Dara, Ancient City in Mardin

A 1,400 year-old gallery grave unearthed during archaeological works in the ancient city of Dara in the southeastern province of Mardin was opened to visitors in May, 2017.

MARDİN’DE EN ÇOK ZİYARET EDİLENLER ARASINDA İLK SIRADA YER ALAN ANTİK KENT DARA YERLİ VE YABANCI TURİSTLERİN AKININA UĞRUYOR. (MURAT AKGÜL/MARDİN-İHA)

When travelers visit the south-eastern Anatolian province of Mardin, they usually feel that they need to see just one place – the capital of the province. Meanwhile, in the area there are relatively little known but very interesting ruins of the ancient city of Dara. In the early Byzantine times, Dara was an important fortress, located in northern Mesopotamia, near the border with the Persian Sassanid Empire. Because of this strategic location, in the 6th century AD Dara witnessed many military conflicts, of which the most important was the famous Battle of Dara, fought in 530 AD. So if you get to Mardin, then try also to go to Dara, and certainly you will not regret this trip.

During the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius (491-518 AD), after more than 60 years of peace, a serious conflict with Persia broke out. It lasted from 502 to 506 AD and was known as the Anastasian War. It became the prelude to a long series of armed skirmishes, devastating both empires throughout the next century. The Anastasian War demonstrated the weakness of the Byzantine armed forces and the generals responsible for the failure explained their defeat to the lack of a solid military base belonging to the Byzantine Empire in the region. Meanwhile, the Persians possessed a mighty fortress near the town of Nisibis (now Nusaybin).

reading : http://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/dara

Located in the Dara neighborhood, 30 kilometers from Mardin, the ancient city of Dara was one of the most important settlements of Mesopotamia. The gallery grave, unearthed seven years ago, was a place for “resurrection” ceremonies in the Roman era.

reading : www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mardins-gallery-grave-opens-to-visitors