Dağ Kapı, Ancient gate in Sur, Turkey
Dağ Kapı is a former city gate in the Sur district of Diyarbakır, Turkey, set between two cylindrical towers along the old city walls. The structure is built from the same dark basalt stone as the rest of the walls and opens onto the street through a wide arch.
The gate was built during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine II and served as the northern entrance to the city. Over the following centuries, rulers including the Byzantines and the Marwanids each made changes to the structure.
The walls of the gate carry inscriptions in Latin, Greek, and Arabic, left by the different peoples who passed through and shaped this city over centuries. Visitors who look closely can spot these layers written directly into the stone.
The gate sits along the old city walls of Sur and is easy to find on foot by following the wall. Inside, there is a gallery that opens during certain hours, so it is worth checking before you go if you want to see the interior spaces.
A mosque from the Marwanid period occupies the second floor of the gate, a rare case of a military structure being converted for religious use within the same building. This makes the gate one of the few places where you can see a fortification and a place of worship stacked on top of each other.
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