{{Short description|City in Turkey}} {{redirect|Amid}} {{other uses}} {{pp-extended|small=yes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox settlement <!--more fields are available for this Infobox--See Template:Infobox Settlement--> | settlement_type = [[Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey|Metropolitan municipality]] | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[Turkey]] | timezone = [[Time in Turkey|TRT]] | utc_offset = +3 | map_caption = Location of Diyarbakır within Turkey | official_name = Diyarbakır | image_skyline = {{multiple image|total_width=270px|perrow=1/2/2/2|border=infobox | image1 = Goletli Park, Diyarbakir.jpg | alt1 = | image2 = Diyarbakir Great Mosque DSCF8201.jpg | alt2 = | image3 = Karasanserai Diyarbakir.png | alt3 = | image4 = Pira dehderî 2014.JPG | alt4 = | image5 = Diyarbakr Western City Wall.JPG | alt5 = | image6 = Seyrangeha Parkormanê Amed 2010.JPG | alt6 = | image7 = Gazi Pavillion.jpg | alt7 = }} | image_caption = '''Clockwise from top:''' A pond park in Diyarbakir, [[Hasan Pasha Han, Diyarbakır|Hasan Pasha Han]], [[Fortifications of Diyarbakır|historic city walls]], Gazi Pavilion, A park in Diyarbakir, [[Dicle Bridge|Ongözlü Bridge]] (The Dicle Bridge), [[Great Mosque of Diyarbakır]]. | imagesize = 250px | blank_emblem_type = Emblem of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality | subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Turkey|Region]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Southeastern Anatolia Region|Southeastern Anatolia]] | subdivision_type2 = [[Provinces of Turkey|Province]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Diyarbakır Province|Diyarbakır]] | area_total_km2 = 15058 | area_urban_km2 = 2410 | area_metro_km2 = 2410 | population_as_of = 2024 | population_footnotes = <ref name="citypopulation.de">{{Cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/turkey/admin/|title=Turkey: Administrative Division (Provinces and Districts) – Population Statistics, Charts and Map|website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref> | population_total = 1,833,684 | population_urban = 1,164,940 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_urban_km2 = auto | demographics_type2 = GDP | demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics by Theme > National Accounts > Regional Accounts |url=https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/ilgosterge/?locale=tr |access-date=11 May 2023 |website=www.turkstat.gov.tr}}</ref> | demographics2_title1 = [[Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey|Metropolitan municipality]] | demographics2_info1 = [[Turkish lira|TRY]] 62.494 billion<br />[[US$]] 6.959 billion (2021) | demographics2_title2 = Per capita | demographics2_info2 = [[Turkish lira|TRY]] 34,964<br />[[US$]] 3,893 (2021) | elevation_m = 675 | postal_code_type = [[Postal code]] | postal_code = 21x xx | blank_info = 21 | blank_name = [[Turkish car number plates|Licence plate]] | area_code = 412 | website = https://www.diyarbakir.bel.tr/en/ | leader_title = [[Mayor]] | leader_name = Ayşe Serra Bucak Küçük | leader_party = [[Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party|DEM Party]] | pushpin_map = Turkey #Earth | pushpin_relief = 1 | coordinates = {{coord|37.91|40.24|region:TR|display=inline}} | image_blank_emblem = Diyarbakır City logo.png }}
'''Diyarbakır'''{{efn|{{langx|ku|Amed}},<ref>{{Cite web |editor-last=Avcýkýran |editor-first=Dr. Adem |title=Kürtçe Anamnez, Anamneza bi Kurmancî |url=http://tirsik.net/danegeh/pirtuk/ismail%20bulbul/anamneza%20bi%20kurmanc%C3%AE.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127110405/http://tirsik.net/danegeh/pirtuk/ismail%20bulbul/anamneza%20bi%20kurmanc%C3%AE.pdf |archive-date=27 January 2020 |access-date=17 December 2019 |website=Tirsik |page=55}}</ref> [[Zaza language|Zaza]]: ''Diyarbekir'',<ref>Zazaca -Türkçe Sözlük, R. Hayıg-B. Werner</ref> [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic]]: {{Transliteration|aii|Amedi}} or {{Transliteration|aii|Amedu}},<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bryce |first=Trevor |url=https://ia800802.us.archive.org/5/items/TheRoutledgeHandbookOfArchaBook/TheRoutledgehandbook.pdf |title=The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |pages=38 |language=en}}</ref> {{langx|hy|Տիգրանակերտ|''[[Tigranocerta|Tigranakert]]''}};<ref>[[Western Armenian]] pronunciation: ''Dikranagerd''; {{cite book |last=Hovannisian |first=Richard G. |author-link=Richard G. Hovannisian |title=Armenian Tigranakert/Diarbekir and Edessa/Urfa |publisher=Mazda Publishers |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-56859-153-7 |location=Costa Mesa, California |page=2 |quote=The city that later generations of Armenians would call Dikranagerd was actually ancient Amid or Amida (now Diyarbekir or Diyarbakır), a great walled city with seventy-two towers...}}</ref> {{langx|syr|ܐܡܝܕ|Āmīd}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Payne Smith (Mrs. Margoliouth) |first=J. |url=https://sedra.bethmardutho.org/lexeme/get/16400 |title=A Compendious Syriac dictionary, founded upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D. |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1903 |pages=19 |language=en}}</ref>}} is the largest [[Kurds|Kurdish]]-majority city in [[Turkey]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bois|first1=Th|last2=Minorsky|first2=V.|last3=MacKenzie|first3=D. N.|date=2012-04-24|title=Kurds, Kurdistān|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/kurds-kurdistan-COM_0544?s.num=167&s.start=100|journal=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition|language=en}}</ref> It is the administrative center of [[Diyarbakır Province]]. It is considered one of the [[List of oldest continuously inhabited cities|oldest continually inhabited cities in the world]], having been continually inhabited since c. 8,000 BCE.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the [[Tigris]] river on which stands the historic [[Diyarbakır Fortress]], it is the administrative capital of the [[Diyarbakır Province]] of southeastern [[Turkey]]. It is the second-largest city in the [[Southeastern Anatolia Region]]. As of December 2024, the Metropolitan Province population was 1,833,684, of whom 1,164,940 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of the four urban districts ([[Bağlar, Diyarbakır|Bağlar]], [[Kayapınar, Diyarbakır|Kayapınar]], [[Sur, Diyarbakır|Sur]] and [[Yenişehir, Diyarbakır|Yenişehir]]).
Diyarbakır has been a main focal point of the [[Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present)|conflict]] between the Turkish state and various [[Kurds in Turkey|Kurdish]] separatist groups, and is seen by many Kurds as the informal capital of [[Kurdistan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/tensions-increase-already-fragile-kurdish-peace-process-faulters-turkey|title=Tensions increase as already fragile Kurdish peace process faulters in Turkey|website=Middle East Eye}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/24/world/europe/an-aleppo-like-landscape-in-a-kurdish-redoubt-of-turkey.html|title=An Aleppo-like Landscape in a Kurdish Redoubt of Turkey|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 December 2016|last1=Nordland|first1=Rod}}</ref> The city was intended to become the capital of an [[Kurdish independence|independent Kurdistan]] following the 1920 [[Treaty of Sèvres]], but this was disregarded following subsequent political developments.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kubilay|first=Arin|date=2015-03-26|title=Turkey and the Kurds – From War to Reconciliation?|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3229m63b|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Köksal|first=Yonca|date=2005|title=Hakan Özoğlu. Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities, Competing Loyalties, and Shifting Boundaries |journal=New Perspectives on Turkey|volume=32|pages=227–230|doi=10.1017/s0896634600004180|s2cid=148060175|issn=0896-6346}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Şerif Paşa |title=Memorandum on the claims of the Kurd people |oclc=42520854}}</ref>
On 6 February 2023 Diyarbakır was affected by the twin [[2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake|Turkey–Syria earthquakes]], which inflicted some damage on its city walls.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Earthquakes batter Turkey, Syria's historical monuments |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/7/earthquakes-damage-turkey-syrias-historic-mosques-and-castles |access-date=2023-02-14 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref>
== Names and etymology == In ancient times the city was known as [[Amida (Mesopotamia)|Amida]], a name which could derive from an older Assyrian toponym ''Amedi''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Comfort |first1=Anthony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FnwvEAAAQBAJ&dq=amida+diyarbakir&pg=PA123 |title=How did the Persian King of Kings Get His Wine? The upper Tigris in antiquity (c. 700 BCE to 636 CE) |last2=Marciak |first2=Michał |publisher=Archaeopress Publishing Ltd |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-78491-957-3 |pages=123–124 |language=en}}</ref> The name ''Āmid'' was also used in [[Arabic]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sinclair |first=T. A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Na1EBAAAQBAJ&q=Arabic+%22Amid%22&pg=PA163 |title=Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume III |publisher=Pindar Press |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-907132-34-9 |page=161 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> The name ''Amit'' is found in official documents of the [[Empire of Trebizond]] from 1358.<ref>Zehiroglu, Ahmet M. ; "Trabzon Imparatorlugu" 2016 ({{ISBN|978-605-4567-52-2}}) ; p. 223</ref>
After the [[Early Muslim conquests|Muslim conquests]] of the 7th century, the city became known as ''Diyar Bakr'' ({{langx|ar|ديار بكر|translit=Diyār Bakr|lit=the abode of [the tribe of] Bakr|links=no}}), in reference to the territory of the [[Banu Bakr]] tribe, the ''[[Diyar Bakr]]''.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Suwaed |first=Muhammad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8yhCgAAQBAJ&dq=diyarbakir+banu+bakr&pg=PA45 |title=Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-4422-5451-0 |page=45 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite book |last= |first= |title=The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-530991-1 |editor-last=M. Bloom |editor-first=Jonathan |volume=2 |location= |pages= |language=en |chapter=Diyarbakır |editor-last2=S. Blair |editor-first2=Sheila}}</ref> That tribe had already settled in [[Northern Mesopotamia|northern Mesopotomia]] during the pre-Islamic period. In the 7th century, during the caliphate of [[Uthman]] and under the regional governorship of [[Mu'awiya I|Mu'awiya]], a portion of the tribe was ordered to settle further north in the lands near the city.<ref name=":7">{{Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition|volume=2|article=Diyār Bakr|last1=Canard|first1=M.|first2=Cl.|last2=Cahen|first3=Mükrimin H.|last3=Yinanç|last4=Sourdel-Thomine|first4=J.|pages=343–347}}</ref> The city was later also known in [[Turkish language|Turkish]] as {{lang|tr|Kara Âmid}} ("Black Amid"), on account of its black basalt walls.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lipiński |first=Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rrMKKtiBBI4C&dq=kara+amid+black+amid+diyarbakir&pg=PA136 |title=The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion |date=2000 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |isbn=978-90-429-0859-8 |page=136 |language=en}}</ref>
In November 1937, Turkish President [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Atatürk]] visited the city and after expressing uncertainty on the exact etymology of the city's name, "Diyarbekir", in December of the same year ordered that it be renamed "Diyarbakır", which means "land of copper" in Turkish after the abundant resources of [[copper]] around the city.<ref>See [[Uğur Ümit Üngör|Üngör, Uğur]] (2011), ''The Making of Modern Turkey: Nation and State in Eastern Anatolia, 1913–1950''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 244. {{ISBN|0-19-960360-X}}.</ref> This was one of the early examples of the [[Geographical name changes in Turkey|Turkification]] process of non-Turkish place names, in which non-Turkish (Greek, Kurdish, Armenian, Arabic and other) geographical names were changed to Turkish alternatives.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nişanyan|first=Sevan|title=Adını unutan ülke: Türkiye'de adı değiştirilen yerler sözlüğü|date=2010|publisher=Everest Yayınları|isbn=978-975-289-730-4|edition=1. basım|location=İstanbul|oclc=670108399}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Social relations in Ottoman Diyarbekir, 1870–1915|date=2012 |editor=Joost Jongerden |editor2=Jelle Verheij|isbn=978-90-04-23227-3|location=Leiden |publisher=Brill |oclc=808419956}}</ref>
