Şırnak: Mount Cudi and the Tigris Town of Cizre

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1. What is Şırnak?
2. How do you get to Şırnak?
3. Where should you stay in Şırnak?
4. What type of climate does Şırnak have?
5. When is the best time to visit Şırnak?
6. What is the history of Şırnak?
7. What is Şırnak famous for?
8. What are the historical places of Şırnak?
9. What are the best things to do in Şırnak?
10. What are the best places to visit in Şırnak?
11. What is the traditional food of Şırnak?
12. What should you buy in Şırnak?
13. Frequently asked questions about Şırnak
14. What do the official records say about Şırnak?

What is Şırnak?

Şırnak is a province in the far southeast of Türkiye, where the Tigris leaves the country between Syria and Iraq. Its capital, Şırnak town, stands in the mountains; its largest town and historic centre is Cizre, on the river at the Syrian border. The province also includes Silopi, with the Habur crossing to Iraq, İdil, Güçlükonak, Uludere and Beytüşşebap.

The province’s identity is bound up with the story of the Flood. The Quran says that Noah’s Ark came to rest on al-Judi, and local tradition identifies this with Mount Cudi, the long ridge that rises northeast of Cizre. Cizre itself has a mosque with a tomb attributed to the Prophet Noah, and the town’s monuments, from the Great Mosque to the Red Madrasa, reflect its centuries as the seat of the Bohtan (Cizre) emirate.

Şırnak became a province in 1990, when it was separated from Siirt.

Places to visit in Şırnak

Cizre

Cizre in Şırnak: the tomb attributed to Noah, the 12th-century Great Mosque,…

Mount Cudi

Mount Cudi in Şırnak: the al-Judi of the Quran where Noah’s Ark…

Red Madrasa

The Red Madrasa in Cizre, Şırnak: the 15th-century college of the Azizan…

How do you get to Şırnak?

By air: Şırnak Şerafettin Elçi Airport opened in 2013 near Cizre, about 60 km from Şırnak town. Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul, and AJet from Ankara and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen. For a wider choice of flights, Mardin airport is an alternative; see our Mardin guide.

By road: Cizre lies on the main road from Mardin and Midyat towards Silopi and the Habur border gate with Iraq. Şırnak town is reached by road from Cizre. The road east to Hakkari is about 190 km and takes four to four and a half hours through mountain country.

Security and checkpoints: The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel within 10 km of the Turkey–Syria border, which includes Cizre. Other travel advice may differ, so check your own government’s guidance and your insurance before travelling. Expect checkpoints on the main roads, carry your passport and do not photograph military installations.

Where should you stay in Şırnak?

Cizre has the widest choice, including chain hotels, and is closest to the airport and the main monuments. Silopi has hotels used by travellers on the Iraq route. Şırnak town has a small number of hotels and is closer to the mountains and Mount Cudi.

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What type of climate does Şırnak have?

The province spans two climates. Cizre and Silopi, on the low Tigris plain, have very hot, dry summers, with Cizre among the hottest towns in Türkiye in July and August, and mild winters. Şırnak town and the mountain districts are higher, with cooler summers and cold, snowy winters.

When is the best time to visit Şırnak?

April–May and October–November are the most comfortable months for Cizre, when the plain is warm rather than scorching and, in spring, green. For the mountains around Şırnak town, Mount Cudi and the summer pastures such as Faraşin, June to September is the season.

What is the history of Şırnak?

According to the 2002 inventory, the province takes its name from its closeness to Mount Cudi, where Noah’s ship settled after the Flood: it was first called “Şehr-i Nuh”, the city of Noah, and over time this became “Şernah”. The provincial culture and tourism directorate repeats a local tradition that Şırnak was the summer retreat where Noah and his sons spent a few months each year away from the heat of Cizre.

The directorate’s history of Cizre lists Gutian, Babylonian, Median, Persian, Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian rule before the Arab conquest in 639. In the early 9th century, al-Hasan ibn Umar al-Taghlibi founded the city of Jazirat ibn Umar on a bend of the Tigris, and it grew into a river-crossing, trading and learning centre on the Silk Road. It passed through Hamdanid, Marwanid, Seljuk, Zengid and Ayyubid hands; the directorate notes that Salahaddin Ayyubi took control in 1185 and Hulagu in 1258.

For much of the late Middle Ages the Kurdish emirs of Bohtan, also called the Azizan, ruled from Cizre. They built many of the monuments that survive, including the Red Madrasa and the Belek Tower, and kept wide autonomy under the Ottomans from the 16th century until the emirate was ended in 1847, after the revolt of Bedirhan Bey. Cizre was also home to Christian and Jewish communities; İdil district still has churches of the Syriac tradition.

In the Republic, Şırnak was a district of Siirt until it became a province in 1990. In 2015–2016, curfews and armed clashes caused heavy damage in Cizre, and parts of the town have since been rebuilt.

What is Şırnak famous for?

Noah and Mount Cudi. The inventory calls Mount Cudi the leading tourist centre of the province, the place where Noah’s Ark landed after the Flood, and records that large nails called “mıt” and pieces of timber said to belong to the Ark are found there. See Mount Cudi.

