WHERE AM I?

We are in Mardin, an oasis of Mesopotamia. This mountain city, where you can read stories from every angle, gives visitors the feeling of being on a vast film set. The time you spend within it feels like being on a flowing river, or in a mystical tale. With its vibrant colors, craftsmanship, and architecture, this captivating city is located in what is known as Southeastern Anatolia, while also being considered within the boundaries of what is known as Northern Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia, one of the world's most renowned regions, is the birthplace and development of many philosophies, newly invented tools, and religions. It has contributed numerous innovations and firsts to world history, earning widespread recognition. Indeed, Mesopotamia is credited with the earliest use of water, writing, cities, and laws. Mardin, meanwhile, lies at the heart of this rich and vibrant heritage.

This ancient region, whose name derives from the combination of the Old Greek words mesos (middle, between) and potamos or potamia (rivers), is interestingly not of Middle Eastern origin, despite having been documented in writing approximately three thousand years before mainland Greece. In Syriac, the name Beth Nahrin, derived from the combination of the words beth and nahrin, means "house between the rivers." It is said that this name was given to this region not by the Greek civilizations that came from the west, but by the peoples who lived there. Indeed, the Arabic name used for Mesopotamia, "bilād al-rāfidayn," carries the same meaning.

Mardin, a city where you can't get enough of the unique Mesopotamian landscape , has been home to many civilizations throughout its history, including the Subari, Sumer, Akkadian, Babylonian, Mitanni, Assyrian, Persian, Byzantine, Arab, Seljuk, Artuklu, and Ottoman Empires. With its 12,000-year history, it is not only a true open-air museum but also a settlement where the first seeds of many productions were sown.

Mardin, a magnificent example of a mosaic where different beliefs and languages ​​intertwine and are preserved throughout the ages, offers everyone a chance to feel good, beyond just creating fabrics and designs, and making them wearable.

Would you like to join us on this journey from Nusaybin to Midyat, where we explore every inch of the landscape, hand in hand with our women, creating woven fabrics, then designs, and finally bringing them to you?