The [[Armenian language|Armenian]] name of the city is ''Tigranakert/Dikranagerd'' ({{Lang|hy|Տիգրանակերտ}}), in reference to the ancient capital of [[Tigranocerta]] founded by [[Tigranes the Great]] nearby.<ref name="Armenian Tigranakert">[[Western Armenian]] pronunciation: ''Dikranagerd''; {{cite book |last=Hovannisian |first=Richard G. |title=Armenian Tigranakert/Diarbekir and Edessa/Urfa |publisher=Mazda Publishers |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-56859-153-7 |location=Costa Mesa, California |page=2 |quote=The city that later generations of Armenians would call Dikranagerd was actually ancient Amid or Amida (now Diyarbekir or Diyarbakır), a great walled city with seventy-two towers... |author-link=Richard G. Hovannisian}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yeranyan |first1=Gor |title=Ամիդը Տիգրանակերտ կոչելու հայկական ավանդույթը [The Armenian Tradition of Calling Amid Tigranakert] |journal=[[Banber Matenadarani]] |date=2021 |volume=32 |pages=52-66 |url=https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/390228/edition/360949/content |language=hy |issn=1829-054X}}</ref> It is known as {{Lang|ku-Latn|Amed}} in [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]<ref>{{cite book |author1=Adem Avcıkıran |url= |title=Kürtçe Anamnez Anamneza bi Kurmancî |date=2009 |page=55 |language=tr, ku }}</ref> and in [[Syriac language|Syriac]] as {{Lang|sc|ܐܡܝܕ}} (Āmīd).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=J. Payne |title=ܐܡܝܕ |url=https://sedra.bethmardutho.org/lexeme/get/16400 |publisher=Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1903}}</ref>
== History == {{Main|History of Diyarbakır}}
=== Antiquity === [[File:Kurkh stele of Shalmaneser III. From Diyarbakır, southern Turkey. British Museum.jpg|175px|thumb|left|[[Kurkh Monoliths|Kurkh stele]] of [[Shalmaneser III]] in the [[British Museum]], 9th century BC]] People have inhabited the area around Diyarbakır since the Stone Age. The first major civilization to establish itself in the region of Diyarbakır was the [[Hurrians|Hurrian]] kingdom of the [[Mitanni]]. It was then ruled by a succession of nearly every polity that controlled [[Upper Mesopotamia]], including the [[Arameans]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Urartu]], [[Armenians]], [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid Persians]], [[Medes]], [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucids]], and [[Parthian Empire|Parthians]].<ref>[[Trevor Bryce]], ''The Kingdom of the Hittites'', 1999 p. 137</ref> The [[Roman Republic]] gained control of the city in 66 BC, by which stage it was named "Amida".<ref>[http://italian.classic-literature.co.uk/history-of-rome/05-the-establishment-of-the-military-monarchy/ebook-page-24.asp Theodor Mommsen History of Rome, The Establishment of the Military Monarchy]. Italian.classic-literature.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-13.</ref> In 359, [[Shapur II of Persia]] [[Siege of Amida (359)|captured Amida]] after a siege of 73 days.<ref name="Command, Kimberly Kagan p23">''The Eye of Command'', [[Kimberly Kagan]], p. 23</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite book |title=Ahmady, Kameel 2009: [[Another Look at East and Southeast Turkey]]. GABB Publication, Diyarbakır. p. 200. |editor-link=Kameel Ahmady |language=en}}</ref>
According to the ''[[Synecdemus]]'' of [[Hierocles (author of Synecdemus)|Hierocles]], as Amida, Diyarbakır was the major city of the [[Roman province]] of [[Mesopotamia (Roman province)|Mesopotamia]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web|last=Nicholson|first=Oliver|title=Mesopotamia, Roman|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-3135|work=The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity|year=2018|editor-last=Nicholson|editor-first=Oliver|edition=online|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-866277-8|access-date=2020-11-28}}</ref> It was the [[episcopal see]] of the Christian [[diocese]] of Mesopotamia.<ref name=":1" /> Ancient texts record that ancient Amida had an [[amphitheatre]], ''[[thermae]]'' (public baths), warehouses, a [[tetrapylon]] monument, and [[Roman aqueducts]] supplying and distributing water.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|last=Keser-Kayaalp|first=Elif|title=Amida|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-207|work=The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity|year=2018|editor-last=Nicholson|editor-first=Oliver|edition=online|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-866277-8|access-date=2020-11-28}}</ref> The Roman historian [[Ammianus Marcellinus]] was serving in the [[late Roman army]] during the [[Siege of Amida (359)|Siege of Amida]] by the [[Sasanian Empire]] under [[Shapur II]] ({{Reign|309|379}}), and described the successful siege in detail.<ref name=":2" /> Amida was then enlarged by refugees from ancient Nisibis ([[Nusaybin]]), which the emperor [[Jovian (emperor)|Jovian]] ({{Reign|363|364}}) was forced to evacuate and cede to Shapur's Persians after the defeat of his predecessor [[Julian's Persian War]], becoming the main Roman stronghold in the region.<ref name=":2" /> The [[chronicle]] attributed to [[Joshua the Stylite]] describes the capture of Amida by the Persians under [[Kavad I]] ({{Reign|488|531}}) in the second [[Siege of Amida (502–503)|Siege of Amida]] in 502–503, part of the [[Anastasian War]].<ref name=":2" />
Either the emperor [[Anastasius Dicorus]] ({{Reign|491|518}}) or the emperor [[Justinian the Great]] ({{Reign|527|565}}) rebuilt the walls of Amida, a feat of defensive architecture praised by the Greek historian [[Procopius]].<ref name=":2" /> As recorded by the works of [[John of Ephesus]], [[Zacharias Rhetor]], and Procopius, the Romans and Persians continued to contest the area, and in the [[Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628]] Amida was captured and held by the Persians for twenty-six years, being recovered in 628 for the Romans by the emperor [[Heraclius]] ({{Reign|610|641}}), who also founded a church in the city on his return to [[Constantinople]] ([[Istanbul]]) from Persia the following year.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
=== Ecclesiastical history === [[File:The Garden of Eden (CBL Arm 551, ff.2v-3r).jpg|thumb|Page from abridged [[Bible]] created in Diyarbakır in 1601 by the Serapion of Edessa for the future [[Catholicos of All Armenians|Co-Catholicos of All Armenians]], now at the [[Chester Beatty Library]]]] [[Syriac Christianity]] took hold in the region between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, particularly amongst the [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] of the city. The [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Theodosius II]] (408–450) divided the [[Roman province]] of [[Mesopotamia (Roman province)|Mesopotamia]] into two, and made Amida the capital of Mesopotamia Prima, and thereby also the [[metropolitan see]] for all the province's [[bishopric]]s.<ref name="edwards">{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Edwards|first1=Robert W. |entry=Diyarbakır |encyclopedia=The Eerdmans Encyclopedia of Early Christian Art and Archaeology |editor=Paul Corby Finney |date=2016 |publisher=William B. Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan |isbn=978-0-8028-9016-0| page=115}}</ref>
At some stage, Amida became a see of the [[Armenian Church]]. The bishops who held the see in 1650 and 1681 were in [[full communion]] with the [[Holy See]], and in 1727 Peter Derboghossian sent his profession of faith to Rome. He was succeeded by two more bishops of the [[Armenian Catholic Church]], Eugenius and Ioannes of [[Smyrna]], the latter of whom died in [[Constantinople]] in 1785. After a long vacancy, three more bishops followed.<ref name="Gams1" /><ref name="Gams2" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Arango |first=Tim |date=2015-04-23 |title=Hidden Armenians of Turkey Seek to Reclaim Their Erased Identities |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/world/europe/armenians-turkey.html |access-date=2023-10-06 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><!-- Not all of these citations may be relevant for the preceding content, but they've been repeated here to clarify that the entire paragraph was originally attributed to these four sources, prior to new content and a new source being added in the middle. --> The diocese had some 5,000 Armenian Catholics in 1903,<ref>[http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5492744n/f173 Annuaire Pontifical Catholique], 1903, p. 173.</ref> but it lost most of its population in the 1915 [[Armenian genocide]]. The last [[diocesan bishop]] of the see, Andreas Elias Celebian, was killed with some 600 of his flock in the summer of 1915.<ref name=Gams1>Pius Bonifacius Gams, [http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=65154&showContent=true ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae''], Leipzig 1931, p. 456</ref><ref name=Gams2>Pius Bonifacius Gams, [http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=65155&showContent=true ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae''], Complementi, Leipzig 1931, p. 93</ref><ref name=":8">F. Tournebize, v. ''Amid ou Amida'', in [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6561037d/f647.image ''Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques''], vol. XII, Paris 1953, coll. 1246–1247</ref><ref name=":9">Hovhannes J. Tcholakian, ''L'église arménienne catholique en Turquie'', 1998</ref>
An eparchy for the local members of the [[Syriac Catholic Church]] was established in 1862. [[Persecution of Christians in the Ottoman Empire]] during the First World War brought an end to the existence of both these Syrian residential sees.<ref name="Gams1" /><ref name="Gams2" /><ref>S. Vailhé, ''Antioche. Patriarcat syrien-catholique'', in Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique, Vol. I, Paris 1903, coll. 1433</ref><ref>O. Werner, [https://archive.org/stream/orbisterrarumcat00wern#page/164/mode/2up ''Orbis terrarum catholicus''], Freiburg 1890, p. 164</ref>
=== Middle Ages === {{See also|Diyar Bakr}}{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2025}}[[File:Fragment of a jar, unglazed. 13th century CE. From Diyarbakir. Museum of Islamic Art (Tiled Kiosk), Istanbul, Turkey.jpg|thumb|Fragment of an unglazed jar from Diyarbakir, 13th century AD]] In 639, as part of the [[Muslim conquest of the Levant]] during the early [[Arab–Byzantine wars]], Amida fell to the armies of the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] led by [[Iyad ibn Ghanm]], and the Great Mosque of Amida was constructed afterwards in the city's centre, possibly on the site of the Heraclian Church of Saint Thomas.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":10" /> There were as many as five Christian [[monasteries]] in the city, including the [[Zuqnin Monastery]] and several ancient churches mentioned by John of Ephesus.<ref name=":2" /> One of these, the [[St. Mary Church, Diyarbakır|Church of the Virgin Mary]], remains the city's [[cathedral]] and the see of the [[bishop of Diyarbakır]] in the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]].<ref name=":2" /> Another ancient church, the Church of Mar Cosmas, was seen by the British explorer [[Gertrude Bell]] in 1911 but was destroyed in 1930, while the former [[Church of Saint George, Diyarbakır|Church of Saint George]], in the walled citadel, may originally have been built for Muslim use or for the [[Church of the East]].<ref name=":2" />
The city was part of the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] and then the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], but then came under more local rule until its recovery in 899 by forces loyal to the caliph [[al-Mu'tadid]] ({{Reign|892|902}}) before falling under the sway of first the [[Hamdanid dynasty]] and then the [[Buyid dynasty]], followed by a period of control by the [[Marwanids (Diyar Bakr)|Marwanids]].
