Citadel

What is now called the 7. Kolordu Komutanlık Binası (7th Corps Command Building) was built by vali Mehmet Faik Paşa in 1902 under the orders of commander of the army corps Ferik Mehmet Kamil Paşa.  It is located south of the old Mar Gevergis church and east of the courthouse.  The building started being used by the 7th Corps in 1923.

The Büyük Adliye Sarayı (Grand Courthouse) was been built in the north (south of the citadel prison) between 1891-1893.

The Cephanelik Binası (Arsenal Building) has existed at least since at least the 1890s.

The Hükümet Konağı (Government House), the headquarters of the vilayet government, was built on the east edge of the citadel looking over the Tigris in 1889, starting during the reign of Diyarbakır Governor Sırrı Pasha and completed during the reign of Hacı Hasan Pasha.  Prior to this, buildings rented in the city were used for the Hükümet Konağı.

The Jandarma İstihbarat Binası (Gendarmerie Intelligence Building) was built between 1887-1891 by Vali Hacı Hasan Paşa.

The small square Karargâh Binası southwest of the Hükümet konak, used as the Umumi Müfettişlik building as of 1906 and during the First World War as the 2. Ordu Komutanlığı Karargâh Binası (2nd Army Command Military Headquarters), appears to have existed at least since since the 1890s. Karargâh Binası is known in Turkey for housing Mustafa Kemal during WWI.

The prison building was most likely built around 1887 by Hacı Hasan Paşa. As of 1899, the prison held close to a thousand prisoners. It was known to have bad conditions and many fights. During 1915, it was used to house and brutally torture Armenian notables.

Vîrân Kal‘a (now known as Viran Tepe) is a fortified mound in the citadel. It was the nucleus of the city from ancient times due to its natural spring and defensive capabilities.  It has an area of around 10,000 square feet and is around 150 feet tall.  It was fortified in the early 13th century under the Artukid ruler Nasir al-Din Salih Mahmut bin Muhammad, housing an elaborate palace at that time. By 1827, the fortifications were in deep disrepair.

The waterfall was formed by the natural spring in the citadel as well as from rainwater and wastewater, and led into the Tigris.  The stream was named Zabin after the legendary Zaav, the tenth shah of the Pishdadian dynasty.  The water feeding the waterfall came through underground passages.