Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır Ulu Cami (Great Mosque)
Diyarbakır Location of Diyarbakır within Turkey.
Coordinates: 37°58′55″N 40°12′38″E / 37.9819, 40.2106
Country	Turkey
Region	South East Anatolia
Province	Diyarbakır
Elevation	675 m (2,215 ft)
Population (2007)
- Total	855,389
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	21x xx
Area code(s)	(0090)+ 412
Licence plate	21
Website: [1]

Diyarbakır (Ottoman Turkish: Diyâr-i Bekr دیاربکر 'land of the Bekr' as derived from Arabic; Kurdish Amed; Syriac ܐܡܝܕ Āmîḏ; Greek Ἄμιδα Amida; Armenian Ամիդ Amid) is a major city in the Southeast of the Republic of Turkey. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The provinces of Turkey are organized into 7 census-defined regions ( bölge) which were originally defined at the First Geography Congress in 1941 Turkey is divided into 81 provinces called iller in Turkish (singular is il, see Turkish alphabet for capitalization of i The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Eastern European Time ( EET) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time Daylight saving time ( DST Eastern European Summer Time ( EEST) is one of the names of UTC+3 Time zone, 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+3 is used in the following locations Moscow Time Eastern European Summer Time West Asian Summer Time A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks Turkish car number plates are License plates found on Turkish vehicles Ottoman Turkish (Osmanlıca or tr ''Osmanlı Türkçesi'' Ottoman Turkish ota-Latn ''lisân-ı Osmânî'' is the variety of the Turkish language that was used as the Banu Bakr ibn Wa'il or Banu Bakr son of Wa'il (بنو بكر بن وائل) were an Arabian tribe belonging to the large Rabi'ah branch of Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Kurdish language (Kurdish Kurdî or کوردی is a term used for the language spoken by Kurds. See Syriac (disambiguation for other uses Syriac (syr ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ leššānā Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Situated on the banks of the River Tigris, it is the seat of Diyarbakır Province, and has a population of 545,000. The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great Rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern Diyarbakır is a province in eastern Turkey. The province covers an area of 15355 km² and the population is 1494321 ^[1] It is the second largest city in Turkey's South-eastern Anatolia region, after Gaziantep. Within Turkey, Diyarbakır is famed for its culture, folklore, and watermelons. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ( Thunb) Matsum & Nakai family Cucurbitaceae) refers to both Fruit and Plant of a vine-like (climber Diyarbakır has a large Kurdish population,^[2] and is sometimes referred to as the "unofficial capital" of the regions ethnic Kurds. ^[3].

Etymology

According to some scholars, the modern name "Diyarbakır" derives from "Diyârbekir", an Ottoman Turkish Language rendering of the Farsi compound "Diyâr-i Bekr" ("Land of the Bekr"), itself composed of the word "diyār" (ديار), which is Arabic for either "region" or "district",^[4] followed by " Bekr " (بکر), it probably denoted the landholdings of the Arab Bekr tribe (which had settled in the area following the Islamic conquest of the 7th Century). Banu Bakr ibn Wa'il or Banu Bakr son of Wa'il (بنو بكر بن وائل) were an Arabian tribe belonging to the large Rabi'ah branch of Real estate is a legal term (in some jurisdictions notably in the USA, United Kingdom The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Banu Bakr ibn Wa'il or Banu Bakr son of Wa'il (بنو بكر بن وائل) were an Arabian tribe belonging to the large Rabi'ah branch of A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The initial Arab Muslim conquests (632–732 (فتح Fatah, literally opening, also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab The 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era.

In an analysis by the Kurdish scholar Mehrdad Izady of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, the name Bakir is derived from the toponym Bagraoandene and is related to the Bagrawands or Bakrans tribal Kurdish names^[5]. Scholarly method &mdash or as it is more commonly called scholarship &mdash is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as Toponymy refers to the scientific study of place-names ( toponyms) their origins meanings use and Typology. At various times the previous name Amid was written as Amida, and Kara Amid.

