Nusaybin

Nusaybin is a city in Southeastern Anatolia, with a predominantly Kurdish population in 2023 of 119,000. It's on the border with Syria but there is nowadays no crossing here, and the north-south road has been torn up and replaced by a minefield. However Nusaybin is along D400 the major east-west highway of Turkey, so you might find it convenient to stop over here. It's also near several antiquities, notably the Roman citadel of Dara.

The city of Nisibis has existed at least since 901 BC. Its importance was that it came to lie on the border between the Roman and Sasanian (Persian) empires, with the Armenians the other regional power. Around 300 AD the hermit Jacob of Nisibis became the city's first bishop and built its cathedral. He was in a perilous position, as Christianity was not yet the official Roman religion, and persecutions followed under Diocletian; meanwhile to the east the Persians were Zoroastrian. Nevertheless he was able to found a school of religion here that became a leading centre in Mesopotamia. Jacob of Nisibis is therefore revered as a saint in both Eastern and Western Christendom. Fragments of his bones (or said to be his) were later prized religious relics: Hildesheim cathedral in Germany houses some in a beautiful head-shaped reliquary.

Mardin (MQM  ^IATA) is the nearest airport, with daily flights from Istanbul and Ankara. That city is 62 km northwest of Nusaybin and has long-distance buses from other Turkish cities.

From Mardin, dolmuşes run from the stop outside the State Hospital (Şehir Hastanesi) to Nusaybin, taking about an hour.

37.089741.22491 Nusaybin Otogar at the D400 interchange is where you'll be dropped or picked up from a bus on a through route, say Mardin-Cizre. There's a cafe and a ticket kiosk.

The Istanbul-Baghdad railway crosses the border at Nusaybin: indeed the border was deliberately drawn that way in 1923. No trains have run this way since 2011. In 2026 the track was rebuilt, but this railway will only be viable once freight can be again hauled between Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

The town is just-about walkable, but you need wheels for outlying sights, for instance Dara is 4 km from a public transport route. Try negotiating a taxi for a couple of hours.

• 37.06741.21521 Church of Saint Jacob of Nisibis (Mor Yakup Kilisesi), Zeynel Abidin Sk. Daily 09:00-16:00. 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. Free.  (updated Aug 2026)
• Zeynel Abidin Mosque Complex, Zeynel Abidin Sk (next to St Jacobs Church). Daily 05:30-20:30. 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. Free. (updated Aug 2026)
• Colonnades and associated Byzantine ruins are only 200 m south of the Church of St Jacob, but that puts them within the closed border zone.
• Qamishli is the Syrian city seen 1 km to the south. No way there.
• 37.10513841.2306172 Girnavaz. 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.  (updated Aug 2026)
• 37.18333340.9333333 Dara, ☏ +90 530 349 0765. Tue-Sun 08:30-17:00. 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.  (updated Aug 2026)
• 37.19388941.4302784 Monastery of St Augin (Mor Evgin Manastırı) (30 km northeast off D400). 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.  (updated Aug 2026)
• Monastery of Yuhanon Tayyoyo is an associated ruin 1 km east.
• Marin is a ruined village in the valley 1 km west of St Augin.
• 37.214141.32375 Beyazsu is a village 20 km north on the road to Midyat. Two branches of the Çağçağ river meet here, and the lush green valley bottom contrasts with the arid bluffs above. Restaurants have seating areas on stilts over the river, so you dangle your feet as you eat your kofta.

• 37.074541.22521 Mitanni Culture Centre (Kültür Mitanni Merkez), Lozan Cd. Cultural centre hosting occasional events such as concerts. Its architecture is striking.  (updated Aug 2026)
• Nusaybin Hamam & Fitness & Spa Club is 100 m south of Kasr-ı Serçehan Hotel.

Small stores are typically open daily 09:00-21:00.

• Downtown near St Jacob are Dilber Şirin'in Yeri, Nazar Ocakbaşı, Nusaybin Pilavcisi, Dürümcü İdris Usta, AS Organik Cigkofte, and Hoşgörü Cafe.
• Cumhuriyet Cd coming into town from D400 has Damak Lezzet Salonu, Yahya Usta, Simurg Kafe, Lena Pizzeria, Zeyneb in Mutfağı and Kervansaray Lokantası.
• Beyazsu 20 km north towards Mardin is a village with a cluster of restaurants.

Cafes may serve beer, otherwise stick to tea.

• 37.06841.21661 Kasr-ı Serçehan Hotel, Cumhuriyet Meydanı 1, ☏ +90 482 415 4747. Comfy downtown hotel.  (updated Aug 2026)
• Bulvar Palas Otel is opposite Kasr-ı Serçehan off Cumhuriyet Meydanı.
• Hotel Turistik is a dreary place 100 m northwest of Kasr-ı Serçehan on Lozan Cd.
• 37.092641.20052 Avesis Hotel, İpekyolu Cd 45, ☏ +90 482 415 0525. Reasonably clean and comfy. B&B double 4000 TL.  (updated Aug 2026)
• NUS Grand Hotel is 200 m west of Avesis on İpekyolu Cd. Grubby and dismal, it's probably as well that it doesn't honour bookings.

Nusaybin and its approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Aug 2026, 5G has not reached this area.

Near the border, check that your phone doesn't latch onto a Syrian carrier.

• Mardin to the northwest is the provincial capital, with a great old city cascading down a hillside.
• Midyat to the north likewise has an impressive old city.
• Qamishli is the twin town to the south across the border, but with no crossing nowadays.

Concurrent with ←	W  E	→ Cizre → Şırnak ( N) → Hakkari
Şanlıurfa ← Kızıltepe ( N) ←	W  E	→ Cizre → Habur → Becomes → Zakho