Diyarbakır City Walls
Diyarbakır Surları
A roughly 5.5 km ring of black basalt walls, with 82 towers encircling the old city. Together with the Hevsel Gardens, they were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2015.
The walls’ present layout dates to the 4th century, under the Roman emperor Constantius II. They were later repaired by the Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Artuqids and Ottomans, leaving many inscriptions and reliefs from different eras on the wall surfaces. The finest is the Ulu Beden Tower (also known as the Evli Beden Tower) in the southwest section, where an inscription band from 1208, under the Artuqid dynasty, is carved with a double-headed eagle, a winged bull and a lion. The four main gates are Dağ Gate to the north, Urfa Gate to the west, Mardin Gate to the south and Yeni Gate to the east. Some wall sections can be climbed for free. The best route runs from the Mardin Gate area along the walls to Goat Tower, which overlooks the Tigris valley. Some towers are still under repair, and their steps are steep and unrailed, so take care.
Opening hours
Open all day (climbing section daytime only)
Nearby sights
- Virgin Mary Syriac Orthodox Church
- Cemil Paşa Mansion (City Museum)
- Behram Pasha Mosque
- Dengbêj House
- Deliller Han
- Keçi Burcu (Goat Tower)
- Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum
- Great Mosque of Diyarbakır