History

Antiquity

Amid(a) was the capital of the Aramean kingdom Bet-Zamani from the 13th century B. The Aramaeans (also Arameans) ( Aramaic / Syriac: ܐܪܡܝܐ, Ārāmāye' were a Semitic (West Semitic language group C. onwards. Amid is the name used in the Syriac sources, which also testifies to the fact that it once was the seat of the Church of the East Patriarch and thus an Assyrian or Syriac stronghold that produced many famous Syriac theologians and Patriarchs; some of them found their final resting place in the St. The Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East (ܥܕܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܘܫܠܝܚܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܪ̈ܝܐ ‘Ittā Qaddishtā wa-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi Mary Church. There are many relics in the Church, such as the bones of the apostle Thomas and St. Jacob of Sarug (d. Thomas the Apostle, also called Judas Thomas, Doubting Thomas, or Didymus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Jacob of Serugh (ܝܥܩܘܒ ܣܪܘܓܝܐ Yaʿqûḇ Srûḡāyâ; his toponym is also spelt Serug or Sarug; c 521).

The city was called Amida when the region was under the rule of the Roman (from 66 BC) and the succeeding Byzantine Empires. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial ^[6]

From 189 BCE to 384 CE, the area to the east and south of present-day Diyarbakır, was ruled by a Kurdish kingdom known as Corduene. Events By Place Asia The Prince of Hongnong succeeds Han Lingdi as Chinese emperor of the Han Dynasty. Events By Place Roman Empire The Forum of Theodosius I is built in Constantinople. Corduene (also known as Gorduene, Cordyene, Cardyene, Carduene, Gordyene, Gordyaea, Korduene, Korchayk ^[7]

Coffee shop in Diyarbakır, 1909

In 359, Shapur II of Persia captured Amida after a siege of seventy-three days. Shapur II was the ninth King of the Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 The Siege of Amida took place when the Sassanids under King Shapur II besieged the Roman city of Amida in 359. The Roman soldiers and a large part of the population of the town were massacred by the Persians. The heroic siege is vividly described by Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus who was an eyewitness of the event and survived the massacre by escaping from the town. Amiricanus Gambilinus (325/330-after 391 was a fourth-century Roman historian.

Armenian historians at one time hypothesized that Diyarbekir was the site of the ancient Armenian city of Tigranakert, (pronounced Dikranagerd in the Western Armenian dialect) and by the 19th century the Armenian inhabitants were referring to the city as Dikranagerd. Tigranakert ( Armenian: Տիգրանակերտ transliterated "Tigranakert" and also spelled "Dikranagerd" in Western Armenian; Latin Western Armenian (արեւմտահայերէն is one of the two modern Dialects of Armenian, an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian diaspora Scholarly research has shown that while the ancient Armenian city was in the close vicinity, it in fact is not the same place. The real location of Dikranagerd remains debated, but Armenians who trace their ancestry to Diyarbekir continue to refer to themselves as "Dikranagerdtsi" (native of Dikranagerd. ) The "Dikranagerdtsi's" or Armenians of Diyarbekir were noted for having one of the most unusual dialects of Armenian, hard to understand for a speaker of standard Armenian. The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian

The Middle Ages

In 639 the city was captured by the Arab armies of Islam and it remained in Arab hands until the Kurdish dynasty of Marwanid ruled the area during the 10th and 11th centuries CE. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Marwanid, ( 990 - 1085) was a Kurdish dynasty in Northern Mesopotamia and Armenia, centered around the city of Diyarbakır After the Battle of Manzikert in 1085, the city came under the rule of the Mardin branch of Oghuz Turks and then the Anatolian Turkish Beylik of Artuklu (circa 1100-1250 in effective terms, although almost a century longer nominally). The Battle of Manzikert, or Malazgirt, was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq forces led by Alp Arslan on August 26 1071 near Manzikert Mardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arab -style architecture and for its strategic location The Oghuz (variously known as Ghuzz, Guozz, Kuz, Oguz, Oğuz, Okuz, Oufoi, Ouz, Ouzoi, thumb|350px|Anatolian Turkish Beyliks map Anatolian Beyliks or Turkmen Beyliks ( Turkish: Anadolu Beylikleri, Ottoman Turkish: The Artuqid dynasty ( Artuklu in Turkish, sometimes also spelled as Artukid, Ortoqid or Ortokid; Turkish Plural: The whole area was then disputed between the Ilkhanate Turks and Ayyubid Kurdish dynasties for a century after which it was taken over by the rising Turkmen states of Kara Koyunlu (the Black Sheep) first and Ak Koyunlu (the White Sheep). The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate or Il Khanate (Ил Хан улс Il Khan uls;) was a Mongol Khanate established in The Ayyubid or Ayyoubid Dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origins which ruled Egypt, Syria, Yemen (except for This article is about the Turkmen people of Turkmenistan. For the distinct group of Turk peoples of Iraq see Iraqi Turkmen. The Kara Koyunlu or Qara Qoyunlu, also called the Black Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Garagoýunly; Azeri: Qaraqoyunlu The Ak Koyunlu or Aq Qoyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Akgoýunly, Azeri: Ağqoyunlu,

