Excavations have resumed in Mardin at the famous Dara Ruins dating back 2,300 years. In Dara, where there is a rich culture, according to archaeologists, 100 years of excavation is required to unearth this culture.
MARDİN (İGFA) – It looks like an open-air museum in Mardin, where local and foreign tourists can not get enough of sightseeing and its past is about 2 years. Dara Ancient City, which is estimated to date back to 1,300 years ago, took its place in the history pages as a world wonder.
Dara Ancient City, located in Dara Village, which is 30 kilometers from the center of Mardin, in Artuklu district, is the most magnificent of the ancient settlements in the region. qualifying. Dara, whose ancient name was Anastasiopolis, is unknown when the city was founded and has been included in the archives as one of the most important trade centers of Mesopotamia for centuries.
DARA HOSTED 7 EMPIRES
When the Persians conquered Nusaybin in 363, the ancient city of Dara, known as the Ephesus of the East, became the border of the Roman Empire. The city was fortified as an advanced border gate in the 5th century by Emperor Anastasius; 100 years later it was captured by the Persians. The city came under the domination of the Umayyads towards the end of the 7th century, later by the Abbasids, and the Ottomans in the 15th century.
DATE A HISTORY COMES AS DRAWING
The city of Dara, which consists of structures carved into the rock, It is spread over a wide area with its surroundings. There are rock tombs to the east and the city, which is protected by a 4-kilometer wall, has two gates opening to the south and north. The remains of churches, palaces, bazaars, dungeons, armories, cisterns and water dams can still be seen in the city, which has witnessed history for centuries. The ancient city of Dara, where scientific excavations and research have been carried out for 40 years, was built by the Eastern Roman Empire as a military base in the wars against the Persians and is named after the Persian King Darius. Today, excavations have stopped due to financial difficulties.
ANCIENT Ephesus OF THE EAST
Due to its similarity to the ancient city of Ephesus in Izmir, the ‘Ephesus’ of the Southeastern Anatolia Region. The dungeons in the ancient city of Dara in Mardin, which was established by the Eastern Roman Empire to protect its border against the Sassanids, are flooded with visitors. The churches, palaces, bazaars, dungeons, historical mosaics, armory and water dam ruins in the ancient city, which is visited by thousands of people every year, attract the attention of tourists.
3 THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD HUMAN BONES AND 40 METERS DEEP SHELTER FOUND
The artifacts unearthed within the scope of the excavations started two years ago in the Dara Ruins in the village of Oğuz in Mardin. to shed light. Umbrellas and mosaics with various animal figures, water cisterns, and bones belonging to 3,000-year-old people, estimated to date back to the 6th century AD, were unearthed. In the excavations carried out 2 years ago, 40 meters deep underground shelters known as dungeons were cleaned. During the excavations carried out in the areas where the open air theater and rock houses were located, the provisions, weapon depots and rock tombs of the military garrison city belonging to the Babylonian and Persian Empires were unearthed.
EXCAVATIONS WILL LAST 100 YEARS
{1 Archaeologists stated that excavations in the famous Dara Ruins in Mardin have started again, and that there is a very rich culture in Dara and that 100 years of excavation must be done to extract this culture.
Archaeologists noted that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism had to prepare a zoning conservation plan for the city in order to reveal the history of Dara. Emphasizing the need for certain expropriations, archaeologists said, “There are areas that citizens own. It is necessary to nationalize them. Only after these are completed archaeological excavations need to be accelerated. He can now excavate in areas registered under the Treasury. It cannot be done in others. But since 90 percent of the village is privately owned, excavation permits are only allowed in areas belonging to the Treasury, ”he said.
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