More than a handful of totemic historical and cultural traditions unfold between the adobe streets of Mardin. They lurk in the shadows of the ancient Zinciriye Madrasah, eke out the filigree and Seljuk arches that pepper the tight-knit alleyways, and twist and turn with spices and silks in the souks that punctuate the town and its curious topography.

The whole place is like some great palimpsest of Turkish history, which makes it easy to believe why Mardin is billed by the current government as one of the cultural kingpins of the nation. Between the Persian bulwarks and Artukid architecture of the old town centre, churches abut looming minarets, arabesque doorways give way to sweet-smelling kebab joints, and aromatic mezze cafés spring up on the horizontal rooftops after dark. And from the tips of the great citadel itself, draped dramatically on a dusty bluff above the rolling swathes of Mesopotamia, Mardin tour guides will be able to pick out countless mosques and monasteries built before the 13^th century, directing travellers first and foremost towards the legendary Deyrul Zafran Monastery (perhaps the oldest in the world) in the distance.