Mardin Museum

The Mardin Museum stands in the old town square among Syriac houses. It is made up of two separate buildings, one serving as the museum and the other as offices. The museum building was put up in 1895 by Patriarch Ignatios Behnam Banni as the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate, with the Church of the Virgin Mary in its eastern part, and it shows all the marks of traditional Mardin architecture.

Inside, the archaeological collection covers the period from about 4000 BC to the 7th century BC and beyond, running from the Early Bronze Age through Assyrian, Urartian, Greek, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Great Seljuk, Artuqid and Ottoman times. Tablets, cylinder and stamp seals, cult vessels, figurines, jewellery, coins, tear bottles and lamps show how many cultures passed through the region. One hall presents finds from digs in and around Mardin, including Ilısu Höyük, Girnavaz at Nusaybin and Dara.

The Hall of Faith follows Mesopotamian mythology, the rise of religions, paganism, Christianity and Islam through objects and rituals. The Hall of Trade explains the birth of trade, early money and the invention of writing. In the ethnography hall, look for the silverwork typical of Mardin and Midyat, as well as traditional costume, coffee sets and bath items.