The Ottoman Empire

The city became part of the Ottoman Empire during Sultan Süleyman I's campaign of Irakeyn (the two Iraqs, e. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Suleiman I (سليمان Sulaymān, Süleyman almost always Kanuni Sultan Süleyman) ( 6 November 1494 5/ 6 September 1566 g. Arabian and Persian) in 1534. . The Ottoman eyalet of Diyarbekir corresponded to Turkey's southeastern provinces today, a rectangular area between the Lake Urmia to Palu and from the southern shores of Lake Van to Cizre and the beginnings of the Syrian desert, although its borders saw some changes over time. The subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire were Administrative divisions of the State organisation of the Ottoman Empire based on military administration but Lake Urmia ( Daryacheh-ye Orumieh; ارومیه گولو, ارومیه گولی ancient name Lake Matiene) is a Salt lake in northwestern Iran Palu is a City on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1650 km northeast of Jakarta, at. Lake Van (Van Gölü Gola Wanê Վանա լիճ Daryacheye Van ("Lake of Van" is the largest Lake Cizre (Cizîr Syriac:Gziro is a district of Şırnak Province of Turkey. The Syrian Desert (بادية الشام badiyah ash sham also known as the Syro-Arabian desert is a combination of Steppe and true Desert that is located in parts The city was an important military base for controlling this area and at the same time a thriving city noted for its craftsmen, producing glass and metalwork. For example the doors of Mevlana's tomb in Konya were made in Diyarbakır, as were the gold and silver decorated doors of the tomb of Imam-i Azam in Baghdad. Konya ( قونیه; also Koniah, Konieh, Konia, and Qunia; historically also known as Iconium ( Latin Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous

In the 19th century, Diyarbakır prison had gained infamy throughout the Ottoman Empire as a site where political prisoners from the enslaved Balkan ethnicities were sent to serve harsh sentences for speaking or fighting for national freedom. ^[8]

The 20th century

The 20th century was a turbulent one for Diyarbakır. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on During World War I most of the city's Syriac and Armenian population was driven from the city. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Aramean-Syriac people ( Syriac: arc [[arcܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܐܪܡܝܐ]]) are an Ethnic group who are widely The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large After the surrender of the Ottoman Empire, French troops attempted to occupy the city. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

The 41-year-old American-Turkish Pirinçlik Air Force Base near Diyarbakir, known as NATO's frontier post for monitoring the former Soviet Union and the Middle East, completely closed on 30 September 1997. Pirinçlik Air Base or Pirinçlik Air Station formerly Diyarbakır Air Station was a 41-year-old American-Turkish military base near Diyarbakir, Turkey. This return was the result of the general drawdown of US bases in Europe and improvement in space surveillance technology. The base near the southeastern city of Diyarbakir housed sensitive electronic intelligence-gathering systems that kept an ear on the Middle East, Caucasus and Russia.

Diyarbakır today

During the recent 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. Rural to urban movement has often been the first step in a migratory pattern that has taken large numbers of Kurds from the east to the west. Diyarbakır, grew from 30,000 in the 1930s to 65,000 by 1956, to 140,000 by 1970, to 400,000 by 1990, and eventually swelled to about 1. 5 million by 1997. ^{[9] [10]} Today the intricate warren of alleyways and old-fashioned tenement blocks which makes up the old city within and around the walls contrasts dramatically with the sprawling suburbs of modern apartment blocks and cheaply-built gecekondu slums to the west. Gecekondu (plural Gecekondular) is a Turkish word meaning a house put up quickly without proper permissions a * squatter 's house and by extension

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. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The local economy is slowly improving. There is however a lot more that needs to be done, and in August 2005 mayor Osman Baydemir presented the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan with the following complaints:

