Nusaybin

4th century Syriac Orthodox church, wrecked in 1171 AD but partly restored since 2000. It was originally the baptistry of a cathedral that has otherwise disappeared.

Built in 1159 AD during the Zengid dynasty, it consists of a mosque (still in use), a medrese and the tombs of Zeynel Abidin and his sister Sitti Zeynep. Both were 13th-generation descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

This is a "tell" or höyük, where successive waves of settlement have piled on top of each other to form a mound. It was occupied in the Bronze Age, from the 4th to the 1st millennium BC. Excavations have concluded and there's now nothing to see here.

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.

A Syriac monastery on a rugged mountainside, founded in the 4th century by Saint Eugenios or Augin (d 363), an Egyptian monk. It was abandoned in 1970 but reopened in 2011. The monks may or may not let you look around, it may help to dress conservatively.

Cultural centre hosting occasional events such as concerts. Its architecture is striking.