The ancient city, located in the village of Dara, 30 kilometers from the city center of Mardin, attracts visitors with the arrival of summer.
The ruins of the church, palace, bazaar, dungeon, rock tombs, cisterns and arch of water in the ancient city of Dara, which the Eastern Roman Empire established to protect its border against the Sassanid, attract the attention of visitors.
As excavations continue in the ancient city of Dara, which is one of the hidden treasures of the region dating back 2300 years, historical structures and artifacts also begin to be unearthed.
The ancient city of Dara, where scientific excavations and research have been conducted for 33 years, was built by the Eastern Roman Empire as a military base in the wars against the Persians and takes its name from Darius, King of Persia.
The excavations in Dara, which was of great social and commercial importance due to its presence on the historic Silk Road, have unearthed a large number of architectural remains from various periods.
In Dara, where archaeological excavations began in 1986, only 10 percent of the area with the village built on it was able to be unearthed because of insufficient funds.
The city walls, water cisterns, rock tombs, churches, agora, bridges, silos and similar structures that meet all the needs of a city are among the artifacts unearthed in the ancient city, which is destined to become one of the most important tourism centers of the region.
Basilica Cistern
The Basilica Cistern, located at a depth of 25 meters under a village house in Dara, which the villagers call the Dungeon, was cleaned and unearthed within 15 years.
An influx of visitors to the region continues
The influx of visitors to the ancient city of Dara continues during the summer months.
Local and foreign tourists, who do not mind the summer temperatures of the Southeast of Turkey, visit Dara, 30 kilometers from the city center of Mardin.
Unique in the world
In the Dara area, there are grave types ranging from sarcophagi burials buried in rock and soil to cist graves. The unique tomb, called "Gallery tomb" in Dara, is said to be unique in the world.
The water cistern and Gallery tomb, which has been excavated and restored in the ancient city of Dara, was opened to visitors in 2017.
"Let the ancient city be among the places to be seen"
İbrahim Bilgiç, the head of the Dara neighborhood, called on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to include the ancient city as a must-see.
"We want [the Ministry of Culture and Tourism] to take Dara among the places to be seen, which we see as Ephesus of Mardin. Indeed, if Dara is not seen, there will be a major deficiency in their tours," Bilgiç said.
"When they come and see, they will observe that the ancient city of Dara is a unique place in Turkey."
Dara is an open-air museum with its gallery monumental rock cemeteries and cisterns - two of the four in the world are located in Mardin-, 5 kilometers of walls surrounding the ancient city and mosaics.
Dara will become one of the most important tourism centers, not just in Mardin but in the region, and in Turkey, if the whole city is unearthed by the work carried out within the ministry, Bilgiç noted.
ILKHA