Mardin Museum: The museum building is located on the north of Cumhuriyet Square, 1. Street, Mardin Centre Şar District, among a group of Assyrian houses. The building, which is built as Assyrian Catholic Patriarchate by Antakya Patriarch Behnam Bani in 1895, was restored in 1995 and put into service as a museum. It has been used as military post, headquarters by several political parties, cooperative building, health care center and police station besides long term serving for religious purposes. After acquiring the building from Assyrian Catholic Foundation, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs has moved the Mardin Museum here from Zinciriye Madrasah. The triplex museum, which has double entrance made of yellowish limestone, is an important museum of Turkey with unique stone decorations on vault, arch and column headings inside and outside and with its works of art in the collection. Cross vault, round barrel vault, sharp barrel vault and mirrored cross vault samples stand out as revetment. In the first floor there are administrative units, information desk, conference hall, laboratory, cafeteria; in the second floor there are ethnography exhibition hall, library and storages of artwork; and in the third floor there are halls where archaeological works are exhibited and expert rooms.

The pellets, cylinder seals, ceramics, figures and jewelleries found during Girnevaz Mound excavation and ceramic, seal, oil lamp, coin, glass bottle samples of North Mesopotamia and Southeast Anatolia cultures from Bronze Age, Assyrian, Raritan, Greek, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljukian, Artuqid and Ottoman times are being exhibited in the Archaeology Hall. Samples of silver workmanship that has a long history in the town of Midyat, regional clothes, swords, coffee (mırra) sets, Turkish bath sets, beads, copper wares are exhibited in the Ethnography Hall. (Source http://www.mardinmuzesi.gov.tr )

Sabancı Museum: The duplex building, which is under protection, was first used as military post of cavalries. Then the property was assigned to Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the building was used as Tax Office Building. Sabancı Foundation restored the building into a museum and art gallery.

After restoration of the historical building that is present in the city center, the museum to be located on top floor was named “Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum” on Sakıp Sabancı’s will. The ground floor gallery was named “Dilek Sabancı Art Gallery”, as Dilek Sabancı was also a sponsor with Sabancı Foundation, and brought into use on 1 October 2009 with an opening ceremony.

Relations with relatives are much valued and strong in Mardin, where there is a patriarchal community structure. Because of extended family structure villa culture is very common. Newlyweds do not leave the villa and continue their lives in their own rooms in the villa.

With the most original identity in gastronomy, city of Mardin has kept their taste identity for ages and is an ambassador for world gourmet tourism. Mardin continues to present its own oriental food culture, with food stories, to be the first in the world, under the concept of “Boutique Gastronomy”, in several historical villas that are present on the mystical alleys of the city.

Mardin’s typical meals have acquired a traditional dimension through integration of local vegetables with cuisine culture and decisiveness of lifestyle. Variety of Mardin cuisine can be explained with cultural inheritance of past civilizations and ability of Mardin people to renew themselves during the period of change in civilization. Meals cooked for various religious ceremonies, charity meals prepared peculiarly for weddings, childbirth and after funerals, traditional days and rituals are some components of regional cuisine. Among some traditional meals, which are flavoured with regional spices, are;

• Stuffed lamb ribs (lamb ribs stuffed with rice),
• Sembusek a.k.a “Damascus Pastry” (a kind of closed, very thin Turkish pizza with spicy meat filling),
• İkbebet and Kitel Rıhha (boiled stuffed meatballs),
• Irok (fried stuffed meatballs),
• Acin (steak tartar a la turca),
• Kibe (tripe of mutton stuffed with rice and liver),
• Lebeniyye (wheat soup with yoghurt)

Telkari: Telkari, one of the traditional handicrafts indigenous to Mardin and Midyat, is a decorative art where silver or gold wire is placed inside the holes on the wood and using marquetry. Silver or gold wire is crafted elegantly and turned into knickknacks and jewellery.

Kilden: The copper bag, that Mardin women use to put their bath equipments like soap, washing glove while going to Turkish Bath, is called “Kilden”. Kilden culture is still kept alive in Mardius Historical Villa.

Kam’ or: In Mardin when the weather starts to get warmer rich families used to go to country cottages and gardens of their own. The name, Kam’or, comes from those picnic areas.

Mırra: Mırra is an infused bitter coffee indigenous to Mardin and drank with non-handled cups. It is usually served on happy or sad days. (Weddings and funerals) After Mırra is finished, the cup is turned down on the table or returned to who served it. But if absently the cup is put on the table without having turned down, then the cup should be filled with gold as a penalty.

