A Wonderful Piece of History

The Great Mosque (Ulu Camii) dates from the 12th century from Mesopotamia era and is located among the narrow streets of the old city. The the building and especially its impressive minaret dominate the view the of the entire city and became a symbol of it. It is a beautiful, old and important mosque, very much worth a visit. Ulu Camii, located in the heart of Mardin Old City is believed to be built on an old church, though an arguement that could not be proven scientifically . Although the exact date it has founded is not known the numerous inscriptive plaques from Seljuk, Artuqid, Aq Qoyunlu and Ottoman periods, shows that it was probably founded in the eleventh century by the Seljuks and developed to its current state under Artuqid rule during the last quarter of the twelfth century. The inscriptions on the base of minaret announce that it was commissioned in 1176 . The building originally had two minarets one of which believed tobe destroyed during Timur's seige in 15th century The current minaret has been rebuilt in 1890 following the destruction in an in 19th century earthquake. The mosque can be visited any time, avoid prayer hours starting from noon and two more in the afternoon ask for the hours which take about half an hour . You have to take shoes off before entering, can put them on the shelves inside the mosque. The ladies are expected to cover arms and head, no shorts allowed. Alsıo Could I suggest make the effort to climb the hill behind the Mosque just as sun is rising in the morning to get the best panoramic photo shoot of the Syrian plains including the Dome of the Mosque. It is worth the effort for the photo and experience. #turkiye #awesomepic #magicalview #mesopotamia #Mardin #Mardinoldcity #oldcity #History #historytour