Al-Jazari. The engineer Ismail al-Jazari, whose Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (1206) described some 50 machines, including water clocks and automata, takes his name from al-Jazira, and some sources suggest he was born in Cizre. A museum of his inventions is in Cizre.

Mem and Zin. The love story of Mem and Zin, put into verse by Ahmed-i Hani in the late 17th century, is set in Cizre, and the lovers’ tombs are shown in the town.

Weaving. The inventory notes that kilim, carpet and saddlebag weaving are traditional occupations, that Şırnak shawls are woven from sheep and goat hair, and that the kilims of Beytüşşebap are famous.

What are the historical places of Şırnak?

In Cizre

Prophet Noah Mosque and tomb. In the centre of Cizre, a mosque containing a tomb attributed to the Prophet Noah. The inventory records that the tomb and its surroundings were arranged by the Şırnak Governorship. See Cizre.

Great Mosque (Ulu Cami). The inventory says the building was converted from a church into a mosque when Cizre accepted Islam in 639, and was rebuilt in 1160 by Sencer, a ruler of Cizre. One of its famous dragon door-knockers is now in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul.

Red Madrasa. A 15th-century madrasa of the Azizan beys with the tomb of the poet Melayê Cizîrî. See Red Madrasa.

Mir Abdal Mosque and the tomb of Mem and Zin. The inventory dates the mosque to 1437 and records that the tombs of Mem, Zin and their adversary Bekir are in the basement on its south side.

Cizre Castle and Belek Tower. The inventory describes the castle on the Tigris at the north of the town as three storeys high with 360 rooms, containing the “Mem u Zin dungeons”. The Belek Tower, built of alternating rows of black and white stone, is dated by the inventory to 1596. The Ismail Ebul-iz el-Cezeri Museum, with examples of al-Jazari’s machines, is in the former headquarters building at Bırca Belek.

City walls and the Lion Gate. The walls are of black basalt, mostly with round towers. The Lion Gate at Sarayburnu, made of three large stones with a later arch, carries lion figures and an inscription.

Around the province

Kasrik. Ruins with water dams, rock frescoes and natural rock formations on the Şırnak road about 6 km from Cizre, whose history the inventory takes back 4,000 years.

Finik. An archaeological site in Güçlükonak district in a dramatic mountain setting.

İdil. The inventory notes a central mosque and many churches from the Syriac community.

Meşetçi. Rock tombs and rock pictures in Meşetçi village, listed in the inventory.

What are the best things to do in Şırnak?

• Walk Cizre’s monuments in a morning. The Noah Mosque, the Great Mosque, the Red Madrasa, the Mir Abdal Mosque and the Belek Tower are close together in the old centre.
• See al-Jazari’s machines. The museum at Bırca Belek displays examples of his inventions.
• Drive up Mount Cudi. GoTürkiye describes sweeping views and rugged peaks reached by a mountain road; ask locally about access first.
• Bathe in hot springs. The inventory lists the Besta Meryem springs and the well-known Hista springs in Güçlükonak.
• Go up to the pastures. Faraşin (Firheşin) plateau has rolling green hills, and the Beyaz Su stream in Beytüşşebap has turquoise water.
• Listen to dengbêj. The province’s tradition of sung storytelling can still be heard at cultural events.

What are the best places to visit in Şırnak?

Cizre is the historic town on the Tigris, with the tomb attributed to the Prophet Noah, the Great Mosque, the Red Madrasa, the tomb of Mem and Zin and the Belek Tower.

Mount Cudi is the mountain northeast of Cizre named in the Quran as the resting place of the Ark, and a place of pilgrimage for centuries.

Red Madrasa, Medreseya Sor in Kurdish, is the 15th-century college in Cizre where the poet Melayê Cizîrî is buried.

Also worth your time: Kasrik gorge on the Şırnak road, the hot springs of Güçlükonak, and the pastures of Faraşin and Beytüşşebap. The other mountain traditionally linked with the Ark is Mount Ararat in Ağrı province.

What is the traditional food of Şırnak?

The cooking is meat-based, reflecting the importance of herding. Tandır pilaf, rice cooked with slow-roasted meat, is the dish GoTürkiye singles out. The inventory notes that Cizre and Silopi grow high-quality pomegranates and grapes.

What should you buy in Şırnak?

Hand-woven şal-şepik, the traditional wool suit fabric of the region, Şırnak shawls of goat and sheep hair, and kilims from Beytüşşebap, which the inventory describes as famous.

Frequently asked questions about Şırnak

What do the official records say about Şırnak?

The name of the province was at first “Şehr-i Nuh”, because it lies close to Mount Cudi, where Noah’s Ark settled after the Flood, and over time it turned into “Şernah”. In Şırnak, whose east and northeast are surrounded by mountains and whose west and southwest by plains, Mount Cudi has a special place. According to tradition, there are peaks over 2,000 metres on this mountain, where Noah’s Ark came to rest.

In Şırnak, kilim, carpet and saddlebag weaving are traditional occupations. Şırnak shawls are woven from sheep and goat hair. The kilims of Beytüşşebap district are famous. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Şırnak Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)