Mardin Coppersmiths / Arcaded Bazaar

On the steep hillside of Mardin's old town, the Revaklı Çarşı (Arcaded Bazaar) and, at its heart, the Bakırcılar (Coppersmiths', also Kazancılar) Bazaar run parallel to 1st Street and form the commercial spine that has beaten for centuries.

History and Architecture

The Revaklı Çarşı — also known as the Sipahiler or Tellallar Bazaar — dates to the 17th century and consists of rows of shops set behind deep vaulted arcades (revaks) on both sides of the lane; it was comprehensively restored in 2002. Built of Mardin's honey-coloured limestone, the arches break the sun and cast a cool shade over the passage, making this arcaded layout one of the most graceful surviving examples of the Mesopotamian bazaar tradition, both architecturally and functionally.

Craft and Bazaar Life

The liveliest corner is the Coppersmiths' Bazaar, where copper is still worked by hand amid the ring of hammers. Cezves (coffee pots), trays bearing the Şahmeran motif, coffee cups, yoghurt bowls and sugar bowls take shape at the craftsmen's benches. Walking among tinsmiths, spice sellers, shops selling almond candy and olive-oil soap, and telkâri (filigree) silver workshops lets a visitor sense Mardin's layered culture — Arab, Kurdish, Syriac and Yazidi threads — along a single street.

Visiting and Access

Agencies place the bazaar at the centre of their itineraries for good reason: it sits on the same axis, within walking distance, as the Ulu Mosque, the Kayseriyye bedesten and the Jewellers' Bazaar, offering shopping, a living craft demonstration and rich photography in one stop. The average visit runs 45 to 90 minutes; guided tours usually slot it between the Kasımiye and Zinciriye madrasas and the Mardin Museum, in the afternoon when the light warms the stone arches. The best photo spots are the receding rows of arches beneath the arcades, the coppersmiths at their anvils, and reflections on hammered trays.

The nearest airport is Mardin Airport, about 20 km away; because the old town is pedestrianised along 1st Street, tour buses cannot enter the narrow lanes, so visitors are dropped at car parks at the upper or lower edges and walk in. Accessibility is limited: sloping terrain, stepped alleys and cobblestones are difficult for wheelchairs.

The best time to visit is spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October); summers are oppressively hot. Peak season is spring, autumn and public holidays. Recommended route: Ulu Mosque → Revaklı and Coppersmiths' Bazaar → Kayseriyye bedesten → along 1st Street to the Kasımiye Madrasa.