In southeastern Türkiye, a centuries-old craft is being carefully preserved and reinterpreted as artisans carve intricate historical motifs into the region’s distinctive stone, known as Mardin stone, at a cultural institute.
Housed in a building constructed in 1892 as a secondary school (Mekteb-i Rüştiye), itself situated on the ruins of the 700-year-old Muzafferiye Madrasa at the foothills of Mardin Castle, the Mardin Olgunlaşma Institute serves as both a cultural research center and a production hub.
Within its stone-processing workshop, designs inspired by the architectural heritage of the city — drawn from historic houses, madrasas, mosques and monasteries — are meticulously engraved onto the geographically registered Mardin stone.
Tuğba Mungan, director of the institute, said the organization conducts extensive research into the cultural fabric of Mardin and neighboring Şırnak before translating its findings into contemporary designs.
“Mardin stone is not merely a material; it is the memory of the city,” Mungan said. “Each motif carries knowledge from the past.”
The initiative operates as part of a project focused on documenting and reproducing decorative motifs from one of Mardin’s historic mosques, Latifiye Mosque, through which traditional patterns are studied, analyzed and then carefully engraved on the region’s distinctive stone.
Mungan noted that the institute is also working to expand the number of trained artisans. “We currently have two artisans, one of whom is a woman, and we are training a third, also a woman,” she said, emphasizing the importance of female participation in a field historically dominated by men.
Stone carving in Mardin dates back approximately 7,000 years, forming a defining feature of the city’s architectural identity. The craft relies on the unique properties of the local limestone, which is soft when first quarried but hardens over time, requiring both precision and experience to shape effectively.
Among the artisans is 28-year-old Hadra Tırpan, who described her work as the realization of a childhood aspiration. “Motifs are engraved into the stone like delicate lace,” she said, noting that many of the patterns reflect ethnic, regional and religious influences. “Mardin is a city of religions and languages, where different communities have lived together for centuries. That diversity is reflected in the motifs.”
Tırpan added that demand for skilled stonework remains strong, particularly in the restoration of historic structures and the construction of new buildings designed in the traditional style.
