Mardin's old town is a vertical labyrinth of pale limestone spilling down a steep hillside, so tightly stacked that one house's terrace forms another's roof and stepped lanes double as stairways. From the ramparts the view drops away across the flat Mesopotamian plain toward the Syrian border, endless and hazy. Wander the single long main street and the alleys off it to find intricately carved facades, hidden courtyards, and a skyline of minarets and church towers reflecting the city's mixed Muslim and Syriac Christian heritage. Key landmarks include the Ulu Cami with its ribbed Artuqid minaret, the elegant Kasımiye and Zinciriye medreses with their fluted domes and postcard views, and the Sabancı City Museum in a former barracks. Craftsmen still work silver filigree and sell almond soap along the bazaar. Getting pleasantly lost on foot is the entire point, so wear grippy shoes for the polished, slippery stone.
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