From 983 to 1085, the [[Diyar Bakr|Diyar Bakr region]], including the city of Amida, was ruled by the [[Marwanid dynasty (Diyar Bakr)|Marwanid dynasty]], a [[Kurdish population|Kurdish]] dynasty, between 990 and 1085.<ref name=":0523">{{EI2|last=Hillenbrand|first=Carole|title=Marwānids|volume=6|pages=626}}</ref> The dynasty's foundation was laid by a chief from the [[Bohtan]] (Botkhti) tribe named Badh ibn Dustak, who captured Mayyafariqin (modern [[Silvan, Diyarbakır|Silvan]]) and later Amida. After Badh was killed in 990, he was succeeded by his nephew, al-Hasan ibn Marwan, the son of his sister and a man named Marwan. Al-Hasan is considered the true founder of the dynasty that bears his father's name.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blaum |first=Paul A. |date=1993 |title=A History of the Kurdish Marwanid Dynasty, A.D. 983-1085, Part II |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/192dd3886777c4a7d5b77eab681ad828/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=44192 |journal=The International Journal of Kurdish Studies |volume=6 |issue=1/2 |pages=40-D |via=ProQuest}}</ref> The Marwanid emirate reached its apogee under the 50-year reign of [[Nasr al-Dawla Ahmad ibn Marwan|Nasr al-Dawla Ahmad]] (1011–1061). This period is remembered as one of peace, prosperity, and cultural flourishing. Nasr al-Dawla was a skilled diplomat, balancing relations with the era's great powers; the Buyid Emirs, the Fatimid Caliphs, and the [[Byzantine Empire]], all of whom sent envoys and recognized his rule. The Marwanid court, based primarily in [[Mayyafariqin]] and Amida, fostered a "pluralistic political rhetoric" that allowed for the coexistence of different ethnic and religious groups, attracting migration from surrounding regions. This period saw extensive public works, and Nasr al-Dawla left monumental inscriptions, still visible, on the Roman walls of Amida.{{Citation needed|date=December 2025|reason=The preceding material, which incudes quoted text, needs to be attributed to a reliable source.}}
The city was taken by the [[Seljuks]] in 1085 and by the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubids]] in 1183. Ayyubid control lasted until the [[Mongol invasions of Anatolia]], with its last Ayyubid ruler [[Al-Kamil Muhammad]]. The Mongols of [[Hulagu]] captured of the city in 1260 ([[Siege of Mayyāfāriqīn]]), following a long siege with a small Mongol force and a much larger Georgian and Armenian force under the Georgian leader [[Hasan Brosh]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sicker |first1=Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b6vOEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA111 |title=The Islamic World in Ascendancy: From the Arab Conquests to the Siege of Vienna |date=2000 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-0-313-00111-6 |page=111 |language=en}}</ref> Between the Mongol occupation and conquest by the [[Safavid dynasty]] of Iran, the [[Kara Koyunlu]] and [[Aq Qoyunlu]] – two [[Turkoman (ethnonym)|Turkoman]] confederations – were in control of the city in succession. Diyarbakır was conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1514 by [[Bıyıklı Mehmed Pasha]], in the reign of the sultan [[Selim I]] ({{Reign|1512|1520}}). [[Mohammad Khan Ustajlu]], the Safavid governor of Diyarbakir, was evicted from the city and killed in the following [[Battle of Chaldiran]] in 1514.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-16 |title=Battle of Chaldiran {{!}} Summary {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Chaldiran |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
=== Safavids and Ottomans === {{See also|Diyarbekir Eyalet|Diyarbekir Vilayet}}{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2025}}[[File:Matrakci Diyarbekir.jpg|thumb|16th-century plan of Diyarbakır by [[Matrakci Nasuh]]|left]] The [[Classical Age of the Ottoman Empire]] saw it expand into [[Western Armenia]] and all but the eastern regions of [[Kurdistan]] at the expense of the Safavids. From the early 16th century, the city and the wider region was the source of intrigue between the Safavids and the [[Ottoman Empire]], both of whom sought the support of the Kurdish chieftains around [[Idris Bitlisi]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Özoğlu|first=Hakan|title=Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities, Competing Loyalties, and Shifting Boundaries|date=2004|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-5993-5|pages=47–49|language=en}}</ref> It was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1514 in the campaigns of [[Bıyıklı Mehmed Pasha]], under the rule of Sultan [[Selim I]]. [[Mohammad Khan Ustajlu]], the Safavid Governor of Diyarbakir, was evicted from the city and killed in the following [[Battle of Chaldiran]] in 1514.<ref name=":0" />
Following their victory, the Ottomans established the [[Diyarbekir Eyalet]] with its administrative centre in Diyarbakır. The Eyalet of Diyarbakır corresponded to today's [[Turkish Kurdistan]], a rectangular area between the [[Lake Urmia]] to [[Palu (District), Elazığ|Palu]] and from the southern shores of [[Lake Van]] to [[Cizre]] and the beginnings of the [[Syrian Desert]], although its borders saw some changes over time. The city was an important military base for controlling the region and at the same time a thriving city noted for its craftsmen, producing glass and metalwork. For example, the doors of [[Rumi]]'s tomb in [[Konya]] were made in Diyarbakır, as were the gold and silver decorated doors of the tomb of [[Ebu Hanife]] in [[Baghdad]]. Ottoman rule was confirmed by the 1555 [[Peace of Amasya]] which followed the [[Ottoman–Safavid War (1532–1555)]].
