The Prince of Wales CHARLES visited the town of Mardin

The Prince of Wales visited the ancient town of Mardin in south eastern Turkey to promote tourism, see the restoration of the town's ancient buildings and even pay a surprise visit to a local family.

One of Turkey's most beautiful towns, Mardin is located in Upper Mesopotamia with a history going back to 4500 BC.

Mardin has a rich cultural heritage, with Kurds, Arabs, Jews, Turks, Armeni­ans and Suriani (Syrian Orthodox Christians) all part of Mardin's past and present.

The Prince's visit to the town which overlooks the Mesopotamian Plains, would have been impossible just five years ago. Tourism in Mardin and the surrounding area was badly affected by terrorism in the 1990s, but in recent years the security situation has improved considerably with businesses and visitors beginning to return, and the town now even bidding for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

The Kasimiye Medresesi building dates from the 14th century and was formerly a University of Astronomy.

The Prince, who founded The Prince's School of Traditional Arts to preserve old craft skills, was fascinated by the intricate carvings on the walls of the buildings and the tranquil courtyard where a musician played a ney pipe. Later he visited the Syrian Kirklar church which was built in the 6th century and owes its name to 40 Christian martyrs who were killed in the 3rd century.

He visited a classroom in the church where boys aged 10 to 17 were learning Aramaic the language spoken during the time of Jesus. The reading and writing lesson was held in a tiny arched tunnel-shaped room just off the central courtyard. The Prince was presented with a Bible written in Aramaic and said: "It wo­uld take me years to learn if. I shall have to get somebody to translate it!"

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