The situation in Diyarbakir

Hi there,
I am goind to Turkey in a couple of weeks. I will travel from Göreme to Erzurum and have a flight from Diyarbakir to Istanbul. Recently I have though read a lot about Diyarbakir and it seems like I should avoid the city. I consider to go to Van instead - but would love to go the south eastern corner of Turkey.
I am dane, traveling by myself.
Does any of you have any advice? - If I should not go to Diyarbakir, what do you think is the best solution? I am aware it could be, I should by a new ticket back to Istanbul.
Thanks - it is SO appreciated.

Diyarbakir is worth seeing but avoid being near or on the city walls at sunset and at night, and avoid dark alleys in the backstreets. Keep an eye on the news too as the city has a dominant Kurdish majority and if there are riots stay away. Try to pinpoint a hotel that is near the well-lit streets and major tourist attractions like the restored Armenian Church and the b&w mosque. Use common sense. Keep away from consulates, police stations, large crowds and demonstrations, and if possible travel in a group rather than alone. Safety in numbers. Same applies in Van where there were riots with tear gas last year that were only reported by the local Van newspaper. Van also has a large Kurdish majority that will protest violently if police kill Kurds and civilians. Hasankeyf is highly recommended. Small and lots of historic monuments and pretty local scenery. Tatvan could be used for daytrips to Ahlat and Adilcevaz. There are flights to Istanbul SAW from Van. Don't miss the Armenian church on Akdamar Island near Gevas,
if you're in the area.

We (my travel companion and I) are currently in the south east and are having a wonderful time. We have, however, avoided entering Van and Diyarbakir. In Diyarbakir last week there were clashes with the police; a three-year-old girl was killed and several policemen were killed in retaliation. Also problems due to President(?) Erdogan's visit. And the Armenian church that Chris mentions above has had all its windows blown out as the result of a nearby car bomb.

Have to say, though, that we met a couple in Mardin who had just come from there, with no problems seen - although they had friends there who presumably know how to keep them safe.

For our part - we took the train (Guney Expresi) from Istanbul to Diyarbakir, then a taxi to the minicab garaj, not entering the town at all. We've stayed in Hasankeyf (at the Hasbahce ), Mardin (hotel Basak at the top of the hill - a bit cleaner than a few years back but hot as hell) and currently in Sanliurfa (Hotel Ugur, near Ipek Palas if you're giving directions to any taxi driver).
Not only have we had no problems, we're having an amazing time. Well, except for the temperature which hasn't gone much below 38 degrees the whole time! We've even been treated to mirra twice - free (look it up) and enjoyed a chai in a tea garden with a PKK supporter. We're having adventures you couldn't buy - and loving it!!!

Thank you SO much for your responses. It helps me a lot - and I actually consider skipping both Erzurum and Diyarbakir to do the same route as you "mother courage". Have any of you experienced children throwing stones after you? - A colleague told me it was a problems years ago, when he went to this corner of Turkey?
That said, I am looking SO much forward to see the region. And it calms me a lot down reading your replies. THANKS!

No stone-throwing children - at least so far. But I also heard some years back that this was happening to people who went up to the Kale (citadel) in Sanliurfa And Diyarbakir is known for attacks by teenage boys on or near the city walls, though some people have been lucky enough to avoid these.
It was my travel companion's birthday today, so I took him for a nargile in a tea garden. This would cost £15 sterling in London - here, together with 2 chais it cost us 10 TL (about £2.20 sterling.)

One piece of advice I would like to pass on, though. Look up places to stay on hostel booking sites, but DON'T book them. Because they have to pay around 20 per cent of their bed price to the booking site, which they then have to charge YOU!. And right now there's plenty of room in all places in the south east. Booking doesn't even guarantee you a bed - we were booked in at the Sahmaran in Mardin and arrived to find it totally closed up. Fortunately I knew the other cheap hotel down the road (see above posting)....

Casper, you could keep in touch with the developments through the websites of turkish papers. Diyarbakir is absolutely intersting and I wouldn't write it off easily as a destination, but if the old city is problematic (curfew imposed or bullets flying around), there is not too much left to see - the Ofis quarter e.g. is OK, but I wouldn't visit Diyarbakir just for this.
I was in Gaziantep and Sanliurfa last week and it was OK. Hard to imagine stone-throwing kids in both cities. I think that the places to be avoided right now are the places symbolic for Kurdish identity. Otherwise you should be fine. It's just my opinion, and I'm anything else than an expert, but I wouldn't hesitate to go again anytime - if I could find a sponsor, that is :-).

In case you change your tickets, Gaziantep has usually the cheapest fares to Istanbul.

Ofis and Sur neighbourhoods of central Diyarbakır saw heavy streetb fighting over this weekend resulting in a curfew until 17.00 last night.As your trip approaches keep checking local news sites for up to date info.Just because a place is fine one day does not mean it will be a few days later-and vice versa.

Fortunately, the St Gregory (Surp Giragos) church in Diyarbakir sustained only light damage with some windows blown out. Not all of them. http://armenianweekly.com/2015/09/09/lynching-campaign-targets-kurds/

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/817873/st-giragos-damaged-in-diyarbak%C4%B1r-military-operation.html

This happened a week ago and it might be okay by the time you get there... or not. I would echo comments above to keep very up to date with the news. It is not necessary to stay in central Van. The whole city was destroyed in WWI and rebuilt 5 km inland so there isn't a lot to see anyway. But the lakeside fort / kalesi and city ruins are worth a look. I would stay in that area. Likewise Van airport is 6 km away from the city centre and offers cheap domestic flights to Ankara and Istanbul. So I would stay near the lake or airport. eg: Erhan Pansiyon
Iskele Cad. Yeni Yol Kavsagi No:24 Van Merkez, Van, Turkey. About halfway between the castle and the Van Ferit Melen Havalimani (airport)

http://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Hotel_Review-g298041-d3164203-Reviews-s1-Erhan_Pansiyon-Van.html#MAPVIEW

Or the Van Madi Hotel Edremit Yolu 4 Km, just a few hundred metres to the north-west from Erhan Pension.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Van+Madi+Hotel/@38.4892667,43.339694,3925m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!1m3!3m2!1s0x4012700da55b55f3:0x12bb59ec69827d4d!2sErhan+Pansiyon!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xb89e1750b6239687!6m1!1e1

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