There had been two Mesopotamia provinces of Roman Empire. The first one created by Emperor Trajan was a very short-lived province and the second Mesopotamia was the extended province created by emperor Septimius Severus.
The Roman province of Mesopotamia was set up by Emperor Trajan in 116 AD and again by Septimius Severus around 198 AD. It lay between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and its capital was Nisibis, today’s Nusaybin in Mardin Province in southeastern Turkey.
| Lay between | The Euphrates and Tigris rivers |
|---|---|
| Capital | Nisibis, today’s Nusaybin |
| Border fortress | Dara, built by Emperor Anastasius I in 505 AD |
| Places to see | Nusaybin, Dara and Harran |
Roman province of Mesopotamia used to occupy areas of modern Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Kuwait. Nisibis, today’s Turkish city of Nusaybin, became the capital of the province.
Mesopotamia had always been a disputed area and war zone being located on the Persian border. Province became safer thanks to the Roman gains on the east and especially following the creation of Assyria province.
Roman Province of Mesopotamia in Today’s Turkey
In Turkey today, the province means the plain around Mardin and Nusaybin in the southeast. Little of Roman city is left in Nusaybin, but the baptistery of Saint Jacob, built in 359 AD, still stands. I wrote a short post about Nisibis in Turkey.
Dara is the best place to feel this old frontier. Rock-cut tombs and big water cisterns are still there among the ruins, only a few kilometers from the Persian border of that time. Another Roman army base of the region is described in my post on Zerzevan Castle and the Mithras Temple.
Farther west, nearby Harran, the Parthians crushed the army of Crassus at Carrhae in 53 BC. Crassus lost most of his seven legions and his own life, long before any province was set up here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Rome really conquer Mesopotamia?
For a short time, yes. Trajan took northern Mesopotamia in 115, but revolts broke out and Hadrian gave up the lands east of the Euphrates. Septimius Severus made it a province again around 198.
Why was Dara built so close to Nisibis?
Nisibis had been given to Persia in 363. In 505 AD Emperor Anastasius I built a new army base at Dara, about 18 kilometers to the west, to guard the border.
Which Roman cities of Mesopotamia are in Turkey today?
Nusaybin (Nisibis), Şanlıurfa (Edessa), Harran (Carrhae), Diyarbakır (Amida) and the ruins of Dara, all in the southeast. They did not all belong to the same province at the same time.
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