Mardin Ulu Cami, one of the architectural examples of the Artuqid Period and the symbol of Mardin with its sliced dome and minaret, was built with two minarets according to the records. The inscription on the square base of the mosque's only minaret today gives the date of construction as 1176, but the present minaret was built in 1888/1889 in a new and electric style. Some Syriac writers say that it was converted from a church. Even if the building was not converted from a church, it is likely that there was an old church on the site.