Mardin Abbaraları

Abstract

Mardin is a city where ancient civilizations intersect. It is the ancient city where the religions have lived in brotherhood, and the stones begin to talk. The streets of the city, religions have lived close together and next-door to each other there, embrace mysterious worlds. While walking around the streets surrounded by high walls, you can find yourself either in a market where the objects particular to Mardin are sold, or in front of a mosqueportal where the believers are going out en mass after the pray, or in the courtyard of church belonging to the Assyrian community praying in peace. Abbara - Abbara is a traditional kind of vault in Mardin. Mostly it links neighbor houses or streets - is a plain, simple , but also, lively architectural element called ‘sabat’ in Siirt, ‘kantarma’ in Siverek, ‘kabaltı’ in Şanlıurfa and Kayseri, and ‘abbara’ in Mardin. Sim-ilar architectural elements can be found also in Cizre, Halfeti, Birecik, Diyarbakır, Adıya- man, Gaziante p, Kilis, and Kahramanmaraş. It can suddenly stand in front of you some-times in up and down paths, or narrow paths with ladder in Mardin’s narrow streets. These structures that are barrel vaults located between two walls are always the shelters from rainy/snowy weather in winter and heat in summer. In certain cases, it becomes the playing ground for kids. Sometimes, it carries either house or room so that the inhabitants live in comfort and happiness. Abbaras designed as a barrel or groined vault have in some cases vertical, and in other cases, horizontal orientation. In the present time, the people in this city where the culture regarding trees is not prevalent take shelter in abbaras to avoid burning effect of heat and to have a rest in streets on hot and suffocating days of summer. Abbaras, few studies are conducted on, are presented in the light of examples, and its significance in Mardin’s architecture would be addressed.