In Mardin and Midyat, Freerunners Hazal Nehir and Lilou Ruel Leap across Millennia, Fusing Athletic Grit with the Enduring Beauty of Anatolian Architecture.
Against the golden-stone backdrop of southeastern Türkiye, freerunning athletes Hazal Nehir and Lilou Ruel have turned centuries-old rooftops into their latest playground. Roof Rush unfolded across the rooftops and alleyways of Mardin and Midyat, blending contemporary movement with the enduring textures of one of Türkiye’s most architecturally storied regions.
The project marked a powerful return to form for Nehir, who rejoined the sport after a two-and-a-half-year recovery from a serious elbow injury. Ruel, her counterpart in motion and a rising name in both sport and cinema, had also recently come back from a two-month break following a wrist injury, yet brought the same focus and intensity to the course.
Together, they moved with precision across sandstone rooftops and time-worn ledges that have overlooked Mesopotamia for centuries.
Snapshot
- Parkour Meets History in Ancient Cities: Athetes Hazal Nehir and Lilou Ruel traverse the centuries-old rooftops of Mardin and Midyat, blending freerunning with the rich architectural heritage of southeastern Türkiye.
- A Comeback and a Personal Return:For Nehir, Roof Rush marks a powerful return after a two-and-a-half-year injury break. For Ruel, the project offers a reconnection to a childhood spent partly in Türkiye.
- History as Playground: From the domes of the Zinciriye Madrasa to the alleys of Midyat, the freerunners’ movements echo across sites once central to the Silk Road, transforming stone and skyline into a living stage.
- Where Continents and Centuries Converge: Set in a region where Europe and Asia blur together, Roof Rush is both a physical and symbolic journey – a modern feat unfolding across a landscape shaped by millennia.
Deep Dive
Set on a steep plateau overlooking the wide sweep of the Mesopotamian plains, Mardin is a place where time seems to slow. Once a vital stronghold on the Silk Road, this ancient city has seen the rise and fall of many empires – from the Assyrians and Romans to the Artuqids, Seljuks and Ottomans. Its weathered architecture, crafted from locally quarried limestone, glows under the Anatolian sun, its skyline punctuated by minarets, domes, and terraced rooftops.
Here, Hazal Nehir and Lilou Ruel launched into gravity-defying sequences against backdrops like the Zinciriye Madrasa – also known as Sultan Isa Medrese, a 14th-century Islamic seminary famed for its twin minarets and cosmic carvings – the Coppersmiths’ Bazaar (Bakırcılar Çarşısı), the ancient hammam, and a maze of alleyways that have hosted generations of merchants, mystics, and missionaries.
Beneath their feet ran a current of thousands of years of history – every jump, flip, and vault reverberating against stone that once echoed with the footsteps of Silk Road caravans.
The choice of location was no accident. As Nehir put it: “Mardin is one of the best cities in the world to showcase parkour. When I look around, I see rooftops everywhere. This city allowed me to bring out my performance in the best possible way.”
Ruel agreed: “It’s really true – there are rooftops as far as the eye can see. The possibilities are endless. It’s clearly a paradise for traceurs.”
Just 60 km east lies Midyat, the quieter but equally stunning twin city to Mardin. Long associated with Syriac Christian culture, Midyat is a living museum of monasteries, churches, and traditional stone mansions adorned with elaborate carvings. With its hidden courtyards and layered rooftops, it posed the greatest challenge to the duo.
It was here that Nehir attempted and landed her most daring feat yet – a 4.16-metre “Big Cat Leap” from a 3-metre height. “It was the longest jump I have ever done. I’m very proud to be part of this project in my own country.”
For the Turkish athlete, whose last major project was The Grand Maze at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar alongside Australian freerunning star Dominic Di Tommaso, Roof Rush marked a turning point: “Two and a half years ago, I had a serious injury. I fell from a three-metre height, my elbow came out, and I underwent two surgeries. During my recovery, I couldn’t even watch parkour videos, because the injury happened through a mistake I made,” she admitted. “When I started training again, I was very scared. Most sessions ended in tears because I couldn’t do the things I used to. But [Lilou and I] completed this project safely, and I think we both pushed ourselves a lot to get there,” she added.
Ruel also found personal meaning in the project. The French athlete, who spent part of her childhood in Türkiye, returned to the country with a sense of familiarity and reverence: “Being here means so much to me. I lived in Istanbul from the age of four to six, and Türkiye has always held a special place in my heart. I feel incredibly happy and grateful to be part of a project here.”
Known globally for her film stunts and her torch-bearing role in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, Ruel overcame a two-month training hiatus due to a wrist injury. Still, her sequences stunned: a precision gainer off a four-metre-high rooftop, signature front flip over sandstone balustrades, and delicate footwork atop the cornices of religious schools and historic homes.
In Roof Rush, parkour meets history, as athletes’ movements weave modern momentum into millennia-old stone. It’s a defiant comeback after injury for Nehir, and a reconnection to a place that once felt like home for Ruel – all played out in a land where Europe and Asia flow into one another, like motion across rooftops. (Red Bull Content Pool)
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