When the Syrian crisis started a decade ago, nearly 3.6 million civilians fleeing the country crossed the border to Turkey and found their way to Mardin. They mainly settled in this ancient, terraced city in the neighbourhood of Istasyon. Today it is estimated that there are some 88,000 Syrian refugees in Mardin.

The Syrians adapted from the trauma of exile from their homeland and learned to live side by side with the Turkish people. They learned the language, worked alongside Turkish citizens, and enrolled their children in local schools.

COVID-19, which came to Mardin in March 2020, threatened...