Diyarbakır (Kurdish ئامه‌د, Amed - Syriac: ܐܡܝܕ, Amid ) is the second largest city in the south eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. A 15-year period of emergency rule ordered by the Turkish government was lifted on the 30^th of November 2002, but the city continues to experience violence between government forces and the PKK. A remarkable city, Diyarbakır lies on the Tigris River with high walls built of black basalt forming a 5.5 kilometer circle encompassing the old part of the city. Built by Constantius II and extended by Valentinian I between 367 to 375 they flow almost unbroken around old Diyarbakır. The walls have four gates into the old city with 82 watchtowers. The walls of Diyarbakir are second only to the Great Wall of China as being the largest of city walls.

Although the charming city of Diyarbakır has had its fair share of unrest and continues to experience intermittent skirmishes between government troups and the Kurdistan Workers Party, Diyarbakır could definitely be a destination to consider when planning your cheap holidays to Turkey. The city's culture and rich heritage can be glimpsed in its lovely medieval mosques and madrassahs as well as it churches and museums which together with its relatively intact, and very dramatic high walls of black basalt form part of Diyarbakır's most famous tourist attractions.

Turkish Airlines connects to Diyarbakır with daily flights from Istanbul and Ankara. Train service known as the Güney Express arrives and departs three times a week from Istanbul. Arriving and departing via Ankara and a number of other cities along the way including Kayseri, Sivas and Malatya among others. A daily train from Ankara called 4 Eylül Mavi Treni takes the same route as does the Güney Express. Train tickets should be purchased in advance as trains to Istanbul are almost always overcrowded in the summer due to the large numbers of seasonal workers commuting for work. The ride can be quite time consuming because of the excessive numbers of passengers getting on and off at almost every stop creating long delays for the train. All the stopping and starting causes the train to take almost two full days of travel to make the trip between Diyarbakır and Istanbul. Traveling from Diyarbakır westward by bus or by car you can be pretty well sure to encounter several ID checks at military checkpoints.

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