Diarbekir

Diarbekir, a town of Asiatic Turkey, and head of a pashalic of the same name, is situated on a high bank overlooking the Tigris, and is surrounded by a lofty wall now partly in ruins. It has archbishops of the Armenian, Syrian, and Chaldaic Catholic churches, and besides possessing a considerable trade has manufactures of iron and copper wares, and of leather, silk, woollen, and cotton goods. Armida was the old name, and the town is of great antiquity. It was restored under the Roman Emperors Valens and Valentinian, and was fortified against the Persians by Constantine, and was taken by them more than once. The Turks obtained possession of it in the 12th century, and there are many traces of Arab inscriptions on the walls. Diarbekir is on the postal route between Constantinople and Bagdad.