A dream becomes reality: Mardin returns to its original form
Something is happening in Mardin these days. If your travels have taken you to this city in the past year, there is no way you could have missed it
Just try asking anyone who passes you on the street what they think about the concrete structures atop so many of the old stone homes in Mardin, and you will invariably get the same sort of answer: “Those? They’re on their way out. They’re all going to be destroyed!” The same level of resolution and determination to see Mardin returned to its original form is evident in all the residents of this city. And if you’re wondering whether this is really possible, the answer is a definitive “Yes!” After all, this is Mardin, a city of legends. It is a city that boasts a governor known to walk down the streets at night with a flashlight in his hand.
It is this same governor who has overseen the stripping away of ugly concrete from beautiful stone walls, who has had rusted old electricity poles ripped out and had them replaced with underground cables and has ordered the illegally built stories added on to older structures to be destroyed, all in the name of saving the aesthetics of Mardin. This is a man whose eyes sparkle when he talks about Mardin, and it is he who has made the initial promises to see the city returned to its original form. He explains: “Mardin is a mysterious, magical city which lies near the stars, with its head in the sky and its feet in the sea. Three years from now, all the ugly aspects of this city will be cleaned up and gone.” For those who have never dreamed of using a magical eraser to clear the cities they love of the ugly buildings that ruin its profile, perhaps the sheer excitement, courage and joy in these words is not palpable. In any case, let’s shift our focus to this legendary governor of Mardin, Hasan Duruer, to hear about his projects in the city.
Is it easy in Turkey, with so many cities literally covered in concrete masses, to find a street that can really transport you to another dimension these days? Governor Duruer says: “Unfortunately, there have been some incredibly negative things that have happened where architecture is concerned in the past 50 to 60 years, and it seems we were unable to realize or recognize the true value of anything. Not our people, not our culture, not our cultural treasures. It seems that we have destroyed everything. Mardin is lucky in that, to some extent at least, we have been able to protect its identity. With some systematic work on our part, the city will be able to regain its original look.” When Duruer became governor last year, he immediately made his ideas and plans for the city public. His first question was, “What sort of city should Mardin be in the 100th year of the republic?” In reply, he rolled up his sleeves and set to the task of seeing Mardin returned to its original architectural foundation and to become a cultural, artistic university city. Governor Duruer, who has toured many Arab countries and apparently has never seen a city like Mardin anywhere else, firmly believes that his city is a world city, saying: “We accept all of the various civilizations which have lived and still live on this soil as our own. We are really a living culmination of all these civilizations, and we must protect all of them. As important as the Ulu Mosque is, Deyruzzafaran [Monastery] is equally important.”
Safest city in Turkey’s Southeast
This important northern Mesopotamian city is also a very safe city. No matter who you ask, people will always assure you that Mardin is a place where, for example, a woman can walk around by herself without any fear, even in the middle of the night. It would be no exaggeration to call this southeastern city, with the lowest crime rates in the region, a capital of tolerance either. Duruer draws attention to the tolerance that reigns large in Mardin, noting that “you would never know whether someone you saw walking down the street here is Turkish, Kurdish, Arab or Assyrian.” He continues: “While the places of prayer and the cemeteries of the Assyrians and the Muslims may be separate, as a people, they come together on holidays and special occasions. We also hide eggs together with them at Easter and sometimes break our Ramadan fasts in the gardens of the monastery here. In this sense, Mardin is a city that stands as a global example for all.”
So what exactly is happening in Mardin these days?
We toured the streets of Mardin with one of Governor Hasan Duruer’s biggest supporters, Sabahattin Evrensel. A member of one of the oldest families in this city, Evrensel paved the way for the city’s historic Zinciriye Medresesi to become more visible by razing the top three floors of an apartment building that he owns. He then went on to help out with the financing of city restoration and repair work, reducing the costs by one-fifth by offering the help of his own transport companies. So, what else has happened in Mardin in the past three years?