[[File:1671 Diyarbakır from Ottoman map of Tigris and Euphrates 2012 Kurşun Z Fig2.jpg|thumb|Depiction of Diyarbakır in a 17th-century Ottoman map, possibly created by [[Evliya Çelebi]]]] Concerned with independent-mindedness of the [[Kurds|Kurdish]] principalities, the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] sought to curb their influence and bring them under the control of the central government in [[Istanbul|Constantinople]]. However, removal from power of these hereditary principalities led to more instability in the region from the 1840s onwards. In their place, [[sufi]] sheiks and religious orders rose to prominence and spread their influence throughout the region. One of the prominent Sufi leaders was ''[[Sheikh Ubeydullah|Shaikh Ubaidalla]] Nahri'', who began a revolt in the region between Lakes [[Lake Van|Van]] and [[Lake Urmia|Urmia]]. The area under his control covered both Ottoman and [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar]] territories. Shaikh Ubaidalla is regarded as one of the earliest proponents of [[Kurdish nationalism]]. In a letter to a [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] Vice-Consul, he declared: "The Kurdish nation is a people apart... we want our affairs to be in our hands."{{Citation needed|date=December 2025|reason=The preceding material, which incudes quoted text, needs to be attributed to a reliable source.}}
[[File:Diyarbekir, c. 1900.jpg|thumb|Diyarbakır, {{circa|1900}}]] In 1895 an estimated 25,000 [[Armenians]] and [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] were [[Massacres of Diyarbakır (1895)|massacred]] in [[Diyarbekir Vilayet]], including in the city.<ref name=gunter>{{cite book|last=Gunter|first=Michael|title=The Kurdish Predicament in Iraq: A Political Analysis|year=1999|page=8|publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-21896-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fToRZfDdt4IC&pg=PA8}}</ref> At the turn of the 19th century, the Christian population of the city was mainly made up of [[Armenians]] and [[Assyrian people|Syriac Orthodox Christians]].<ref name="JV20">{{cite book|author1=Joost Jongerden|author2=Jelle Verheij|title=Social Relations in Ottoman Diyarbekir, 1870–1915|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X_LmnA75Dt8C&pg=PA20|year=2012|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-22518-3|page=20}}</ref> The city was also a site of [[ethnic cleansing]] during the 1915 [[Armenian genocide|Armenian]] and [[Assyrian genocide]] (see: [[1915 genocide in Diyarbekir]]); nearly 150,000 were expelled from the city to the death marches in the [[Syrian Desert]].<ref name=mdumper>{{cite book|last=Dumper|first=Michael|title=Cities of The Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia|year=2007|page=130|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-57607-919-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA130}}</ref>
=== Republic of Turkey === In January 1928, Diyarbakır became the center of the [[First Inspectorate-General (Turkey)|First Inspectorate-General]], a regional subdivision for an area containing the provinces of [[Hakkâri Province|Hakkari]], [[Van Province|Van]], [[Şırnak Province|Şırnak]], [[Mardin Province|Mardin]], [[Siirt Province|Siirt]], [[Bitlis Province|Bitlis]] and [[Şanlıurfa Province|Şanlıurfa]]. In a reorganization of the provinces in 1952, Diyarbakır city was made the administrative capital of the [[Diyarbakır Province]]. In 1993, Diyarbakir was established as a Metropolitan Municipality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ekanun.net/504-sayili-kanun-hukmunde-kararname/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203173501/http://www.ekanun.net/504-sayili-kanun-hukmunde-kararname/|archive-date=2014-02-03|title=504 Sayılı Kanun Hükmünde Kararname {{!}} Kanunlar|date=2014-02-03|access-date=2019-11-10}}</ref> Its districts are [[Bağlar, Diyarbakır|Bağlar]], [[Bismil]], [[Ergani]], [[Hazro, Diyarbakır|Hazro]], [[Kayapınar, Diyarbakır|Kayapinar]], [[Çermik]], [[Çınar, Diyarbakır|Çinar]], [[Eğil]], [[Dicle]], [[Kulp, Turkey|Kulp]], [[Kocaköy]], [[Lice, Turkey|Lice]], [[Silvan, Diyarbakır|Silvan]], [[Sur, Diyarbakır|Sur]], [[Yenişehir, Diyarbakır|Yenişehir]], [[Hani, Turkey|Hani]] and [[Çüngüş]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sabah.com.tr/secim/31-mart-2019-yerel-secim-sonuclari/diyarbakir/ili-yerel-secim-sonuclari|title=Diyarbakır Seçim Sonuçları – 31 Mart 2019 Yerel Seçimleri|website=sabah.com.tr|access-date=2019-11-10}}</ref>
The American-Turkish [[Pirinçlik]] Air Force Base near Diyarbakır was operational from 1956 to 1997.
Diyarbakır has seen much violence in recent years, involving Turkish security forces, the [[Kurdistan Workers Party]] (PKK), and the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIL).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/death-toll-in-hdp-diyarbakir-rally-rises-to-three-83722|title=Death toll in HDP Diyarbakır rally rises to three – Turkey News|website=Hürriyet Daily News|date=10 June 2015 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2016/11/04/isil-claims-responsibility-for-a-deadly-car-bomb-attack-in-diyarbakir-southeast-turkey-local-officials-initially-suggested-the-outlawed-pkk-was-to-blame|title=ISIL claims Diyarbakir bombing days after 'al-Baghdadi urged attacks on Turkey'|date=2016-11-04|website=euronews|language=en|access-date=2019-11-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/bomb-blast-kills-policemen-turkey-diyarbakir-170116154441718.html|title=Roadside bomb blast kills police in Turkey's Diyarbakir|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=2020-01-23}}</ref> Between 8 November 2015 and 15 May 2016 [[Siege of Sur (2016)|large parts of Sur were destroyed]] in fighting between the [[Turkish military]] and the PKK.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nos.nl/l/2107647|title=Vernietiging Turkse steden veel groter dan gedacht|first=Lucas|last=Waagmeester|website=nos.nl|date=27 May 2016 }}</ref> In early November 2015, Kurdish lawyer and human rights activist [[Tahir Elçi]] was killed in the Sur district during a press statement in which he had been calling for a de-escalation in violence between the PKK and the Turkish state.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-13 |title=Report – Investigation of the audio-visual material included in the case file of the killing of Tahir Elçi |url=https://content.forensic-architecture.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/FA-TE-Report_12_English_public.pdf |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=[[Forensic Architecture]]}}</ref>
[[File:Diyarbakir walls.JPG|thumb|[[Fortifications of Diyarbakır|Diyarbakır's city walls]] in the [[Sur, Diyarbakır|Sur district]] (2010 photo)]] A 2018 report by Arkeologlar Derneği İstanbul found that, since 2015, 72% of the city's historic [[Sur, Diyarbakır|Sur district]] had been destroyed through demolition and redevelopment, and that laws designed to protect historic monuments had been ignored. They found that the city's "urban regeneration" policy was one of demolition and redevelopment rather than one of repairing cultural assets damaged during the recent civil conflict, and because of that many registered historic buildings had been completely destroyed. The extent of the loss of non-registered historic structures is unknown because any historic building fragments revealed during the demolition of modern structures were also demolished.<ref name="arkeologlardernegist.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.arkeologlardernegist.org/aciklama.php?id=31|title=Açıklama|website=www.arkeologlardernegist.org|access-date=18 August 2019|archive-date=2 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102024910/https://www.arkeologlardernegist.org/aciklama.php?id=31|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2021, large parts of the city and district were restored and government officials were looking towards tourism again.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.diyarbakirsoz.com/diyarbakir/hedef-5-milyon-turist-getirmek-221044|title=Hedef 5 milyon turist getirmek|date=19 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.haberturk.com/diyarbakir-haberleri/85587349-tarihi-diriltecek-dev-projenin-2-etabi-basladiunesco-dunya-kultur-mirasi-listesinde-bulunan|title=Tarihi diriltecek dev projenin 2. Etabı başladı unesco dünya kültür mirası listesinde bulunan diyarbakır surlarının 2. Etap projesi başladı yaklaşık 14 milyon liraya mal olacak olan restorasyon çalışmalarının 500 gün süreceği öğrenildi - Diyarbakır Haberleri|date=17 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ensonhaber.com/emlak/emlak-projeleri/teroristlerin-yiktigi-suru-devlet-ayaga-kaldirdi|title = Teröristlerin yıktığı Sur'u devlet ayağa kaldırdı| date=18 March 2021 }}</ref><ref name=":10" />
Many residences and buildings collapsed or suffered substantial damage in the [[2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes]] around 200 miles (300 km) from the epicentre.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Robles |first1=Pablo |last2=Chang |first2=Agnes |last3=Holder |first3=Josh |last4=Leatherby |first4=Lauren |last5=Reinhard |first5=Scott |last6=Wu |first6=Ashley |date=2023-02-06 |title=Mapping the Damage From the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/02/06/world/turkey-earthquake-damage.html |access-date=2023-02-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-02-06 |title=The earthquake's widespread destruction, in photos, maps and videos |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/06/turkey-syria-earthquake-map-photos-videos/ |access-date=2023-02-14 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ozdal |first=Umit |date=2023-02-06 |title=After huge Turkey quake, Diyarbakir residents pray for missing families |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/after-huge-turkey-quake-diyarbakir-residents-pray-missing-families-2023-02-06/ |access-date=2023-02-14}}</ref> A Turkish professor and former journalist from the country commented, "It is like having an epicenter of an earthquake in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]] and buildings in New York City are collapsing."<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 7, 2023 |title=Lebanon County professor reacts to deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria |url=https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/professor-deadly-earthquakes-turkey-syria-lebanon-valley-college-professor/521-c8971a30-a39f-4911-b843-d4ad5b41dcdb |access-date=2023-02-14 |website=fox43.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Sports == The most notable [[Football (soccer)|football]] clubs of the city are [[Diyarbakırspor]] (established 1968) and [[Amed S.F.K.]] (established 1990),<ref>{{cite news|title=Turkish court acquits German footballer Naki in Kurdish case|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37908775|date=8 November 2016|work=BBC}}</ref> with [[Deniz Naki]] being one of the most notable footballers from the city. The women's football team [[Amed SFK (women)|Amed S.K.]] were promoted at the end of the 2016–17 [[Turkish Women's Football First League|Turkish Women's Second Football League]] season to the [[Turkish Women's Football Super League|Women's First League]].<ref name="m1" /> [[Diyarbakırspor]] competed in the [[Süper Lig]] for 11 seasons, and [[Amed S.F.K.]] tried to repeat this success by advancing to the [[TFF 1. Lig]] in the [[2023–24 TFF First League|2023–24]] season.
