Şırnak, located in the Southeastern Anatolia region, is surrounded by Hakkari, Mardin, Siirt, Van, Iraq and Syria, and is a city with scattered settlements due to its climatic conditions and mountainous terrain.
It is estimated that the history of Şırnak began before Noah's Flood, which has a history of 19,800 years according to Evliya Çelebi's Travel Book. It was founded under the name of Şehr-i Noah in the north of Mount Cudi, which is claimed to be the remains of Noah's Ark. The historical name of Şerneh, which was a settlement in Cizre during the Guti, Babylonian, Med, Assyrian, Persian, Sassanid, Umayyad, Abbasid, Seljuk and Ottoman periods, is thought to be Şerneh.
Places to Visit in Sirnak
Among the most important historical structures in Şırnak, which is very rich in terms of places to visit; There are the Cizre Ulu Mosque, which was converted from a church to a mosque in 639, the Prophet Noah Mosque, where the tomb of Noah, who is believed to be the second father of humanity since the Flood of Noah, is located, the Mecdiyye Mosque built by Emir Mecduddin, one of the Cizre Beys, and the Süleymaniye Mosque, built by Ibn Emir Bedreddin in 1583. Red Madrasa, Mir Abdal Madrasa and Süleymaniye Madrasa, and Abdurrahman Ağa, Ağayısor, Yusuf Ağa and Süleyman Ağa Pavilions are among the important historical buildings that must be visited.
B.C. Cizre Walls and Cizre Castle, built by the Guti Empire in 4000 BC, are located on the banks of the Tigris River. To prove that Noah's Ark stopped on Mount Judi, the walls were built in the shape of a ship. Tor Gate 25 m west of Noah Nebi Mosque, Dasht Gate 25 m near Dasht Bridge, showing the ship's oars. The walls, which were damaged due to wars, were repaired from the Abbasid period and the entire Quran was written on the walls. Another important castle in Cizre's Çağlayan Village is Çağlayan Castle, also known as Şah Castle. There are 6 relief sculptures of the Assyrian King Sanherib in the castle, which is located on the slopes of Mount Judi, and the king shows the place where Noah's Ark stood from these 6 different places.
Said Bey Castle in the Aktepe Village of Silopi was built in the 1800s during the time of Bedirhan Bey. Said Bey Castle Walls, which were built around the castle with a pavilion and a water cistern, have been destroyed. There are relief sculptures of Assyrian and Gudis, water cisterns, houses carved out of rocks, and secret water stairs in Finik Castle, located in Güçlükonak District. Within the Finik Walls, there are castles, dungeons, residences and various sections.
While the Babylon Fortress, located in the Kebeli region in Cizre, was the capital of the 1st Babylonian State, the Babylonians moved many permanent artifacts such as the Marduk statue in this castle to Babylon due to the wars. The rest were smuggled abroad and the Babylon Fortress was burned and destroyed over time. Today, only the foundations of the walls of Babylon, which have been plundered for 3000 years, remain.
There are many bridges of historical value in Şırnak: The first of these, Akabin Bridge, which has lion and kid figures on it, was built in 1170. During the Republican period repairs, it was reduced to three big arches and two eyes. The second most important bridge is Kasrik (Han Mahmut) Bridge, the first foundations of which were laid by the Gutis and repaired by Emir Muhammet, the chief of Cizre. The bridge, which is a 16th century structure, is 15 km from Cizre.
The Church of the Virgin Mary in the center of İdil is an inactive Syriac Church today. Another church located in İdil is Öğüntük (Maryohanna) Church and it is still possible to worship here. Apart from these, there are many large and small churches and places of worship in Şırnak. Apart from all these, in Şırnak, which is very rich in terms of ruins, there are archaeological and ethnographic artifacts belonging to the Babylonian, Assyrian, Med, Guti, Seljuk, Ottoman, Greek, Arab, Umayyad and Abbasid periods, and İsmail Ebul-iz El Cezeri Museum is in the city center of Cizre. .
Apart from its rich historical and cultural resources, Şırnak is an important center of attraction for its natural beauties and sportive activities. In Şırnak, which has many natural wonders such as Faraşin Plateau, Cudi Mountain, Şahköy Waterfall, Herekol Mountain and many other natural wonders, you can do winter and mountain sports, canoe-rafting on Kızılsu, Habur and Hezil Streams, and water sports, angling, rich wildlife and private life. You can observe the flora.
Şırnak Food and Drink
The culinary culture of Şırnak and its surroundings is both very rich and delicious. The main local dishes are as follows: Kutlık, serbıdev, curtain pilaf, kipe, hekeheşandi, shimsipe, meyre (mehir), birnzer, mahmilatik, freydin and suryaz...
How to go to Sirnak
There are flights every day of the week from Şerafettin Elçi Airport, which is 65 kilometers from the city center and 20 kilometers from Cizre.
