Day 49: The Hidden Ancient Roman City of Anastopolis, Dara 38 Comments

This entry was posted in Travel Turkey and tagged 2018 Ancient Sight Asia Motorhome Ruins Walks Wild Camping on

The ruins of Dara are intertwined with the village of Oguz. Military stop points are nonexistent and the village feels peaceful with no indication of the war just a short distance away. Children are running around the streets chasing huge turkeys.  Women are baking bread in their stone bake ovens that look like a tandor. Cows rest in the gardens and chickens pecking as crisp packets. The village looks tired and a little neglected, but we felt safe and comfortable. 

The main reason for visiting the area was to see the ruins of the ancient city of Anastopolis. Very little information exists on the Internet about them and yet the size and completeness (and unknown discoveries) is surely a sheer delight for any archaeologist. Why no one has done something with the site is a mystery. The local police tell us the ruins were becoming popular until the war in Syria flared up.  Now Turks stop visiting and international tourists are rarely seen. During the week no one visits and at weekend they receive a small trickle of visitors. Sad, but in a selfish way we were pleased because we had the whole village to explore without any tour buses. 

Dara was an important Roman fortress city in the area corresponding to ancient northern Mesopotamia. It served as the strategic outpost overlooking the borders of their mighty rivals, the Persian Empire. Now Dara blends in amongst the Turkish village of Oğuz and at times it is hard to tell between dwellings and ruins. The archaeological site has revealed one of its Eastern Roman legacies, an entire cistern from 6th century. And the interesting part is that the substantially large structural ambit, of around 143,000 cubic ft, was discovered underneath a barn in a field.

The gallery graves, jail and large cistern are sign posted albeit rusty, weathered and illegible. The rest of the ruins are scattered everywhere and anywhere, so seek and ye shall find. As we clamber up into the village we are reminded of the severe beauty of the place. The proportions of the houses, the materials that match the surrounding rocks, the harmony of the village with its environment. The village is still, as it has been for nearly 2000 years, a sanctuary, a hidden world that only a few get to see.

We wander around the sleepy village and thanks to two little girl guides we got to see more than we bargained.  They didn’t speak any English but they led us to parts of the ruins we would never have found. Pointing out necropolis, churches, houses, agora and much more. The highlight, one of the little girls lived on top of an old cistern! She kicked her way through the rubbish and shoed away the turkeys.  Leading us to a wooden door that we assumed to be her house.  Inside a stairway into the towers of an underground cistern. The expanse was remarkable and as we walked down the steps she tapped on the wall. It a hollow sound she smiled, behind that wall is her bedroom.

The village of Dara started out as a paltry village.  Over time it was rebuilt and subsequently transformed into a well defended military centre, to ward of any Persian threat of 6th century. Details of its fortification, purpose and subsequent renovation are recorded in the Syriac Chronicle. The Dara Mesopotamia ruins do not often appear in tourism brochures of Turkey despite their importance in the historical world. 

The city was a strong fortress for the Romans and one of the most populated areas in ancient Mesopotamia.  The gallery grave was used in the 6th and 7th centuries and it is totally mind blowing. Hundreds of bones, water bowls and oil lamps have been unearthed in excavations. The majority left as they found them and for all to see. It was believed that these lamps guided souls in their journey towards heaven, every grave had a lamp inside it. At the entrance of the grave there are carvings depicting the resurrection prophecy. The grave in which is said that Prophet Ezekiel breathed life into dead souls, was built by the Byzantine Empire in 591.  Dedicated to those killed by the Persian Sassanids in 573 in the Byzantine Sasanian War.

The little girls did not beg and genuinely seemed happy to show us around. I guess it gave them something to do and it was nice to give them a few of quid for pocket money and a handful of sweets.

Our Guides

The heat and dust of the Dara ruins have taken their toll. Our urine is the colour of a tangerine, our lungs are caked in dust from the village and Vin looks like a mud hut. We drink, wipe down and shower with copious amounts of water.  Once replenished and refreshed we make our way towards Mardin.  As we head north more stunning villages, caves and churches appear out of nowhere. We spot a brown tourist sign that leads off the beaten track and in to the hills.  We are intrigued and follow.  As we arrive, the doors to the monastery shut.  We take the opportunity to play ball on the car park with Mac n Tosh before sunset. 

 

Our Bumble free parking spot at Mardin GPS position N037.299068, E040.790476

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