As the stories tell, a group of friends go to one of their friends’ house to drink coffee. Their purpose is, coming out of this tradition, to financially support their friend whom they know need it. So they put every coffee cup without having turned down and fill each cup with gold.

Abbara: The narrow archways, that are under Mardin houses and connect the streets, are called Abbara. They had come up when house owners devoted bases of their houses, so archways could be built, to ease the lives and transportation of city people.

Door Handles: In Mardin houses doors have dual handles and handles differ from each other in terms of shape and sound. Ladies knock the handles with high voice and the mistress opens the door accordingly. Gentlemen knock the handles with low voice and this time man of the house welcomes the guests.

Dove: Tumbler doves of Mardin are very famous. They are taken care of and protected by the public. Nowadays, still so many people accept the doves as a lifestyle and they are important parts of their lives.

Almond Toffee: hese candies, unique to Mardin’s gastro-identity, have a special cooking method. Especially the “Slim Ghost” type attracts attention. The blue color on the almond toffee comes from root of Lahor tree. This blue extract of Lahor tree’s root used to be spreaded on babies’ mouths too, to prevent wounds.

Şahmeran (Basilisk): A creature whose below-belt body is a snake and upper-body is a woman. It has horns on the head, feet like snake heads and its tail is also snake-headed. It heals patients and is a symbol of light, fertility, femininity and wisdom. It is the most common figure used on copper.

Throne: Throne is one of the most important cultural values indigenous to Mardin. In spring, when the weather starts to get warmer throne preparations start, too. After being carefully overhauled, thrones are set-up on the roofs of stone villas close to summer. Villa people tell stories each other on throne, looking to the fabulous sky, and sleep there under a netting.

Liqurish Sherbet (Süs):Liqurish, which via its sherbet refreshes Mardin streets and has a natural flavour, is the national drink of Mardin people during Ramadan. As it makes one not to feel the thirst, it is so common for sahur meals. Liqurish is also a famous root syrup, which helps pass kidney stones. Nowadays it is still possible on Mardin streets to come across sherbet sellers, in their traditional clothes.

Kite: There is no child in Mardin without a kite. Kites with different colours and fabric glamourize the sky, from the streets of Mardin, as the weather starts to get warmer.

Historical Asses: Staffed asses are still being used for cleaning of narrow and laddered streets. Asses, accompanying employees who clean the streets early in the morning, are essential for cleaning the streets and collecting the garbages.

Mardin has continued to host different religious beliefs and customs and traditions in a modern way from past to present and has been cradle of handicrafts, as a reflection of this diversity.

Jewellery and Silversmith Crafting: Telkari is the center of Turkey in silversmith crafting. Another aspect distinguishing Mardin jewellery art from other provinces is that it involves Mardin specific goods produced with pearl or different colured valuable stones on various carats of gold.

Stone Crafting and Carving: Stone masters, who have lived in Mardin for thousands of years, have reflected their emotions and beliefs in each piece they produced carefully like needlepoint. In Mardin and its districts embroidery like stones, doors and products can be seen on many buildings. Nowadays stone crafting still goes on despite very few stone masters have survived.

Coppersmith and Tinsmith Crafting: It is a branch of art which has continued to exist for ages, in the bazaar with its own name that has its place in the special texture of the city. In the region many kitchenware like dinner sets, bowls, spoons, ladles, colanders, trays, basins, cauldrons, kettles and water cans are being produced.

Midyat Embroidery and Needlepoint: Point lace, which has a long history, is nowadays kept alive by local women as a privileged branch of art. Tablecloths, suits, throw pillows, kerchiefs, handkerchiefs etc. crafted with point lace are still of great importance.

Colouring: Colouring, which is the art of printing using madder with handmade wooden moulds, mostly confronts with products like beddings, curtains, tablecloths, bundles and boards in city culture.

Weaving: Rug and carpet weaving is made from wool and silk.

Soap making: With the increase in tourism, decreasing soap making artwork in Mardin has stirred again. According to stories, handmade soaps with different ingredients have a healing effect on many illnesses. The most famous soaps are bıttım soap, menegiç soap and almond soap.

Mother Of Pearl Crafting: Mother of pearl crafting has had a place in Mardin history. Although today it is about to disappear, in many historical villas precious goods with crafted pearls still can be seen.

Pack-saddle Crafting: There are few pack-saddle masters nowadays who continue to produce for active asses and horses.

Wood Carving: Carving of hornbeam.

Pottery: Pottery is a branch of art that has continued in Mardin and Midyat for a long time. The main reason pottery could develop here was suitability of the region’s terra rosa. Besides, usage of jugs and cubes on the domed roofs of the houses for acoustics has played an essential role in the development of an architectural style specific to Mardin.