Zerzevan Castle is located in southeastern Turkey, between the Çınar district of Diyarbakır and the road to Mardin, approximately 13 km from Diyarbakır city center.
🏛️ History:
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The castle was built during the Roman Empire, around the 3rd century AD, as a military garrison.
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It served both as a military base and a residential area.
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The site was strategically important as it stood on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire, near the border with the Parthians and later the Sassanids.
🏰 Structures Inside:
Zerzevan Castle includes many architectural remains such as:
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Fortification walls (12–15 meters high)
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Watch and defense towers
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Underground shelters
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Dungeons
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Armories
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A church
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Water cisterns
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Roman baths
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Roman roads
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Residential and military quarters
🕍 Mithras Temple
🧩 What Is It?
Discovered during excavations in 2014, this underground temple is dedicated to Mithras, a deity associated with a secretive Roman mystery religion known as Mithraism.
🔍 Who Was Mithras?
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Mithras was a Persian-origin god worshipped mainly by Roman soldiers.
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He symbolized light, justice, loyalty, and war.
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Mithraism was an exclusive and secretive belief system, practiced in hidden sanctuaries.
🕯️ Features of the Temple:
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The temple is carved into rock, completely underground.
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It measures approximately 7 meters long, 5 meters wide, and 2.5 meters high.
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Inside the temple, you can find:
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Niches depicting the famous scene of Mithras slaying the bull (Tauroctony),
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Altars,
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Symbols and frescoes.
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The site was used for initiation rituals and worship by followers of Mithras during the Roman period.
🌍 Global Significance:
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Zerzevan's Mithras Temple is considered one of the best-preserved and easternmost Mithraic temples in the world.
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It is one of the most intact examples of a Mithraeum in Anatolia.
🏛️ Today:
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Ongoing excavations have been taking place since 2014.
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In 2020, Zerzevan Castle was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
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It attracts both local and international tourists.
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It’s especially significant for those interested in ancient history, archaeology, and mystery religions.