Mardin is a small city (some 60,000) and also the name of a province (over 700,000) in southeastern Turkey bordering on Syria and thus in the northern part of the historic Jazire. The population is largely ethnic Kurdish, although there are also numerous Arabs, Turks, and Christians. The province was under Emergency Rule for many years during the uprising staged by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The city itself is perched on an ancient citadel. Perhaps its most interesting buildings are the Sultan Isa Medresesi dating from 1385 and the nearby Saffron Monastery (Deyrul Zafaran).
Historical Dictionary of the Kurds. Michael M. Gunter.