Nusaybin

Nusaybin is a city and district of Mardin Province in southeastern Turkey, on the border with Syria. It lies opposite the Syrian town of Qamishli and functions as a major cross-border gateway between the two countries. The site corresponds to the ancient city of Nisibis, a prominent urban center in Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic Mesopotamia. Nisibis was a strategic frontier town on the Roman–Parthian and later Roman–Sassanian frontiers and became a renowned center of learning through the School of Nisibis, attached to the Church of the East.

Under the late antique and medieval periods, control of Nisibis shifted among Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, and later Ottoman rulers. In modern times, the area became part of the Ottoman Empire and, after the collapse of the empire, was incorporated into the Republic of Turkey in 1923.

Today Nusaybin hosts a mixture of communities, with Kurdish and Arab residents forming the bulk of the population and Syriac Christian communities historically present. Turkish is the official language, with Kurdish and Arabic spoken locally, and Syriac literacy historically linked to the Assyrian and Syriac communities.

The district's economy relies on agriculture, trade, and cross-border commerce through the Nusaybin border gate with Syria. The area has also faced security-related disruptions; in 2015–2016 there were clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants, resulting in a long curfew and damage to parts of the city. Recovery and reconstruction efforts have continued alongside border trade.