== Politics == In the [[2014 Turkish local elections|2014 local elections]], [[Gültan Kışanak]] and [[Fırat Anlı]] of the [[Peace and Democracy Party]] (BDP) were elected co-mayors of Diyarbakır. However, on 25 October 2016, both were detained by Turkish authorities "on thinly supported charges of being a member of the [[Kurdistan Workers Party]] (PKK)".<ref name=fury>{{cite news|title=Fury erupts after mayors detained in Turkey's Kurdish southeast|date=26 October 2016|publisher=Al-Monitor|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/10/turkey-arrest-mayors-diyarbakir-kurdish.html}}</ref> The Turkish government ordered a general internet blackout after the arrest.<ref>{{cite news|title=Slowdown in access to social media in Turkey a 'security measure,' says PM|date=4 November 2016|publisher=Hurriyet Daily News|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/problems-in-access-to-social-media-in-turkey-a-security-measure-says-pm.aspx?pageID=238&nID=105744&NewsCatID=509}}</ref> Nevertheless, on 26 October, several thousand demonstrators at Diyarbakir city hall demanded the mayors' release.<ref name=fury /> Some days later, the Turkish government appointed an unelected state trustee as the mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Turkey appoints trustee as Diyarbakir mayor after arrests|date=1 November 2016|publisher=France24|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20161101-turkey-appoints-trustee-diyarbakir-mayor-after-arrests|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130184727/http://www.france24.com/en/20161101-turkey-appoints-trustee-diyarbakir-mayor-after-arrests|archive-date=30 November 2016}}</ref> In November, public prosecutors demanded a 230-year prison sentence for Kışanak.<ref>{{cite news|title=Prosecutors demand 230 years prison sentences for ousted Diyarbakır Co-Mayor Kışanak|date=29 November 2016|publisher=Hurriyet Daily News|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/prosecutors-demand-230-years-prison-sentences-for-ousted-diyarbakir-co-mayor-kisanak.aspx?pageID=238&nID=106702&NewsCatID=509}}</ref>
In January 2017, the un-elected state trustee appointed by the Turkish government ordered the removal of the [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] sculpture of a mythological winged bull from the town hall, which had been erected by the BDP mayors to commemorate the Assyrian history of the town and its still resident Assyrian minority. All Kurdish language street signs were also removed, alongside the shutting down of organisations concerned with Kurdish language and culture, removal of Kurdish names from public parks, and removal of Kurdish cultural monuments and linguistic symbols.<ref>{{cite news|title=Turkey remove Assyrian sculpture from front of local city hall|date=17 January 2017|publisher=Almasdar News|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkey-remove-assyrian-sculpture-from-front-of-local-city-hall/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814111941/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkey-remove-assyrian-sculpture-from-front-of-local-city-hall/|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Kurdish language signs removed from Diyarbakır streets|url=https://ahvalnews.com/turkey-kurds/kurdish-language-signs-removed-diyarbakir-streets|access-date=2021-02-20|website=Ahval|language=en}}</ref>
In the [[2019 Turkish local elections|2019 municipal elections]], [[Adnan Selçuk Mizrakli|Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı]] of the [[Peoples' Democratic Party (Turkey)|HDP]] party was elected mayor of Diyarbakir.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://secim.haberler.com/2019/yerel-secimler/diyarbakir-secim-sonuclari/|title=Diyarbakır Seçim Sonuçları – 31 Mart Diyarbakır Yerel Seçim Sonuçları|website=secim.haberler.com|language=tr-TR|access-date=2019-05-20}}</ref> In August 2019 he was dismissed and subsequently sentenced to 9 years and 4 months imprisonment accused of supporting terrorism as part of a government crackdown against politicians of the [[Kurds|Kurdish]] [[Peoples' Democratic Party (Turkey)|HDP]] party; the Turkish state appointed [[Münir Karaloğlu]] in his place.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/three-pro-kurdish-mayors-replaced-southeastern-turkey|title=Three pro-Kurdish mayors replaced in southeastern Turkey|website=Middle East Eye|language=en|access-date=2019-08-19}}</ref> Other Kurdish mayors in Kurdish cities across the region also suffered a similar fate, with [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan|Turkish President Erdoğan]] vowing to remove any future Kurdish mayors too.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-02-07|title=Turkey: Kurdish Mayors' Removal Violates Voters' Rights|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/02/07/turkey-kurdish-mayors-removal-violates-voters-rights|access-date=2021-04-02|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Erdogan vows re-seizure of Kurdish municipalities should HDP win local elections|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/17616-Erdogan-vows-re-seizure-of-Kurdish-municipalities-should-HDP-win-local-elections|access-date=2021-04-02|website=www.kurdistan24.net|language=en}}</ref> Protests against the decision arose which were suppressed by the Turkish police with the use of water cannons; some protestors were killed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turkey: Police and militias killing of Kurdish protesters must be investigated and prosecuted|url=https://primarysources.brillonline.com/browse/human-rights-documents-online/turkey-police-and-militias-killing-of-kurdish-protesters-must-be-investigated-and-prosecuted;hrdhrd00352014132 |url-access=subscription |website=Brill: Human Rights Documents online|doi=10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-0035-2014132}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gunes|first=Cengiz|date=2014-01-01|title=Kurdish Political Activism in Turkey: An Overview|journal=Singapore Middle East Papers|doi=10.23976/smep.2014008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Three pro-Kurdish mayors replaced in southeastern Turkey|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/three-pro-kurdish-mayors-replaced-southeastern-turkey|access-date=2021-04-02|website=Middle East Eye|language=en}}</ref> [[Diyarbakır Prison|Diyarbakır's prison]] has become home to many [[political prisoner]]s, mainly [[Kurdish political parties in Turkey|Kurdish activists and politicians]] accused of terrorism charges by the Turkish state. Inmates have been subject to torture, rape, humiliation, beating, murder and other abuses.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hakyemez|first=Serra|date=2017|title=Margins of the Archive: Torture, Heroism, and the Ordinary in Prison No. 5, Turkey|journal=Anthropological Quarterly|volume=90|issue=1|pages=107–138|doi=10.1353/anq.2017.0004|s2cid=152237485|issn=1534-1518}}</ref>
== Economy == Historically, Diyarbakır produced [[wheat]] and [[sesame]].<ref name=Prothero60 /><ref name=Prothero62 /> They would preserve the wheat in [[warehouse]]s, with coverings of [[straw]] and twigs from [[licorice]] trees. This system would allow the wheat to be preserved for up to ten years.<ref name=Prothero60>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=W.G.|title=Armenia and Kurdistan|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=60|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11768/view/1/60/}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> In the late 19th and early 20th century, Diyarbakır exported [[raisin]]s, [[almond]]s, and [[apricot]]s to Europe.<ref name=Prothero62>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=W.G.|title=Armenia and Kurdistan|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=62|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11768/view/1/62/}}</ref> [[Angora goat]]s were raised, and wool and [[mohair]] was exported from Diyarbakır. Merchants would also come from [[Egypt]], [[Istanbul]], and [[Syria]], to purchase goats and [[sheep]].<ref name=Prothero63>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=W.G.|title=Armenia and Kurdistan|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=63|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11768/view/1/63/}}</ref> [[Honey]] was also produced, but not so much exported, but used by locals. [[Sericulture]] was observed in the area, too.<ref name=Prothero64>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=W.G.|title=Armenia and Kurdistan|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=64|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11768/view/1/64/}}</ref>
Prior to World War I, Diyarbakır had an active [[copper]] industry, with six mines. Three were active, with two being owned by locals and the third being owned by the Turkish government. [[Tenorite]] was the primary type of copper mined. It was mined by hand by Kurds. A large portion of the ore was exported to England. The region also produced [[iron]], [[gypsum]], [[coal]], [[chalk]], [[lime (material)|lime]], [[Jet (lignite)|jet]], and [[quartz]], but primarily for local use.<ref name=Prothero70>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=W.G.|title=Armenia and Kurdistan|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=70|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11768/view/1/70/}}</ref>
The city is served by [[Diyarbakır Airport]] and [[Diyarbakır railway station]]. In 1935 the railway between [[Elazığ]] and Diyarbakır was inaugurated.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kezer|first=Zeynep|date=2014|title=Spatializing Difference: The Making of an Internal Border in Early Republican Elazığ, Turkey|journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians|volume=73|issue=4|page=516|doi=10.1525/jsah.2014.73.4.507|jstor=10.1525/jsah.2014.73.4.507|issn=0037-9808}}</ref>
== Demographics == {{expand section|date=March 2021}} At the turn of the 19th century, the Christian population of the city was mainly made up of Armenians and Assyrians.<ref name="JV20" /> The Assyrian and Armenian presence dates to antiquity.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Goodspeed|first1=George|title=A History of the Babylonians and Assyrians, Volume 6|date=1902}}</ref> There was also a small Jewish community in the city.<ref name="suryaniler.com">[http://www.suryaniler.com/forum.asp?fislem=cevaplar&kategoriid=4&ustid=2512] Konu: Diyarbakır Tarihi ve Demografik Yapısı</ref> All Christians spoke Armenian and Kurdish. Notables spoke Turkish. In the streets, the language was Kurdish.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kaza Diyarbekir / Diyarbakır / Āmīd / Omīd ܐܡܝܕ |url=https://virtual-genocide-memorial.de/region/the-six-provinces/diyarbakir-vilayet/sancak-diyarbekir-diyarbakir/kaza-diyarbekir-diyarbakir/ |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=Virtual Genocide Memorial |language=en-US}}</ref> According to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|''Encyclopædia Britannica'']] from 1911, the population numbered 38 thousand, almost half being Christian and consisting of "Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Turkomans, Armenians, Chaldeans, Jacobites, and a few Greeks".<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Diarbekr |volume=8 |last=Maunsell |first=Francis Richard |author-link=Francis Richard Maunsell | page =167}}</ref> During the Governorship of [[Mehmed Reshid]] in the [[Diyarbekir Vilayet|Vilayet of Diyarbakır]], the Armenian population of Diyarbakir was resettled and exterminated.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Üngör|first=Ugur Ümit|author-link=Uğur Ümit Üngör|date=2012|title=Rethinking the Violence of Pacification: State Formation and Bandits in Turkey, 1914–1937|journal=Comparative Studies in Society and History|volume=54|issue=4|page=754|doi=10.1017/S0010417512000400|jstor=23274550|s2cid=147038615|issn=0010-4175}}</ref>
After World War II, as the Kurdish population moved from the villages and mountains to urban centres, Diyarbakir's Kurdish population continued to grow.<ref name="HeperSayari2013">{{cite book|author1=Metin Heper|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3i4FPE1s9aYC&pg=PA247|title=The Routledge Handbook of Modern Turkey|author2=Sabri Sayari|date=7 May 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-30964-9|page=247|quote=It was thus only in recent times that Diyarbakır, the unofficial capital of Turkey's Kurdish area, became a predominantly Kurdish town.}}</ref> Diyarbakır grew from a population of 30,000 in the 1930s to 65,000 by 1956, to 140,000 by 1970, to 400,000 by 1990,<ref name="McDowall2004">{{cite book |author=McDowall, David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dgDi9qFT41oC&q=30,000&pg=PA403 |title=A Modern History of the Kurds |publisher=IB Tauris |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-85043-416-0 |page=403}}</ref> and eventually swelled to about 1.5 million by 1997.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kirişci, Kemal |title=Internally Displaced People: A Global Survey |date=June 1998 |publisher=Earthscan Publications Ltd |editor=Janie Hampton |location=London |pages=198, 199 |chapter=Turkey |author-link=Kemal Kirişci}}</ref> During the 1990s, the city grew dramatically due to the immigrant population from thousands of [[Kurdish villages depopulated by Turkey]] during the [[Kurdish–Turkish conflict]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Houston |first=Christopher |title=Creating a Diaspora within a Country: Kurds in Turkey |date=2005 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World |pages=403–414 |editor-last=Ember |editor-first=Melvin |location=Boston, MA |publisher=Springer US |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-0-387-29904-4_40 |isbn=978-0-387-29904-4 |editor2-last=Ember |editor2-first=Carol R. |editor3-last=Skoggard |editor3-first=Ian}}</ref>
