Mardin is one of the centers where first Anatolian and Mesopotamian civilizations flourished. Southeastern Anatolia has been a passage zone between these two regions. Consequently the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Anatolia were both influential in the cultural development of Mardin. Peoples coming to this area either for settlement or conquest both influenced local culture and were themselves influenced by it. This process of interaction continued up to our times to yield an extremely rich and colorful cultural life.

The pre-Islamic culture of the area was influenced particularly by Hurris and Suryani. The Christian population of Mardin included Yakubis, Nesturis, Keldanis, Armenians and Suryani. In the 16th century there were also Jews, Semsis and Yezidis in Mardin. At these times, Mardin was a stopover for traders coming from such distant places as Iran, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, Erzurum, Ahlat, Diyarbakir, Syria and Rum. Consequently many baths, inns, medresse, mosques, bazaars etc. were built and Mardin became a trading center.

After Islam, the Artuklu had their great impact on this cultural tradition. They helped science and culture develop with their medresse, mosques, learning centers, hospitals and many foundations attached to these.

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