• A grant of 500,000 euros from the German Development Fund KFW to redign the city's waste disposal system was refused by the State Planning Authority (DPT) of the Turkish government in Ankara, and then a 22 million project to renew the system was also prevented. Osman Baydemir (born 1971 is a Turkish politician lawyer and human rights activist of Kurdish origin "Erdoğan" redirects here For the Turkish Helicopter Erdoğan see Kamov Ka-50. Keith Fullerton Whitman (born May 29, 1973) is an American Electronic musician who has recorded albums influenced by many genres including
• A grant of 350,000 euros for the rehabilitation of the Tigris valley, from the Turco-Spanish Economic and Financial Union, was declared unnecessary by the DPT in 2005.
• A dentistry project jointly agreed with and funded by South Korea and EAID (the Eurasian Institute of Dentistry) had to abandoned after the dentists were refused work permits.
• A five million euro project to build a tram system in the city was abandoned after the Turkish government refused to guarantee a 15-year loan from Deutsche Bank that the city had negotiated. Deutsche Bank AG (literally "German Bank" ˈdɔɪtʃə,) is an international Universal bank with a broad private clients franchise headquartered in
• In the urban renewal project for 2005 presented to the EU commission 10 million euros were granted to Diyarbakır. However the State Planning Authority (DPT)of the Turkish government reallocated 4 million of this to other cities (Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and Erzurum), who failing to present projects lost this money. Şanlıurfa (often simply known as Urfa in daily language formerly cited as Edessa or in Kurdish; Riha or Urhāy Theodosiopolis redirects here it is also a name of the ancient city of Apros, Thrace
• In another instance a 30 million euro loan from the EU was prevented by the DPT

^[11]

According to a November 2006 survey by the Sur Municipality, one of Diyarbakır's metropolitan municipalities, 72% of the inhabitants of the municipality use Kurdish the most in their daily speech, followed by Turkish, and 69% are illiterate in their most widely used vernacular. The Kurdish language (Kurdish Kurdî or کوردی is a term used for the language spoken by Kurds. Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. ^[12]

Arts and culture

Some jewelry making and other craftwork continues today although the high fame of the Diyarbakır's craftsmen has long gone. Folk dancing to the drum and zurna (pipe) are a part of weddings and celebrations in the area. For other meanings see Zurna (disambiguation For other spellings see Surna (disambiguation The

Cuisine

Diyarbakır is known for rich dishes of lamb (and lamb's liver, kidneys etc. ); spices such as black pepper, sumac and coriander; rice, bulgur and butter. Black pepper ( Piper nigrum) is a flowering Vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its Fruit, which is usually dried Sumac (ˈʃuːmæk or /ˈs(juːmæk/ also spelled sumach) is any one of approximately 250 species of Flowering plants in the Genus Rhus Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum) also commonly called cilantro, is an annual Herb in the family Apiaceae. Bulgur (also bulghur or burghul)(from Turkish bulgur, known as πλιγούρι, pligoúri, in Greek and

Places of interest

Old City walls.

Diyarbakır's city walls, built by Constantius II and extended by Valentinian I between 367-375, stretch unbroken for almost 6 kilometres. Flavius Iulius Constantius, known in English as Constantius II ( 7 August, 317 - November 3, 361) was a Roman Emperor Flavius Valentinianus, known in English as Valentinian I, ( 321 - November 17, 375) was Roman Emperor from 364 until his death Events By Place Roman Empire Great Conspiracy: A general assault of Saxons, Irish, and Attacotti, combined Events By Place Roman Empire Valentinian I leaves Trier to repress the rebellious Quadi in Slovakia.

• The city walls - Diyarbakır is surrounded by an intact, dramatic set of high walls of black basalt forming a 5. 5 km (3. 4 mi) circle around the old city. There are four gates into the old city and 82 watch-towers on the walls, which were built in antiquity, restored and extended by the Roman emperor Constantine in 349.

