The city walls of
Diyarbakır which are famous for their length of 5,5 meters which make them second only in length to the
Great Wall of China have a height of 7-8 meters. The black basalt walls which have 16 towers and 5 exits are the most interesting part of the city. The walls which are an excellent example of the middle age military architecture are embellished with inscriptions and reliefs. Some parts of the
Diyarbakır City walls the construction date and constructor of which are not known have been enlarged and restored by the
Roman Emperor Constantine in 349 AD. The walls which were restored and strengthened with some additions by other states who ruled over the city could survive until the present day. Today the city walls of
Diyarbakır surround old
Diyarbakır, called
Suriçi now, in form of a turbot. On the walls there are inscriptions belonging to 12 civilizations. The length of the walls which are suggested to be built by the
Hurris who reigned in the city in the year 3000 BC is 5 meters. The height of the walls is 12 meters and the width varies between 3-5 meters. There are four main gates on the castle (Dağ Kapı, Urfa Kapı, Mardin Kapı and Yeni Kapı) and 82 towers. Some of the towers which maintain their characteristics even today are
Yedi Kardeş Tower,
Evli Beden Tower ,
Keçi Tower,
Nur Tower.
