Its classical name was Amida. When the city fell to the Arabs in
639 it was occupied by the Beni Bakr tribe, who gave its present name, Diyarbakir,
the place or home of the Bark. Apart from its magnificent fortifications
Diyarbakir is also famous for its melons, fertilized by the rich mud of the
Tigris, and for the many mosques in the city.