Nusaybin

Nusaybin is a border city in Southeastern Anatolia.

Understand


Nusaybin is located at the foot of Mount Izla, which is part of Tur Abdin hills. The river Jaghjagh, known as Mygdonius in ancient times, runs through the city. Known as Nisibis, the city has been in existence since at least 901 BC, when it was part of the Assyrian Empire. In the Hellenistic period the settlement was re-founded and named "Antioch on the Mygdonius" by the Seleucid dynasty after the conquests of Alexander the Great. Later part of the Roman Empire and Sasanian Empire until conquered in 639 by the Rashidun Caliphate during the Muslim conquest of the Levant.

Jacob of Nisibis, the city's first known bishop and lauded as the "Moses of Mesopotamia", constructed its first cathedral between 313 and 320.

Get in
Buses or a private car are the only practical ways of reaching Nusaybin. There are no major airports in the vicinity and while there is a railway passing through the city, there has not been any passenger service since 2011.

Go next

 * Mardin to the northwest is the province capital, with a great old city cascading down a hillside.
 * The architecture in the old town of Midyat to the north is as impressive as that of Mardin, but it's on a flatter plateau without the views.
 * Iraqi Kurdistan is a relatively safer part of Iraq, accessed by the Habur border post southeast of Cizre.
 * Al-Qamishli is the twin town to the south across the border, but for a visit you'll have to hold your breath until the Syrian civil war is over.