The Turkish authorities decided to demolish at least 240 buildings in the city of Mardin so that tourists could observe an authentic picture of the historical center. This was reported to ATOR.
Between 2012 and 2019, the number of travelers coming to the city increased from 2 million to 5 million per year. In 2020, Russian operators also began offering tours to Mesopotamia with a visit to Mardin.
In this area there are ancient churches of various Christian denominations and mosques with madrasahs, old houses and mansions of Turkish, Armenian, Syrian, Arab and Yezidi families, there are buildings of the Artukid and Ottoman Empire, the Seljuk period. In the 20th century, technical and commercial buildings appeared on the territory of the old town, spoiling the look of the medieval town.
The Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanism has allocated 10 million Turkish liras (100 million rubles) for the demolition of 240 buildings that spoil the Turkish picture. According to Mardin Provincial Governor Mahmut Demirtash, funds for the demolition have been received and work will begin in the coming weeks.
As the president of the local ATOR Ozgur Gyungor noted, the youngest historical building in the city is 400 years old, and concrete buildings “break” the panorama, thus disfiguring the image of the city.