard.” Just as Ayhan said the new houses, which are to be built on the edge of the dam lake and on the outskirts of the Raman Mountain if they are ever completed, like the houses in Midyat will stay for centuries and, as they get old, will become a real investment with historical value. Therefore, it is worth paying more for them and instead of a city of concrete buildings the town should look to the future and build the new city from white stones.

Athough animal raising and viticulture remain important sources of income for the region, the ongoing increase in the cost of fuel and the high cost of living in the country have paved the way for losing the importance of the viticulture in the region. What is left, however, is the income from the Habur border gate and from the tourists coming to the region.

Inform,02.07.08