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Diyarbakir
KNOWLEDGE OF Diyarbakir
Diyarbakır (Kurdish: Amed or Diyarbekir; Syriac: Ü?Ü¡Ü?Ü• , Armenian: Õ?Õ«Õ£Ö€Õ¡Õ¶Õ¡Õ¯Õ¥Ö€Õ¿ Tigranakert) is a major city in the Kurdish dominated southeastern Turkey, situated on the banks of the River Tigris. The city's population is 1,244,273 (2005), but including the suburbs surrounding it the estimated population is above one and half million. The city was called Amida when the region was under the influence of the Roman and then the Byzantine Empires. In 638, the leader of the Arab Bekr tribe, Bekr Bin Vail, named the city "Diyar Bakr", meaning "country of the Bekr".
It is noteworthy to state that Diyarbakir is currently the Turkish name for “Amid(a),� being the capital of the Aramean kingdom Bet-Zamani from the 13th century B.C. onwards. “Amid� is the name used in the Syriac sources, which also testify to the fact that it once was the seat of the Syriac-Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and thus being a Syriac or Aramean stronghold that produced many famous Syriac theologians and Patriarchs; some of them found their final resting place in the St. Mary Church. Besides, there are many relics in this Church, such as the bones of the apostle Thomas and St. Jacob of Sarug (d. 521).
Nicknamed "the Paris of the East", Diyarbakır is the capital of Diyarbakır Province. The city is inhabited mainly by Kurds which speak in Kurmancî (Kurmanji) dialect of Kurdish language.
The city is surrounded by a dramatic and fully intact set of black basalt walls, first constructed in 297, extending in a 5.5 km circle around the old city. The dramatic warren of alleyways and old-fashioned tenement blocks which makes up the old city contrast dramatically with the sprawling suburbs of modern apartment blocks and gecekondu slums to the west. Diyarbakır boasts numerous medieval mosques and madrassahs, crowned by the 11th century Ulu Cami ("Great Mosque") constructed by alternating bands of black basalt and limestone. The same patterning was used in the 16th century Deliler Han Madrassah, which is now a hotel, and the 12th century Castle Mosque (Kale Camii).
The Syriac Orthodox church of Our Lady (Meryemana), was first constructed as a pagan temple in the 1st century BC, and is still in use as a place of worship today.
Diyarbakır also boasts one of the region's most lively and dramatic street markets.
The 20th century was a turbulent one for Diyarbakır. During World War I most of the city's Syriac and Armenian population was driven from the city. After the surrender of the Ottoman Empire, French troops attempted to occupy the city. In 1925 it was the centre of the great Kurdish rebellion against Kemal Atatürk.
Always a centre of Kurdish nationalism, Diyarbakır became a stronghold of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after the beginning of the guerilla war in southeastern Turkey in 1984. During this conflict, the population of the city grew dramatically as villagers from remote areas where fighting was serious left or were forced to leave for the relative security of the city. Diyarbakır was also one of the areas where the Turkish Hezbullah was most active in the early to mid 1990s, with this group often targeting PKK activists and the city's tiny Christian community of Armenians and Syriacs.
After the PKK's cessation of hostilities, a large degree of normality returned to the city, with the Turkish government declaring a 15 year period of emergency rule over on 30 November 2002. The local economy is slowly improving and as of July 2004, Diyarbakır is safe to visit.
It is noteworthy to state that Diyarbakir is currently the Turkish name for “Amid(a),� being the capital of the Aramean kingdom Bet-Zamani from the 13th century B.C. onwards. “Amid� is the name used in the Syriac sources, which also testify to the fact that it once was the seat of the Syriac-Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and thus being a Syriac or Aramean stronghold that produced many famous Syriac theologians and Patriarchs; some of them found their final resting place in the St. Mary Church. Besides, there are many relics in this Church, such as the bones of the apostle Thomas and St. Jacob of Sarug (d. 521).
Nicknamed "the Paris of the East", Diyarbakır is the capital of Diyarbakır Province. The city is inhabited mainly by Kurds which speak in Kurmancî (Kurmanji) dialect of Kurdish language.
The city is surrounded by a dramatic and fully intact set of black basalt walls, first constructed in 297, extending in a 5.5 km circle around the old city. The dramatic warren of alleyways and old-fashioned tenement blocks which makes up the old city contrast dramatically with the sprawling suburbs of modern apartment blocks and gecekondu slums to the west. Diyarbakır boasts numerous medieval mosques and madrassahs, crowned by the 11th century Ulu Cami ("Great Mosque") constructed by alternating bands of black basalt and limestone. The same patterning was used in the 16th century Deliler Han Madrassah, which is now a hotel, and the 12th century Castle Mosque (Kale Camii).
The Syriac Orthodox church of Our Lady (Meryemana), was first constructed as a pagan temple in the 1st century BC, and is still in use as a place of worship today.
Diyarbakır also boasts one of the region's most lively and dramatic street markets.
The 20th century was a turbulent one for Diyarbakır. During World War I most of the city's Syriac and Armenian population was driven from the city. After the surrender of the Ottoman Empire, French troops attempted to occupy the city. In 1925 it was the centre of the great Kurdish rebellion against Kemal Atatürk.
Always a centre of Kurdish nationalism, Diyarbakır became a stronghold of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after the beginning of the guerilla war in southeastern Turkey in 1984. During this conflict, the population of the city grew dramatically as villagers from remote areas where fighting was serious left or were forced to leave for the relative security of the city. Diyarbakır was also one of the areas where the Turkish Hezbullah was most active in the early to mid 1990s, with this group often targeting PKK activists and the city's tiny Christian community of Armenians and Syriacs.
After the PKK's cessation of hostilities, a large degree of normality returned to the city, with the Turkish government declaring a 15 year period of emergency rule over on 30 November 2002. The local economy is slowly improving and as of July 2004, Diyarbakır is safe to visit.
Chapi