This historical city located in south eastern Turkey is the gateway to Mesopotamia. It lies at the center of the homeland of the Syriacs, an ancient race who trace their origin to the Akkadian empire, established in Mesopotamia around 2200 BCE. It also served as the capital of the Turkic Artuqid dynasty between the 12th and the 15th centuries. I am talking about the offbeat cultural gem of Mardin that lies on the southern slopes of a 3,450 feet tall highland and that overlooks extensive limestone plateaus. A lot of you might not have heard of Mardin as it was unofficially closed for tourism throughout the 1990s due to long lasting Turkey-PKK conflict in the surrounding countryside. Things are still iffy at the borders, but Mardin is welcoming tourists these days. It is the kind of place that rewards fearless travelers with a keen sense of discovery. And this holds especially true for the Mardin old town that is officially under the protection of UNESCO. This old town is known for its f...