Zerzevan Castle, Mithas Sanctuary ready for UNESCO

DİYARBAKIR

Preparations are underway for the 3,000-year-old Zerzevan Castle, which was the last garrison of the Roman Empire in the east in the Çınar district of the eastern province of Diyarbakır, to enter the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The castle and the Mithras Sanctuary inside the castle are already on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List.

The head of the excavations, Associate Professor Aytaç Coşkun said, “So far, 19 places in Türkiye have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Our goal is for the 20th or 21st place to be Zerzavan Castle and Mithras Sanctuary. Then Diyarbakır will have four places in UNESCO, which are the City Walls of Diyarbakır, Hevsel Gardens, Zerzevan Castle and Mithras Sanctuary. It will also be the first in Türkiye that a city will have four places in UNESCO, and it will be one of the few cities in the world.”

Excavations have been ongoing in Zerzevan Castle under the coordination of the Culture and Tourism Ministry for nine years.
The historical castle covers 60,000 square meters of land. It comprises rampart remains that are 12-15 meters high and 1,200 meters long, a 21-meter-high watch and defense tower, church, administration building, residences, grain and weapon stores, underground temple, shelters, rock tombs, water channels and 54 water cisterns. Its 1,800-year-old entrance has been unearthed during the excavations.

Zerzevan Castle and Mithras Sanctuary were included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List in 2020. While work has been carried out by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Karacadağ Development Agency, a file will be submitted to UNESCO by the end of the year.

Also, a visitor reception center is under construction at the entrance of the castle. The center is set to be completed in November.

“We are preparing the site management plan and UNESCO file for the main list. At the end of this year, we will present our file to UNESCO. When it becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Zerzevan Castle and Mithras Sanctuary will have more importance, especially for the promotion of the region and Diyarbakır. Being on this list is important in terms of awareness and visibility in countries all over the world. Our goal is to be on the main list in 2024, or 2025 at the latest,” Coşkun said.

Stating that the number of visitors to Zerzevan Castle reached 450,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic, Coşkun said, “At the peak of the pandemic, nearly 300,000 visitors came to the castle. Last year, it was over 350,000. Works continue nonstop for the visitor center, and landscaping works are also being carried out. Once the visitor center is completed, at least 1 million visitors a year are expected.”