After seven concrete municipal buildings which ruined the aesthetics of the city were razed to the ground, it became easier to convince local residents that the illegal stories added to old stone houses should also be destroyed. The governor’s office now aims to see all of the newer concrete buildings that are not in harmony with the city’s original layout gone by 2012. Over the course of just one year, the governor’s office has overseen the destruction and restoration of a total of 330 buildings in Mardin.
There are several projects under way to beautify the streets of Mardin, such as placing all satellite dishes and television antennas, which are aesthetically displeasing, in one place on the rooftop of each building, as well as adopting some standards to be applied to street signs. In Mardin’s Savur Kapı district, many of the older electricity poles have been taken down and replaced with underground cable systems. The real goal here is to complete this work such that it doesn’t have to be done again, at least not any time soon. They are also currently laying 1,500 meters of underground electricity cables and hope to see this completed by the end of 2011.
Mardin is receiving its own “identity card” of sorts. The metropolitan municipality is working on a project of taking digital 3-D panoramic images of the city. When this is completed in two years’ time, you will be able to take a three-dimensional tour of Mardin’s streets on the Internet.
With its various theater and cinema festivals and its fine arts centers, Mardin continues to attract visitors from nearby countries. Governor Duruer would like to see the Mesopotamian Car Race, which has been organized in the region for two years now, next head to Syria, Iran and Iraq, and he was very pleased when a truckload of tree saplings he sent to Syria were received with great ceremony. “There are no borders when it comes to hearts and minds. Doors are for entering,” Duruer says.
As it turns out, Mardin is not under UNESCO protection
For years, many had thought that Mardin was on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. But as it turns out, that’s not the case. Actually, Mardin applied for UNESCO recognition, but it didn’t meet the criteria set by the organization. However, Governor Duruer stresses that while Mardin’s current state may not fulfill UNESCO criteria, only a few years are needed for him to bring the city up to standard and make it a place UNESCO could never reject. Mardin Sunday’s Zaman
14 February 2010, Sunday
ÜLKÜ ÖZEL AKAGÜNDÜZ & MÜHENNA KAHVECI
الخميس يوليو 25, 2019 12:37 am من طرف ياتي
» اين هم بنو تغلب اليوم؟
الخميس يوليو 25, 2019 12:29 am من طرف ياتي
» نحن بنو محلّم بن ذهل بن شيبان
الثلاثاء يونيو 25, 2019 5:21 pm من طرف Admin
» هل هذه الاشعار للهجتنا المحلمية؟
الثلاثاء يونيو 25, 2019 5:18 pm من طرف Admin
» كلام يجب أن يُقال!
الثلاثاء يونيو 25, 2019 5:16 pm من طرف Admin
» الفرع هو الذي يتبع الأصل
الثلاثاء يونيو 25, 2019 5:14 pm من طرف Admin
» الكوسوسية في طور عابدين
الثلاثاء يونيو 25, 2019 5:13 pm من طرف Admin
» باعربايا في المصادر التاريخية
الجمعة ديسمبر 28, 2018 6:06 pm من طرف Admin
» العرب بين التاريخ والجغرافية
الجمعة ديسمبر 28, 2018 6:03 pm من طرف Admin
» هل المحلمية قبيلة قائمة بحد ذاتها أم منطقة يُقال لكل من يسكنها محلّمي؟
الأحد نوفمبر 04, 2018 11:52 pm من طرف Admin
» بيت شعر للشيخ يونس بن يوسف الشيباني باللهجة المحلمية
الأحد نوفمبر 04, 2018 11:49 pm من طرف Admin
» السريانية كنيسة وليست قومية
الأحد نوفمبر 04, 2018 11:47 pm من طرف Admin
» وفاة شيخ قبيلة المحلمية رفعت صبري ابو قيس
الأحد نوفمبر 05, 2017 10:56 am من طرف ابن قيس المحلمي
» السلام عليكم
الإثنين أغسطس 21, 2017 11:03 pm من طرف narimen boudaya
» المجموعة الكاملة للفنان جان كارات
الأربعاء يونيو 28, 2017 1:23 am من طرف nadanadoz