According to a November 2006 survey by the Sûr Municipality, 72% of the inhabitants of the municipality use [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] most often in their daily speech due to the overwhelming Kurdish majority in the city, followed by minorities of [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic|Assyrian]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]].<ref name=":4">{{cite news|date=2006-11-24|title=Belediye Diyarbakırlıyı tanıdı: Kürtçe konuşuyor|language=tr|work=[[Radikal]]|agency=Dogan News Agency|url=http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=205469|access-date=2008-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930221904/http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=205469|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref>
There are some [[Alevi]] [[Turkoman (ethnonym)|Turkmen]] villages around Diyarbakır's [[Sur, Diyarbakır|old city]], but there are no official reports about their population numbers.<ref name="suryaniler.com" /><ref>[http://www.alevinet.com/diyarbakir-alevi-turkmen-koyleri/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121051835/http://www.alevinet.com/diyarbakir-alevi-turkmen-koyleri/|date=21 November 2016}} Diyarbakır Alevi-Türkmen köyleri</ref>
There have been attempts by Turkish lawmakers to deny Diyarbakır's Kurdish majority identity,<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Yeğen|first=Mesut|date=April 1996|title=The Turkish state discourse and the exclusion of Kurdish identity|journal=Middle Eastern Studies|volume=32|issue=2|pages=216–229|doi=10.1080/00263209608701112|issn=0026-3206}}</ref> with [[Ministry of National Education (Turkey)|Turkey's Education Ministry]] releasing a school book named "Our City, Diyarbakir" ("''Şehrimiz Diyarbakır"'' [[Turkish language|in Turkish]]) on [[Diyarbakır Province|Diyarbakir Province]] in which it claims that a [[Turkish language|Turkish]] similar to that spoken in [[Baku]] is spoken in the city along with regional languages like [[Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Kurmanji|Kurdish]], [[Iraqi Turkmen#Language|Turkmen]] and [[Languages of the Caucasus|Caucasian languages]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gazetesi|first=Evrensel|title=MEB'e göre Diyarbakır'da Kürtçe değil, Azericeye benzeyen bir Türkçe konuşuluyor|url=https://www.evrensel.net/haber/428480/mebe-gore-diyarbakirda-kurtce-degil-azericeye-benzeyen-bir-turkce-konusuluyor|access-date=2021-03-23|website=Evrensel.net|language=tr-TR}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|title='Baku Turkish' spoken in Kurdish-majority Diyarbakır, according to Ministry|url=https://www.bianet.org/english/education/241080-baku-turkish-spoken-in-kurdish-majority-diyarbakir-according-to-ministry|access-date=2021-03-19|website=Bianet – Bagimsiz Iletisim Agi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Şehrimiz Diyarbakır|url=http://diyarbakir.meb.gov.tr/kitap/Sehrimiz_Diyarbakir.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217134102/http://diyarbakir.meb.gov.tr/kitap/Sehrimiz_Diyarbakir.pdf|archive-date=17 Feb 2021}}</ref> Critics link this to a general trend towards [[anti-Kurdish sentiment]] in Turkey.<ref name=":3" />
== Culture == There is local jewelry making and other craftwork in the area. Folk dancing to the drum and [[zurna]] (pipe) are a part of weddings and celebrations in the area. The Diyarbakir Municipality Theatre was founded in 1990, and had to close its doors in 1995.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Çelik |first=Duygu |title=Kurdish Art and Identity |chapter=The Impact of the Dengbêjî Tradition on Kurdish Theater in Turkey |chapter-url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110599626-005/pdf |chapter-url-access=subscription |publisher=[[De Gruyter]] |year=2020 |pages=106–107|doi=10.1515/9783110599626-005 |isbn=978-3-11-059962-6 |s2cid=241540342 }}</ref> It was re-opened in 1999,<ref name=":6" /> under Mayor [[Osman Baydemir]]. It was closed down in 2016 after the dismissal of the mayor in 2016.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Tzabiras |first=Marianna |date=2017-01-05 |title=Turkey's state of emergency puts Kurdish theatre in a chokehold |url=https://ifex.org/turkeys-state-of-emergency-puts-kurdish-theatre-in-a-chokehold/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=IFEX |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Çelik |first=Duygu Ç |title=Kurdish Art and Identity |chapter-url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110599626-005/html |chapter=The Impact of the Dengbêjî Tradition on Kurdish Theater in Turkey |date=2020-09-07 |pages=96–118 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-059962-6 |language=en |doi=10.1515/9783110599626-005|s2cid=241540342 }}</ref> The Municipality City Theatre also [[Kurdish Theatre in Turkey|performed plays in the Kurdish language]].<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Verstraete |first=Peter |title='Acting' under Turkey's State of Emergency |url=https://pure.rug.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/158954846/155_Article_Text_929_1_10_20190121.pdf |website=[[University of Groningen]] |page=64}}</ref>
One of the other common celebrations in Turkey is [[Nowruz]]. This celebration is done on the pretext of the beginning of spring and the beginning of the [[New Year|new year]]. The establishment of Nowruz has a long history, so much so that it has been celebrated in different parts of [[Asia]] for the past three thousand years, especially in the [[Middle East]]. In different parts of Turkey, especially the [[Turkish Kurdistan|Kurdish regions]] of this country, Nowruz is considered one of the most important cultural and historical traditions of these regions. Lighting a fire, wearing new clothes, holding a dance ceremony, and giving gifts to each other are some of the activities that are done in this celebration.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Wilks |first1=Andrew |date=2022-03-29 |title=Possible closure of political party dampens Nowruz for Turkey's Kurds |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/03/possible-closure-political-party-dampens-nowruz-turkeys-kurds |access-date=2023-10-06 |work=Al-Monitor |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=english.alarabiya.net/perspective/Nowruz-celebrations-in-Turkey |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/perspective/2014/03/21/Nowruz-celebrations-in-Turkey}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=United Nations |title=International Nowruz Day |url=https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-nowruz-day |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=United Nations |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-20 |title=Kurdish Activists Arrested in Turkey Ahead of Nowruz Celebrations |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/kurdish-activisis-arrested-turkey-nowruz-celebrations/3774111.html |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=VOA |language=en}}</ref>
=== Cuisine === Diyarbakır's cuisine includes lamb dishes which use spices such as [[black pepper]], [[sumac]] and [[coriander]]; rice, [[bulgur]] and butter. Local dishes include Meftune, lamb meat and vegetables with garlic and sumac, and Kaburga Dolması, baked lamb's ribs stuffed with rice, almonds and spices.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey/diyarbakir/restaurants/selim-amcanin-sofra-salonu/a/poi-eat/475320/360903|title=Selim Amca'nın Sofra Salonu|website=Lonely Planet}}</ref> Watermelons are grown locally and there is an annual Watermelon Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arastirma.tarimorman.gov.tr/gaputaem/News/108/Diyarbakir-Culture-And-Watermelon-Festival|title=Diyarbakır Culture and Watermelon Festival|website=arastirma.tarimorman.gov.tr|access-date=2019-09-09}}</ref>
== Main sights == [[File:Diyarbakir city walls DSCF9385.jpg|thumb|The Evli Beden or Ulu Beden Tower in the southern city walls, built in 1208 during the Artuqid period by [[Nasir al-Din Artuq Arslan]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sinclair |first=Thomas Alan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5CMnEAAAQBAJ&dq=ulu+badan+tower+diyarbakir&pg=PA170 |title=Eastern Turkey: An Architectural and Archaeological Survey, Volume III |publisher=The Pindar Press |year=1989 |isbn=978-1-904597-76-6 |page=172 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Eastmond |first1=Antony |title=Tamta's World |date=20 April 2017 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-16756-8 |page=141 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ANAoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA141 |language=en}}</ref>]] The core of Diyarbakır is surrounded by an almost intact set of high walls of black basalt forming a {{convert|5.5|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} circle around the old city. There are four gates into the old city and 82 watch-towers on the walls, which were built in antiquity and restored and extended by the [[Roman emperor]] [[Constantius II]] in 349. The area inside the walls is known as the Sur district; before its recent demolition and redevelopment this district had 599 registered historical buildings.<ref name="arkeologlardernegist.org" /> Nearby is [[Karaca Dağ]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
=== Medieval mosques and medreses === [[File:Minareya Çarling Amed 2010.JPG|thumb|[[Sheikh Matar Mosque]] with its four-legged minaret]] * [[Great Mosque of Diyarbakır]] built by the [[Seljuk Turk]]ish Sultan [[Malik Shah I|Malik Shah]] in the 11th century. The mosque, one of the oldest in Turkey, is constructed in alternating bands of black basalt and white limestone (The same patterning is used in the 16th century Deliler Han Madrassah, which is now a hotel). The adjoining ''Mesudiye Medresesi''/''Medreseya Mesûdiyeyê'' was built at the same time, as was another prayer-school in the city, ''Zinciriye Medresesi''/''Medreseya Zincîriyeyê''. * [[Behram Pasha Mosque]] (''Beharampaşa Camii''/''Mizgefta Behram Paşa'') – an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] mosque built in 1572 by the governor of Diyarbakır, Behram [[Pasha]], noted for the well-constructed arches at the entrance. * [[Sheikh Matar Mosque]] with ''Dört Ayaklı Minare''/''Mizgefta Çarling'' (''the Four-legged Minaret'') – built by Kasim Khan of the [[Aq Qoyunlu]]. * ''Fatihpaşa Camii''/''Mizgefta Fetih Paşa'' – built in 1520 by Diyarbakır's first [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] governor, Bıyıklı Mehmet Paşa ("the moustachioed Mehmet pasha"). The city's earliest Ottoman building, it is decorated with fine tilework. * [[Hazreti Süleyman Mosque]]/''Mizgefta Hezretî Silêman'' (1155–1169) Süleyman son of [[Khalid ibn al-Walid|Halid Bin Velid]], who died capturing the city from the Arabs, is buried here along with his companions. * ''Hüsrevpaşa Camii''/''Mizgefta Husrev Paşa'' – the mosque of the second Ottoman governor, 1512–1528. Originally the building was intended to be a school (''medrese'') * ''İskender Paşa Camii''/''Mizgefta Îskender Paşa'' – a mosque of an Ottoman governor, in black and white stone, built in 1551. * ''Melek Ahmet Camii''/''Melek Ahmed Paşa'' a 16th-century mosque with tiled prayer-niche and for the double stairway up the minaret. * ''Nebii Camii''/''Mizgefta Pêxember'' – an [[Aq Qoyunlu]] mosque, a single-domed stone construction from the 16th century. ''Nebi Camii'' means "the mosque of the prophet" and is named for the inscriptions in honour of the prophet on its [[minaret]]. * ''Safa Camii''/''Mizgefta Palo'' – built in the middle of the 15th century under Uzun Hasan, ruler of the [[Aq Qoyunlu]] (White Sheep Turkomans) tribe<ref>Tile Revetments from the 15th Century in Eastern Anatolia : A Problem of Attribution, Khalida Mahi [''Ancient Cities''], 2011, [https://www.persee.fr/doc/anatv_1013-9559_2012_act_25_1_1240#anatv_1013-9559_2012_act_25_1_T1_0187_0000]</ref> and restored in Ottoman time in 1532.
