Turkey - Zerzevan Castle and Mithraeum

Zerzevan Castle is located in Diyarbakır Province in the southeast part of Turkey. Its location was at a strategic point on the way from Amida (Diyarbakır) to Dara (Mardin), from Edessa (Şanlıurfa) to Nisibis (Nusaybin) in the ancient period.Existence of a castle named Kinabu on the edge of the ancient road which was used for commercial and military purposes is first asserted in the Assyrian Period (882-611 BC). In the Persian Period (550-331 BC) and today the mentioned road that passes through the territory of Iran, Iraq and Turkey has been used as "The Royal Road”. The route is of great importance in the expedition of the Roman Empire to the east and the Sassanids to the west. It is known that the Sassanid armies marched this road during the western campaigns of 359, 502 and 604 AD and captured Zerzevan Castle. So, the hinterland of Zerzevan Castle, which forms the extreme eastern border of the Roman Empire, witnessed great struggles between the two great powers of the time, Rome and Parthians/Sassanids, who wanted to dominate the region economically, politically and militarily.