HD: Old Mardin City - stock video

Mardin, which is the plural for "Merdo" the Syriac for fortress, is an ancient town who's origin date back to the caravan rountes that traversed Mesopotamia. It is the Arabic speaking city in Turkey. In the 4th century the Romans fortified the town as an eastern outpost on the Silk Road. Over the centruies Mardin has survived a number of tumultuous periods: The most notable were the Arab occupation of the city from 640 to 1104 and the Mongol invasion which ravaged on the city in the early 15th century. The city was also briefly occupied in 1840 during the campaign by the Governor of Egypt, Kavalalı Mehmet Ali Paşa, in his attempt to conquer the Ottoman Empire. The city is located in a high density area of Syriac Orthodox Monasteries and Churches, a number of which still exit today illustrating the Syrian origins of Mardin which were alluded to previously. The first Christians to settle in the area were Syrian Orthodox who arrived at some point in the Third Century and continued to be a dominant element in the Urban fabric up to the 20th century. Mardin's mixed Christian population of Syrian, Armenian and Christian began to deplete with emigration before and after the War of Independence (1919-1923). Though in recent years the return of some migrants and an increase in Syrian Orthodox pilgrims has revitalied the Monasteries. Mardin is the only city in Turkey where Arabic is the dominant language due to the demographic structure.