Erdoba Hotel

[Siyabend]

Mardin is an enchanted town - an old Middle Eastern labyrinth full of secrets and surprises. The houses, built in tiers on the side of a steep mountain, look more like castles than homes: they are usually large enough for a family of several dozen. Modernity has made its inroads; but not yet deep enough to destroy the spirit of a town which should not have changed too much in 2000 years.

Erdoba is the first serious attempt to convert the old houses of Mardin to touristic use. It comprises two houses. The main one has some impressive common rooms, but is otherwise rather routine. The second house, located a couple of steep alleys down, is the real jewel. It has nine almost palatial rooms, preserved exactly as they should be, full of intricately carved stonework and splendid altar-niches in the local fashion. It lies in a perfectly secluded courtyard cut off by high walls and a gate that could withstand a minor siege. At night, the Plain of Mesopotamia stretches like a vast illuminated sea as far as Syria.
There is no desk and no office at the second house, so that it can be like a wholly private residence if you are there with a group of people.

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