Mardin is located to the north of the so-called fertile crescent (North Mesopotamia), extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Basra, and has cradled many civilizations until the present day in the history of its foundation. Besides being an ancient city, Mardin is also an important city in terms of commercial, scientific, cultural and architectural aspects. The coexistence of different races such as Kurdish, Turkish and Arab, all speaking their various languages, and the existence of religions such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Yezidism together made the city rich and diverse in terms of race, religion and language. Furthermore, Mardin became an important city for Arabs both before and after the conquest of Islam and after the intensive migration of Arabs. Mardin’s historical, political, economic, religious and geographical position made it an important city known in different lands. These features made Mardin the subject of Arabic literature. In fact, many Arab poets from the classical period to the present have written poems about Mardin. Mardin’s poems contain important clues about the social, economic, cultural and historical aspects of the city. This makes it important to investigate the existence of Mardin in Arabic poetry.

This study shows that Mardin was the subject of the poems of two important poets Aḫtal and Cerîr during the Umayyad period. In fact, the name of Mardin is mentioned in the poems which have an important place in Arabic literature with the name “nekâiẓ” in this period. “Nekâiẓ” poems are about the clashes between Aḫtal from the Taglib tribe and Cerîr from the Kays tribe due to hostility between these two tribes. Mardin has been the subject of the controversy between these two poets, and each one has satirized the other, and the remarkable features of Mardin have been used. In his poem, Aḫtal mentions Mardin and the poem contains important information about Mardin and Mardin Castle. According to this poem, Mardin is known for its strong and difficult to seize fortress. Cerîr, on the other hand, is a poem in which Mardin is passed, he satirizes the Aḫtal and his tribe Taglibians. He condemned them for being stingy and evil. It is noteworthy that these characteristics are consistent with them, and that this is mentioned in connection with the process of olive oil extraction in Mardin. According to the poem, the fame of olive oil extracted in Mardin exceeded the borders of Mardin and reached far lands. And its abundance will continue forever. 

It is understood that Safiyyuddîn al-Ḥillî is the poet who has written the most poems about Mardin. In his poems, al-Ḥillî mentioned Mardin in more than ten places in different aspects. In these poems, he stated that Mardin Castle brings peace and happiness, and repels scourges. He also mentions that Mardin is a reliable place, and has natural beauties such as water and air. ‘Abdulkerîm Yûnus Mardellî who was a Syrian poet of Mardin origin also praised Mardin in a poem and expressed his longing for the city. While the beautiful days he lived in Mardin increased the poet’s longing, his departure from Mardin deeply affected him. Mardin is also mentioned in an anonymous poem which is mentioned in the work of Yâkût al-Ḥevamevî called “Mu‘cemu’l-buldân”. Here the poet wrote about the love he experienced in Mardin.

The fact that Mardin is included in the poems of many classical and modern poets with different aspects in different historical and geographic contexts has increased the clues about its historical, social and cultural characteristics. The poems in which Mardin is dealt with have generally drawn attention to the social, cultural and historical aspects of Mardin, such as the strong and high fortress of Mardin, its natural beauties, and the goodness of its people and rulers. However, even though the dates are not clearly stated, couplets have also been written, which show that the wars and economic problems experienced from time to time overwhelm the inhabitants of the city. This is an important point in terms of showing that the poets express their feelings about Mardin in a sincere way.  

The fact that the poems written about Mardin contain rich material in terms of literary arts adds literary value to these poems. The presence of remarkable examples of rhetoric, especially the arts of simile and metaphor, made these poems worth considering in terms of meaning as well as eloquence. Among the poems written, especially in the emotional poem of Yunus Mardellî, the arts of simile and and metaphor were widely used. As a result, studying Mardin related poetry was important not only for Mardin but for Arab literature in general.