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Diyarbakir, on the banks
of the Tigris (Dicle) River,
is an old, dramatic, hot city,
and the center of Southeastern
Turkey's Kurdish population.
Famous for its massive black basalt
walls, Diyarbakir (dee-AHR-bah-kuhr,
pop. 2 million, alt. 660 meters/2165
feet) was a tense place during the Kurdish separatist
troubles of the 1980s and 1990s.
Come
for the walls which surround
an old city still showing its Roman town plan; for the interesting old Arab-style
mosques, a few Chaldean churches,
and nice old historic houses.
The lush gardens along the
banks of the Tigris are
worth a look as well.
One full day should be enough
time to see Diyarbakir. With an extra
day you can make a day-trip south to Mardin,
if not to the amusingly-named (but
boring) nearby oil town of Batman. (Also
see my recommended Eastern
Tour itinerary.)
Although the Güney
(Southern) Express
train runs
from Istanbul to
Diyarbakir three days weekly via Ankara,
it takes nearly two days to make
the trip.
Buses get
you to Diyarbakir faster, more reliably
and more comfortably.
Turkish
Airlines flies to Diyarbakir's Kaplaner
Airport (DIY) daily from
Istanbul and Ankara,
as does Onur
Air.
Distances & Travel Times
Adana: 550
km (342 miles) W, 8 hours
Adiyaman: 200
km (124 miles), 3.5 hours
Ankara: 945
km (587 miles) NW, 14 hours
Bingöl: 145 km (90 miles)
N, 2.5 hours
Bitlis: 210 km (131 miles)
E, 3.75hours
Elazig: 147 km (91 miles) NW,
2.5 hours
Erzurum: 485
km (301 miles) N, 8 hours
Istanbul: 1373
km (853 miles) NW, 21 hours
Malatya: 260
km (162 miles) W, 5 hours
Mardin: 95
km (59 miles) S, 1.5 hours
Sanliurfa: 190
km (118 miles) SW, 3 hours
Tatvan: 228
km (142 miles) E, 4 hours
Van: 410
km (255 miles) E, 7 hours
Southeastern
Turkey
Eastern
Turkey
Turkey
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