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Photo: Nevit Dilmen, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Impressive ruins of a Byzantine fortress and garrison town, founded against the Persians who held nearby Nisibis / Nusaybin. It was built shoddily in a rush in 505 AD so much had to be re-built later that century, and twice it was captured by the Persians but recovered. In 639 the region came under Arab rule and was no longer a border, so Dara had no military role and was abandoned.
Dara or Daras was an important East Roman fortress city in northern Mesopotamia on the border with the Sassanid Empire. Because of its great strategic importance, it featured prominently in the Roman-Persian conflicts. The former archbishopric remains a multiple Catholic titular see. Today, the village of Dara in the Mardin Province occupies its location.
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Kültür Mitanni Merkez
Cultural centre hosting occasional events such as concerts. Its architecture is striking.