History of Mardin: Artuqids, Syriac Christianity and the Stone City

Mardin has been continuously inhabited for millennia — its position on the ridge above the Mesopotamian plain, with the water sources of the Tur Abdin plateau above and the agricultural fertility of the Tigris valley below, made it a natural fortified settlement from the earliest periods. The city’s history is the history of the peoples who have lived on this ridge: Aramaeans, Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Artuqids, Mongols, Kurds, Ottoman Turks, and the Syriac Christian communities whose presence defines the city’s deepest identity.

Prehistoric and ancient period

The Mardin region has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic period — the Tur Abdin plateau’s water sources and the proximity to the productive Tigris valley made it attractive to early settlers.

Aramaean and Assyrian period: In the first millennium BCE, the Mardin ridge was within the Aramaean and then Assyrian cultural sphere — the Neo-Assyrian Empire (934–609 BCE) controlled the Tigris valley directly below. The Aramaic language spoken in the region in antiquity is directly related to the Syriac (Western Aramaic) still spoken in Tur Abdin villages today.

Roman period: After the collapse of the Seleucid kingdom, the Mardin region fell within the contested zone between Rome and Parthia (later Sassanid Persia). The Roman fortress at Dara (505 CE) was specifically built to protect the frontier in this area.

Early Christianity and the founding of the monasteries (3rd–5th century CE)

The Syriac Christian expansion: Christianity spread eastward from Jerusalem and Antioch in the 1st century CE — the Aramaic-speaking communities of Mesopotamia and the Tur Abdin plateau were among the earliest Christian converts. The Syriac-speaking Christianity that developed here maintained the Aramaic language as its liturgical medium, producing the Peshitta (the standard Syriac Bible translation).

Deyrulzafaran Monastery foundation: The Saffron Monastery (Deyrulzafaran) was established in the 4th century CE on the site of a pre-Christian sun temple. The monastery tradition in the Tur Abdin expanded through the 5th and 6th centuries — Mor Gabriel (founded 397 CE, 80km east of Mardin) is the oldest surviving Christian monastery in the world that has functioned continuously since its founding.

The Seven Councils: The Syriac Orthodox Church (one of the Oriental Orthodox churches) diverged from the Chalcedonian orthodoxy of the Byzantine Empire at the Council of Chalcedon (451 CE). The Syriac-speaking communities of the Tur Abdin followed the non-Chalcedonian position — this theological distinction separated them from the Byzantine state church and gave them an independent ecclesiastical identity that has survived to the present.

The Artuqid dynasty (1102–1408)

The Artuqids were a Turkic dynasty that ruled Mardin and the surrounding region for three centuries — one of the longest-ruling dynasties of the medieval Near East. Their period produced the architectural monuments that give the old city its current character.

Foundation: Sökmen al-Kutbî, a Seljuk commander, established the Artuqid dynasty in Mardin in 1102 CE following the fragmentation of Seljuk power.

The building programme: The Artuqids built extensively in Mardin — the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami, begun 1176 CE), several smaller mosques, hans, and the expansion of the citadel. The characteristic Mardin limestone carving style — the geometric, arabesque, and figurative stone decoration visible on facades throughout the old city — developed during the Artuqid period and reflects both Islamic ornamental tradition and earlier Syriac Christian decorative practices.

Intellectual centre: Mardin under the Artuqids was a significant centre of Islamic scholarship and translated literature. The translation movement that transmitted Greek scientific and philosophical works from Greek into Syriac and Arabic had precedents in the Tur Abdin monastery tradition; the Artuqid court patronised scholars of multiple traditions.

The Artuqid bronze astronomy: The Mardin Museum includes Artuqid-period astronomical instruments — astrolabes and measuring tools — that reflect the dynasty’s engagement with the scientific tradition transmitted through the Islamic world from Greek sources.

Mongol period and subsequent dynasties

Mongol vassalage (13th century): The Mongol expansion under Hulagu Khan reduced the Artuqids to vassals. Mardin survived the Mongol period without the destruction suffered by Baghdad (1258) — the city’s ridge fortification and its relative strategic insignificance in the Mongol expansion protected it.

Kasımiye Medrese (15th century): The most beautiful building in Mardin — built under the last phase of Artuqid power or the early Karakoyunlu period (the dating is debated). The courtyard and portal represent the apex of the Mardin stone carving tradition.

Ak Koyunlu period: After the Artuqids, Mardin passed through several Turkmen dynasty controls before Ottoman incorporation.

Ottoman incorporation (1516)

Sultan Selim I’s eastern campaign of 1516 brought Mardin into the Ottoman Empire — the same campaign that conquered the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and gave the Ottomans control of Syria and the holy cities.

Ottoman Mardin: The city continued as a regional administrative centre. The Ottoman period saw the construction of additional mosques and hans; the Syriac Christian communities were accorded dhimmi (protected non-Muslim) status and maintained their religious institutions.

The Syriac Patriarchate at Deyrulzafaran: The Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate was based at Deyrulzafaran Monastery from 1034 to 1932 — nearly 900 years. The monastery was the centre of the Syriac Orthodox Church’s governance over this period.

20th century — population changes

World War I and the Seyfo (1914–1918): The Assyrian (Syriac Christian) genocide — the Seyfo (sword) in Syriac — occurred alongside the better-documented Armenian genocide of the same period. The Syriac Christian communities of the Tur Abdin suffered significant casualties and displacement. Estimates of Assyrian deaths in this period range from 150,000 to 300,000; the Mardin region was directly affected.

Population movements: The Syriac Christian population of the Tur Abdin has declined steadily through the 20th century — through the genocide, through economic migration to Syrian cities (Aleppo, Damascus) and to Germany (Södertälje in Sweden has one of the largest Assyrian diaspora communities in the world), and through the security situation during the PKK conflict in the 1980s–1990s.

The surviving communities: Some Syriac Christian families have remained or returned to the Tur Abdin. Deyrulzafaran remains active; Mor Gabriel monastery continues with monks, nuns, and students. The villages are less populated than before the 20th century disruptions but not empty.

Historical timeline

Period	Event
1st millennium BCE	Aramaean/Assyrian period
4th c. CE	Deyrulzafaran Monastery founded
397 CE	Mor Gabriel Monastery founded
451 CE	Council of Chalcedon — Syriac Church diverges
505 CE	Roman fortress city of Dara built
1034	Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate moves to Deyrulzafaran
1102	Artuqid dynasty established in Mardin
1176	Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) begun
1516	Ottoman conquest under Selim I
1914–1918	Seyfo — Assyrian/Syriac Christian genocide
1932	Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate moves to Damascus

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