Nusaybin

Site of Turkey’s first university Population: 91,600

Other name: Antioch on the Mygdonius, Nisibis, Nısebine (Kurdish)

Right on the border with Syria at Qamishli, Nusaybin is a small town with a venerable history. As the Roman Nisibis, it was the site chosen in the fourth century to build a Monastery of Mor Yakup, the church of which still stands today.

A university grew up around the monastery where theology was an important subject. Unfortunately the variety of Christianity taught here was what became known as Nestorianism which was later ruled to be heretical. The site of the university was excavated in the 2000s revealing the cells of the students as well as the remains of the cathedral built beside it.

During the late 2000s Nusaybin flourished as Turkey’s relations with Syria improved but all that came to an end in 2011 with the start of the Syrian civil war. It used to be possible to stroll across the Qamishli border crossing. Now it’s firmly closed.

In 2016-17 Nusaybin was caught up in Kurdish resistance to the government, leading to fighting, a 134-day curfew and the eventual demolition of entire neighbourhoods, with 30,000 people losing their homes. I have not been back since to see what has happened although apparently many new apartment blocks have been erected.

Around town

A solid block of a building on the outside, the darkly atmospheric Syrian Orthodox Church of Mor Yakup (St Jacob) dates back to 359 although it was extended in the eighth century and then extensively restored in the 19th. Excavations around the church in the 2000s suggested that it may originally have been the baptistry of a cathedral. They also uncovered the remains of what may have been the first university on Turkish soil, preceding the better-known one at Harran, south of Şanlıurfa. At one time it may have accommodated 1,000 students and its huge size is suggested by the fact that the columns of the original entrance gate can still be seen – but on the far side of the Syrian border.

Near the church is the Zeynel Abidin Cami, built in 1159 with a striking minaret at a time when the Zengids ruled this part of the country.

The only other sight in town is the extraordinary new Mesopotamian Cultural Centre (Mitanni Kültür Merkezi) adorned with magnificent carvings that evoke the Assyrian sculptures in the British Museum.

A building intended to house a new museum near the monastery had been completed by summer 2015 but was yet to open.

On the outskirts of town are the ruins of the remote fourth-century Monastery of Mor Augen, backed into İzla Dağı (Mt İzla) near the village of Girmeli, off the Çizre road.

The monastery is said to have been founded by Augen who arrived here from Egypt with 70 disciples but from 363 onwards it fell on the Persian side of a newly-drawn border and so followed Nestorian rites. Today it has been restored and is inhabited by a solitary monk-priest who offers Sunday services for Suryani villagers from Girmeli and Odabaşı (Gündükschükrü) in the plain below. It was photographed by the English traveller, Gertrude Bell, in 1909.

Sleeping

Kasr-ı Sercehan. Tel: 0482-415 4747

Nezirhan Hotel. Out of town to the east, this motel-style hotel used to be interesting for the fact that it had both an American-style, pool-facing motel and a beautiful Mardin-style köşk behind a dull modern facade. However, it doesn’t seem to be in business any more.

Transport info

There are more than hourly buses from Old Midyat bus station to Nusaybin.

There is no public transport to Mor Augen which is best visited with your own car. There’s a taxi rank in Nusaybin town centre although there are no official yellow taxis. Someone will probably be prepared to drive you to the monastery although in the current tense situation (summer 2015) you should perhaps be careful with whom you travel.

Day trip destinations

Mor Augen