What's on in Mardin, Turkey through the year

Busy — Semester (winter) break in Turkey, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Winter quiet (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — Semester (winter) break in Turkey, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Winter quiet (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramazan Bayrami, Newroz

• Holiday

  Ramazan Bayrami

  20–23 MarRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  The three days after the fast are a national holiday and the old city fills with families back from Istanbul and Europe. Kitchens along the main street run at capacity and the boutique hotels in the stone houses sell out. Source ↗

• Festival

  Newroz

  20–21 MarNational holidayCrowded

  The Kurdish new year is the biggest gathering of the year in the southeast: bonfires jumped at dusk, music on the fairground below the old city, and a heavy police presence around it. Source ↗

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Ramazan Bayrami (20–23 Mar)

Busy — Kurban Bayrami, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Kurban Bayrami

  27–30 MayRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Four days off and a great deal of visiting between households, so the old city is busy and the shops are not open. Slaughtering happens in the yards on the first morning and is hard to miss. Source ↗

Busy — Summer holidays in Turkey, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Mesopotamian summer

  15 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  The plain below the ridge is one of the hottest places in Turkey and the stone lanes hold the heat into the night. The town lives on its terraces after dark and does nothing at all in the afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: Kurban Bayrami (27–30 May)

Busy — Summer holidays in Turkey, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Mesopotamian summer (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Turkey, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Mesopotamian summer (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Turkey, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Mesopotamian summer (15 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Festival

  Harire festival

  1–31 Oct · usuallyFood & drink festival

  After the grape harvest the municipality boils fresh must with flour in big cauldrons and hands out warm harire, the town's grape pudding, to music and folk dancing. Source ↗

Busy — First-term mid-break in Turkey

• Season

  Winter quiet

  15 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyOff-season shutdown

  Cold nights, the odd snowfall on the old town and far fewer visitors; hotel prices drop well below summer rates and the stone town is yours in the low winter light. Source ↗

Busy — Syriac Christmas liturgy, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Syriac Christmas liturgy

  24–25 DecChristmas & New Year

  Mardin's Syriac Orthodox community celebrates on 25 December with a liturgy in Syriac and Turkish at the Forty Martyrs Church, including the ritual fire; churches in Midyat hold services too. Source ↗

Still on: Winter quiet (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))