• Places of worship - Diyarbakır boasts numerous medieval mosques and madrassahs including:
  • Ulu Camii ("Great Mosque") built by the Seljuk Turkish Sultan Malik Shah in the 11th century. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. The Seljuq (also Seljuq Turks, Seldjuks, Seldjuqs, Seljuks; in Turkish Selçuklular; in Ṣaljūqīyān; in Malik Shah may refer to Malik Shah I (d 1092 sultan of Great Seljuk Malik Shah II, grandson of Malik Shah I sultan of Great Seljuk The mosque, one of the oldest in Turkey, is constructed in alternating bands of black basalt and white limestone. (The same patterning is used in the 16th century Deliler Han Madrassah, which is now a hotel. The adjoining Mesudiye Medresesi was built at the same time as was another prayer-school in the city Zinciriye Medresesi.
  • Hazreti Süleyman Camii - 1155-1169 - Süleyman son of Halid Bin Velid, who died capturing the city from the Arabs, is buried herealong with his companions.
  • Safa Camii - built in 1532 by the Ak Koyunlu Turkmen tribe. The Ak Koyunlu or Aq Qoyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Akgoýunly, Azeri: Ağqoyunlu,
  • Nebii Camii - another Ak Koyunlu mosque, a single-domed stone construction from the 16th century. The Ak Koyunlu or Aq Qoyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Akgoýunly, Azeri: Ağqoyunlu, Nebi Camii means "the mosque of the prophet" and is so-named because of the number of inscriptions in honour of the prophet on its minaret. For the mountain formation see Minarets (California. Minarets ( Arabic manara (lighthouse منارة but more usually مئذنة
  • Dört Ayaklı Minare (the four-footed minaret) - built by Kasim Khan of the Akkoyunlu, it is said that one who passes seven times between the four columns will have his wishes granted.
  • Fatihpaşa Camii - built in 1520 by Diyarbakır's first Ottoman governor, Bıyıklı Mehmet Paşa ("the moustachioed Mehmet pasha"). The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish The city's earliest Ottoman building it is decorated with fine tilework.
  • Hüsrevpaşa Camii - the mosque of the second Ottoman governor, 1512-1528, originally the building was intended to be a school (medrese)
  • İskender Paşa Camii - and another mosque of an Ottoman governor, an attractive building in black and white stone, built in 1551.
  • Beharampaşa Camii - an Ottoman mosque built in 1572 by the governor of Diyarbakır, Behram Pasha, noted for the well-constructed arches at the entrance.
  • Melek Ahmet Camii another 16th century mosque, noted for its tiled prayer-niche, and the double stairway up the minaret.

• • The Syriac Orthodox church of Our Lady (Syriac: ܐ ܕܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ`Idto d-Yoldat Aloho, Turkish: Meryemana kilisesi), was first constructed as a pagan temple in the 1st century BCE. The Syriac Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Middle East with members spread throughout the world See Syriac (disambiguation for other uses Syriac (syr ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ leššānā Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC. The current construction dates back to the 3rd century, has been restored many times, and is still in use as a place of worship today. There are a number of other churches in the city.
• Museums -
  • The Archaeological Museum contains artefacts from the neolithic period, through the Old bronze age, Assyrian, Urartu, Roman, Byzantine, Artuklu, Seljuk Turk, Ak Koyunlu, and Ottoman Empire periods. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Urartu ( Assyrian: Urarṭu Urartian: Biainili Ուրարտու was an Iron Age kingdom in Eastern Anatolia ( Transcaucasia) rising Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Artuqid dynasty ( Artuklu in Turkish, sometimes also spelled as Artukid, Ortoqid or Ortokid; Turkish Plural: The Seljuq (also Seljuq Turks, Seldjuks, Seldjuqs, Seljuks; in Turkish Selçuklular; in Ṣaljūqīyān; in The Ak Koyunlu or Aq Qoyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Akgoýunly, Azeri: Ağqoyunlu, The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish
  • Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum - the home of the late poet is a classic example of a traditional Diyarbakır home. Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı (born Hüseyin Cahit on October 4 1910 &ndash October 13 1956) was a well known Turkish Poet
  • The birthplace of poet Ziya Gökalp has been preserved as a museum to his life and works. Ziya Gökalp (born Mehmed Ziya; March 23 1876, Diyarbakır — October 25 1924, İstanbul) was a sociologist

Notable residents

See also

• Dicle University
• Corduene
• Ka-Mer

Notes

References

• Izady, Mehrdad (1992). The Kurds: A Concise Handbook. Taylor and Francis International Publishers. ISBN 0-8448-1727-9.  

External links

• (Turkish) Governorship of Diyarbakır
• (Turkish) Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality
• (Turkish) local info
• (Turkish) Diyarbakır Chamber of Trade and Industry
• (Turkish) Information on Diyarbakır
• (Turkish) Diyarbakır news
• Pictures of the City
• Diyarbakır Guide and Photo Album
• more photos
• and more
• and more...
• Diyarbakır Weather Forecast Information
• Explosion rocks SE Turkish city

• Diyarbakır is at coordinates 37°58′55″N 40°12′38″E / 37.9819, 40.2106 (Diyarbakır)Coordinates: 37°58′55″N 40°12′38″E / 37.9819, 40.2106 (Diyarbakır)