=== Churches === [[File:Virgin Mary Church Diyarbakir DSCF9174.jpg|thumb|The [[Syriac Orthodox]] [[St. Mary Church, Diyarbakır]]]] [[File:Surp Giragos Diyarbakir DSCF8460.jpg|thumb|[[St. Giragos Armenian Church]]]] * [[St. Giragos Armenian Church (Diyarbakır)|St. Giragos Armenian Church]] – first built in 1519, the current structure is from 1883, and was recently restored after a long period of disuse.<ref name="romeartlover.tripod.com">{{cite web|url=http://romeartlover.tripod.com/Turmag25.html|title=Diyarbakir – Other monuments|website=romeartlover.tripod.com}}</ref> * The [[Syriac Orthodox]] [[St. Mary Church, Diyarbakır|Church of Our Lady]] ({{Langx|syr|ܐ ܕܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ}} `''Idto d-Yolda<u>t</u> Aloho'', {{Langx|tr|Meryemana kilisesi}}), was first constructed as a pagan temple in the 1st century BC. The current construction dates back to the 3rd century, has been restored many times, and is still in use as a place of worship today.<ref>{{Cite web|title=To the caravanserai|url=https://www.theoldie.co.uk/blog/to-the-caravanserai|access-date=2021-06-22|website=The Oldie|language=en-gb}}</ref> * Mar Petyun (St. Anthony) [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], built in 1681.<ref name="romeartlover.tripod.com" /> *Surp Sarkis Chaldean Church<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.agos.com.tr/en/article/14839/churches-of-diyarbakir-also-expropriated|title=Churches of Diyarbakir also expropriated|website=Agos|date=28 March 2016 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-09}}</ref> *[[St. Mary's Cathedral, Diyarbakır|St. Marys Cathedral]] *[[St. George's Church, Diyarbakır|St. George's Church]]
=== Museums === [[File:Diyarbakir P1050709 20080427133413.JPG|thumb|Interior of the [[Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum]], an example of Diyarbakır's historic domestic architecture, built in local dark [[basalt]]]] *The ''Archaeological Museum'' contains artifacts from the [[Neolithic]] period, through the [[Early Bronze Age]], [[Assyria]]n, [[Urartu]], [[Ancient Rome|Roman]], [[Byzantine]], [[Artuqids]], [[Seljuk Turk]], [[Aq Qoyunlu]], and [[Ottoman Empire]] periods.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Places in Diyarbakır {{!}} Diyarbakır Valiliği Kültür Turizm Proje Birimi |url=https://www.diyarbakirkulturturizm.org/Yapit/ |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.diyarbakirkulturturizm.org}}</ref> *[[Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum]] – the home of the late poet and a classic example of a traditional Diyarbakır home. * [[Ziya Gökalp Museum]] – the birthplace of poet [[Ziya Gökalp]], preserved as a museum to his life and works. * [[Ahmet Arif Literature Museum Library]]
=== Other historical buildings === *The [[Diyarbakır Fortress]] and [[Hevsel Gardens]] Cultural Landscape, named a [[UNESCO World Heritage]] site in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1488/|title=Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en|access-date=2019-09-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Places to See in Diyarbakır |url=https://flyista.com/en/blog/historical-places-see-diyarbakir |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=flyista.com |language=en}}</ref> *[[Hasan Pasha Han, Diyarbakır|Hasan Pasha Han]], a large 16th-century Ottoman caravanserai, now hosting shops and cafés.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last1=Bloom |first1=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=un4WcfEASZwC&dq=Hasan+Pasha+Han&pg=RA1-PA18 |title=Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set |last2=Blair |first2=Sheila |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-530991-1 |volume=2 |page=18 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last= |date=2020-03-19 |title=The stop for tourist 'caravans': Hasan Paşa Hanı |url=https://diyarbakirhafizasi.org/en/the-stop-for-tourist-caravans-hasan-pasa-hani/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=Dıyarbakir's Memory |language=en-US}}</ref> *[[Delliler Han]], a caravanserai built in 1527, now used as a five-star hotel.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":12" /> *[[Sülüklü Han]], built circa 1680, now a popular café and meeting spot.<ref name=":12" /> *The [[Dicle Bridge]], an 11th-century bridge with ten arches. *Urfa Kapi, Urfa Kapi (Urfa Gate) is one of the four main gates built in the 4th century Byzantine era city walls of Diyarbakir that leads the road from the west to the town of Urfa.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Parla |first=Canan |date=2019-10-17 |title=Diyarbakır Artuklu Dönemi Urfa Kapısı'nın Figürlü Kabartmalarına İkonografik Yaklaşım |url=https://turkishstudies.net/?mod=makale_tr_ozet&makale_id=18669 |journal=Journal of Turkish Studies |language=tr |volume=10 |issue=6 |pages=763–788 |doi=10.7827/TurkishStudies.8365|doi-access=free }}</ref>
== Climate == Diyarbakır has a [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Csa'') or an anomalously warm, hot-summer [[oceanic climate]] ([[Trewartha climate classification]]: ''Doa''). Summers are very hot and very dry, due to its location on the [[Mesopotamia]]n plain which is subject to hot air masses from the [[desert]]s of [[Syria]] and [[Iraq]] to the south. The highest recorded temperature was 46.2 °C (112.64 °F) on 21 July 1937. Winters are chilly with moderate precipitation and frosty nights. Snowfall is quite common between the months of December and March, snowing for a week or two. {{citation needed|date=May 2021}} The lowest recorded temperature was −24.2 °C (−10.12 °F) on 11 January 1933. Highest recorded snow depth was 65 cm (25.6 inches) on 16 January 1971.
{{Weather box |metric first= Yes |single line= Yes |location= Diyarbakır (1991–2020, extremes 1929–2023) | Jan record high C = 16.9 | Feb record high C = 21.8 | Mar record high C = 28.3 | Apr record high C = 35.3 | May record high C = 39.8 | Jun record high C = 42.0 | Jul record high C = 46.2 | Aug record high C = 45.9 | Sep record high C = 42.2 | Oct record high C = 35.7 | Nov record high C = 28.4 | Dec record high C = 22.5 | year record high C = 46.2 | Jan high C = 7.3 | Feb high C = 9.6 | Mar high C = 15.0 | Apr high C = 20.5 | May high C = 26.8 | Jun high C = 34.4 | Jul high C = 38.9 | Aug high C = 38.7 | Sep high C = 33.4 | Oct high C = 25.7 | Nov high C = 16.3 | Dec high C = 9.2 | year high C = 23.0 | Jan mean C = 2.1 | Feb mean C = 3.8 | Mar mean C = 8.7 | Apr mean C = 13.5 | May mean C = 18.9 | Jun mean C = 26.3 | Jul mean C = 31.0 | Aug mean C = 30.5 | Sep mean C = 25.0 | Oct mean C = 17.8 | Nov mean C = 9.3 | Dec mean C = 3.8 | year mean C = 15.9 | Jan low C = -2.0 | Feb low C = -1.1 | Mar low C = 2.6 | Apr low C = 6.6 | May low C = 10.9 | Jun low C = 16.8 | Jul low C = 21.7 | Aug low C = 21.2 | Sep low C = 15.9 | Oct low C = 10.4 | Nov low C = 3.8 | Dec low C = -0.5 | year low C = 8.9 | Jan record low C = -24.2 | Feb record low C = -21.0 | Mar record low C = -14.0 | Apr record low C = -6.1 | May record low C = 0.8 | Jun record low C = 1.8 | Jul record low C = 9.9 | Aug record low C = 11.4 | Sep record low C = 4.0 | Oct record low C = -1.8 | Nov record low C = -12.9 | Dec record low C = -23.4 | year record low C = -24.2 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 63.6 | Feb precipitation mm = 66.8 | Mar precipitation mm = 67.5 | Apr precipitation mm = 63.1 | May precipitation mm = 50.0 | Jun precipitation mm = 10.8 | Jul precipitation mm = 1.0 | Aug precipitation mm = 0.4 | Sep precipitation mm = 8.4 | Oct precipitation mm = 37.3 | Nov precipitation mm = 54.3 | Dec precipitation mm = 75.3 | year precipitation mm = 498.5 | Jan precipitation days = 10.93 | Feb precipitation days = 11.27 | Mar precipitation days = 11.13 | Apr precipitation days = 11.6 | May precipitation days = 9.47 | Jun precipitation days = 2.9 | Jul precipitation days = 0.4 | Aug precipitation days = 0.23 | Sep precipitation days = 1.37 | Oct precipitation days = 5.83 | Nov precipitation days = 7.43 | Dec precipitation days = 11.33 | year precipitation days = 83.9 | Jan snow days =4.5 | Feb snow days =3.2 | Mar snow days =1.1 | Apr snow days =0 | May snow days =0 | Jun snow days =0 | Jul snow days =0 | Aug snow days =0 | Sep snow days =0 | Oct snow days =0 | Nov snow days =0.4 | Dec snow days =1.6 | year snow days = | Jan humidity = 76.4 | Feb humidity = 71.8 | Mar humidity = 66.4 | Apr humidity = 65.1 | May humidity = 57.3 | Jun humidity = 34.4 | Jul humidity = 25.2 | Aug humidity = 24.7 | Sep humidity = 30.6 | Oct humidity = 47.7 | Nov humidity = 64.7 | Dec humidity = 76.5 | year humidity = 53.3 | Jan sun = 124.0 | Feb sun = 135.6 | Mar sun = 173.6 | Apr sun = 210.0 | May sun = 282.1 | Jun sun = 348.0 | Jul sun = 362.7 | Aug sun = 341.0 | Sep sun = 279.0 | Oct sun = 220.1 | Nov sun = 165.0 | Dec sun = 114.7 | year sun = | Jand sun = 4.0 | Febd sun = 4.8 | Mard sun = 5.6 | Aprd sun = 7.0 | Mayd sun = 9.1 | Jund sun = 11.6 | Juld sun = 11.7 | Augd sun = 11.0 | Sepd sun = 9.3 | Octd sun = 7.1 | Novd sun = 5.5 | Decd sun = 3.7 | yeard sun = 7.5 | source 1 = [[Turkish State Meteorological Service]]<ref> {{cite web | url = https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?k=H&m=DIYARBAKIR | title = Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Mevism Normalleri (1991–2020) | publisher = Turkish State Meteorological Service | language = tr | access-date = 28 June 2021}}</ref> |date=May 2011 | source 2 = [[NOAA]] (humidity, 1991–2020),<ref name=WMOCLINO>{{cite web | url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Turkiye/CSV/DiyarbakirHavalimani_17280.csv |format=CSV| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020: Diyarbakir-17280 | publisher = [[NCEI|National Centers for Environmental Information]] | access-date = 2 August 2023}}</ref> Meteomanz(snow days 2000-2023)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.meteomanz.com/sy3?l=1&cou=6290&ind=17280&m1=01&y1=2000&m2=12&y2=2023 |title=Diyarbakir – Weather data by months |access-date=15 July 2024 |website=meteomanz}}</ref> }}
== Notable people ==
* See [[:Category:People from Diyarbakır|Category:People from Diyarbakır]] {{Div col|colwidth=30em|content=* [[Aëtius of Amida]], (5th century to mid-6th century) a [[Byzantine Greeks|Greek]] medical writer and court physician at Constantinople.<ref name="Plant 2004">{{cite book|last=Plant|first=Ian Michael|title=Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome: An Anthology|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-8061-3621-9|page=229|quote=Aetius: A Greek from Amida (in Mesopotamia), who wrote on philosophy in the mid- sixth century AD in Alexandria.}}</ref><ref name="Meade 1968">{{cite book|last=Meade|first=Richard Hardaway|title=An introduction to the history of general surgery|publisher=Saunders|year=1968|page=108|oclc=438114|quote=Aetius of Amida, who lived in the sixth century A.D. and was the first Greek physician who was a Christian, had a chapter on aneurysms in his book on surgery.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Pormann|first=Peter E.|title=Aëtius of Amida|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-99|work=The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity|year=2018|editor-last=Nicholson|editor-first=Oliver|edition=online|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-866277-8|access-date=2020-12-15}}</ref> * [[Ayşe Şan]], one of the most legendary voices in contemporary Kurdish music<ref>{{cite book|author=Akyol, Hîlmî |year=2008 |title=Çar gulên Amedê |language=ku|location=Turkey |publisher=Weşanên Do |page=184 |isbn=978-994-41-0842-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.evrensel.net/haber/300108/tacsiz-kralice-ayse-san|title='Taçsız kraliçe': Ayşe Şan|last=Gazetesi|first=Evrensel|date=2016-12-18|website=Evrensel.net|language=tr|access-date=2021-09-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Diken, Şeyhmus |year=2007 |title=Amidalılar: sürgündeki Diyarbekirliler |language=tr|location=Istanbul |publisher=İletişim |page=165 |isbn=978-975-05-0493-8}}</ref> * [[Hakki Akdeniz]], american restaurateur * [[Abdülkadir Aksu]], former interior minister * [[Ahmed Arif]], poet * [[Pınar Ayhan]], singer, Turkish representative at the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2000]] * [[Mucahit Bilici]], american Muslim sociologist, * [[ Gamze Cizreli]], Turkish entrepreneur and businessperson * [[Aziz Yıldırım]], old President of [[Fenerbahçe S.K.]] sports club * [[Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı]], poet * [[Cihan Haspolatlı]], footballer for [[Galatasaray S.K. (football team)|Galatasaray S.K.]] * [[Ephraim of Amida]], [[Chalcedonian Christian]] theologian, ''[[comes orientis]]'' (523–524; 526) and [[patriarch of Antioch]] (527–545).<ref>{{cite web|last=Mellon Saint-Laurent|first=Jeanne-Nicole|title=Ephrem of Amida|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-1666|work=The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity|year=2018|editor-last=Nicholson|editor-first=Oliver|edition=online|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-866277-8|access-date=2020-12-15}}</ref> * [[Gazi Yaşargil]], medical scientist and neurosurgeon * [[Hesenê Metê]], writer * [[Hovsep Pushman]], Armenian-American painter * [[Hikmet Çetin]], former foreign minister and former [[NATO]] Senior Civilian Representative in [[Afghanistan]] * [[Azad Zal]] poet, writer, journalist, translator and linguist of Kurdish origin. * [[Leyla Zana]], politician * [[Yekta Uzunoglu]],<ref>{{Cite news|title=home|language=en-US|work=Yekta Uzunoglu|url=http://yektauzunoglu.com/en/home/|access-date=2018-08-10}}{{dead link|date=February 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> writer, physician, human rights fighter, translator and entrepreneur. * [[Lokman Polat]], writer * [[Agop Handanyan]], physician and writer * [[Mehmed Emin Bozarslan]], writer * [[Kevork Malikyan]], actor * [[Naum Faiq]], Assyrian writer and founding father of modern [[Assyrian nationalism]] * [[Osman Baydemir]]: Kurdish politician * [[Rupen Zartarian]], Armenian writer * [[Rojen Barnas]], writer * [[Songül Öden]], actress * [[Süleyman Nazif]], poet * [[Ziya Gökalp]], sociologist and writer (the Ziyagökalp neighborhood of the city is named after him, as well as many streets and schools) * [[Mıgırdiç Margosyan]], writer * [[Coşkun Sabah]], musician * [[Sayf al-Din al-Amidi]], Islamic theologian and legal scholar of the Shafi'i school * [[Zabelle C. Boyajian]], Armenian painter and writer * [[Çiğdem Toker]], Turkish investigative journalist}}
== See also == {{Portal|Geography|Kurdistan|Turkey }} * [[Diyarbakır (electoral district)]] * ''[[Kitab-i Diyarbakriyya]]'' * [[Bozulus]] * [[Another Look at East and Southeast Turkey]] * [[Nowruz]] * [[Turkish Kurdistan]]
==Notes== {{notelist}}
== References == {{reflist|30em|refs= <ref name="m1">{{cite news |url=https://westarmgen.weebly.com/are-your-ancesters-from-dikrranagerr |newspaper=westarmgen |title=are-your-ancesters-from-dikrranagerr |date=2018-09-04 |language=en |access-date=2018-09-04 |archive-date=28 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928174748/https://westarmgen.weebly.com/are-your-ancesters-from-dikrranagerr |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<!-- <ref name="m2">{{cite news |url=http://www.milliyet.com.tr/amed-sportif-faaliyetler-kadin-futbol-diyarbakir-yerelhaber-2012018/ |newspaper=[[Milliyet]] |title=Amed Sportif Faaliyetler Kadın Futbol Takımı Şampiyon Oldu |date=2017-05-01 |language=tr |access-date=2017-06-18 }}</ref>--> }}
== Sources == * {{cite book|last1=Faroqhi|first1=Suraiya|author-link1=Suraiya Faroqhi|editor1-last=Frisch|editor1-first=Shelley|title=The Ottoman Empire: A Short History|date=2009|publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers|isbn=978-1-55876-449-1}} *{{cite book |last1=Ahmady |first1=Kameel |title=[[Another Look at East and Southeast Turkey]] |date=2009 |publisher=GABB Publication |isbn=978-605-60513-0-2 |editor1-last=Lim |editor1-first=Richard |location=Diyarbakir |language=tr, en |author-link1=Kameel Ahmady}}
== Further reading == * {{EI2|last1=Canard|first1=M.|last2=Cahen|first2=Cl.|last3=Yinanç|first3=Mükrimin H.|last4=Sourdel-Thomine|first4=J.|title=Diyār Bakr|volume=2|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/diyar-bakr-COM_0173?s.num=0&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.encyclopaedia-of-islam-2&s.q=Diyar+Bakr}} * {{Encyclopaedia Islamica|last=Vali|first=Vahab|title=Diyār Bakr|year=2018|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-islamica/diyar-bakr-COM_037145?s.num=13&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.encyclopaedia-islamica&s.q=Maslama}}
== External links == {{Commons}} {{Wikivoyage|Diyarbakir}} * {{in lang|tr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20081101202734/http://www.diyarbakir.gov.tr/default_B0.aspx Governorship of Diyarbakır] * {{in lang|tr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20100410195459/http://www.diyarbakirspor.org/ Diyarbakırspor funs, news, informarmation] * {{in lang|tr}} [http://www.diyarbekir.com/ Information on Diyarbakır] * [http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/diyarbakir Over 1000 well-organized pictures of major sights] {{coord|37.91|40.24|type:city|display=title}} {{Diyarbakır}}<!--Not redundant as this is for places in Diyarbakır--> {{Districts of Turkey|provname=Diyarbakır|}} {{Metropolitan centers in Turkey}} {{World Heritage Sites in Turkey}} {{Tigris}} {{Largest cities in Turkey}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diyarbakir}} [[Category:Diyarbakır| ]] [[Category:Cities in Turkey]] [[Category:Populated places in Diyarbakır Province]] [[Category:Populated places on the Tigris River]] [[Category:Turkish Kurdistan]] [[Category:Upper Mesopotamia]] [[Category:Assyrian communities in Turkey]] [[Category:Ancient Assyrian cities]] [[Category:Kurdish settlements in Turkey]] [[Category:Armenian communities in Turkey]]