Cizre
Encyclopedia
Cizre is a town and district of Şırnak Province
in the Southeastern Anatolia Region
of Turkey
, located at the border to Syria
, just to the north-west of the Turkish-Syrian-Iraqi
tripoint
.
It is populated by a majority of Kurds
and Assyrian/Syriac people in addition to Arabs. It is surrounded by the Tigris
from the North, East and South, which has given it its name, which means island in Arabic.
period and the Crusades
as a gateway connecting Upper Mesopotamia to Armenia.
During the Early Iron Age, Cizre was in the kingdom of Kumme, north of Assyria.
In classical antiquity, it was located in Corduene
(Kardu). In 19th century scholarship, it was often named as the location of Alexander's crossing of the Tigris in 331 BC, further identified with the Roman stronghold of Bezabde although Stein (1942) is sceptical of this.
In medieval Islamic tradition, it is the location of Thamanin, the town founded by Noah
at the foot of Mount Judi
where the Ark
came to rest, and a "tomb of Noah" as well as a "tomb of Mem and Zin
" can be visited in Cizre.
Al-Masudi
(d. 956) reports that the spot where the ark landed could still be seen in his time. Benjamin of Tudela
in the 12th century adds that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb had made the remnants of the ark into a mosque.
Cizre was the seat of the East Syrian bishops of Beth Zabdaï
(later Gazarta d'Beth Zabdaï) as early as the fourth century, and the seat of the Chaldean bishops of Gazarta
in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The East Syrian population of the Gazarta region was severely reduced in the 1915 Seyfo massacres, and the Chaldean diocese of Gazarta lapsed after the First World War.
at this area. The state roads (via Midyat
) and (European route ) (via Nusaybin) that connect Mardin
with Şırnak
, as well as the route to Silopi
run through the town.
The border checkpoint
in Cizre, the gate to Malikiye in Syria
, was in use between 1940-1972.
Cizre, with +48.6°C (119.5°F) on July 30, 2000, holds the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Turkey.
Şırnak Province
The Şırnak Province is a Turkish province in southeastern Anatolia. It has a population of 430,109 . The population was 353,197 in 2000....
in the Southeastern Anatolia Region
Southeastern Anatolia Region
Southeastern Anatolia Region is one of Turkey's seven census-defined geographical regions . It is bordered by the Mediterranean Region to the west, the Eastern Anatolia Region to the north, Syria to the south, and Iraq to the southeast.-Provinces:...
of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, located at the border to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, just to the north-west of the Turkish-Syrian-Iraqi
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
tripoint
Tripoint
A tripoint, or trijunction , is a geographical point at which the borders of three countries or subnational entities meet....
.
It is populated by a majority of Kurds
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
and Assyrian/Syriac people in addition to Arabs. It is surrounded by the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
from the North, East and South, which has given it its name, which means island in Arabic.
History
Cizre is historical Jazīrat ibn ʿUmar (or Jezira ibn Umar or Gazarta) , an important town during the AbbasidAbbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
period and the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
as a gateway connecting Upper Mesopotamia to Armenia.
During the Early Iron Age, Cizre was in the kingdom of Kumme, north of Assyria.
In classical antiquity, it was located in Corduene
Corduene
Corduene was an ancient region located in northern Mesopotamia and modern day Kurdish inhabited south east Turkey. It was a province of the Greater Armenia. It was referred to by the Greeks as Karduchia and by both the Greeks and Romans as Corduene...
(Kardu). In 19th century scholarship, it was often named as the location of Alexander's crossing of the Tigris in 331 BC, further identified with the Roman stronghold of Bezabde although Stein (1942) is sceptical of this.
In medieval Islamic tradition, it is the location of Thamanin, the town founded by Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
at the foot of Mount Judi
Mount Judi
Mount Judi , according to very Early Christian and Islamic tradition , is the Noah's apobaterion or "Place of Descent", the location where the Ark came to rest after the Great Flood....
where the Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
came to rest, and a "tomb of Noah" as well as a "tomb of Mem and Zin
Mem and Zin
Mam and Zin is a Kurdish classic love story written down 1692 and is considered to be the épopée of Kurdish literature. It is the most important work of Kurdish writer and poet Ahmad Khani...
" can be visited in Cizre.
Al-Masudi
Al-Masudi
Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Mas'udi , was an Arab historian and geographer, known as the "Herodotus of the Arabs." Al-Masudi was one of the first to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work, Muruj adh-dhahab...
(d. 956) reports that the spot where the ark landed could still be seen in his time. Benjamin of Tudela
Benjamin of Tudela
Benjamin of Tudela was a medieval Jewish traveler who visited Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 12th century. His vivid descriptions of western Asia preceded those of Marco Polo by a hundred years...
in the 12th century adds that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb had made the remnants of the ark into a mosque.
Cizre was the seat of the East Syrian bishops of Beth Zabdaï
Nisibis (East Syrian Ecclesiastical Province)
The Nisibis region was a metropolitan province of the Church of the East between the fifth and seventeenth centuries. The province of Nisibis had a number of suffragan dioceses at different periods in its history, including Arzun, Beth Rahimaï, Beth Qardu , Beth Zabdaï, Qube d’Arzun, Balad,...
(later Gazarta d'Beth Zabdaï) as early as the fourth century, and the seat of the Chaldean bishops of Gazarta
Gazarta (Chaldean Diocese)
The Chaldean diocese of Gazarta , named for the town of Jezira , known in Syriac as Gazarta d'Beth Zabdai, was established on a stable basis in the early nineteenth century...
in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The East Syrian population of the Gazarta region was severely reduced in the 1915 Seyfo massacres, and the Chaldean diocese of Gazarta lapsed after the First World War.
Cizre today
Cizre is located on the River Tigris, which forms the border line with SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
at this area. The state roads (via Midyat
Midyat
Midyat is an originally Assyrian/Syriac town in Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the epicenter of a centuries-old Assyrian/Syriac enclave in Southeast-Turkey, widely familiar under its Syriac name Tur Abdin. A cognate of the name Midyat is first encountered in an inscription of the...
) and (European route ) (via Nusaybin) that connect Mardin
Mardin
Mardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arabic-like architecture, and for its strategic location on a rocky mountain overlooking the plains of northern Syria.-History:...
with Şırnak
Sirnak
Şırnak is a town in southeastern Turkey. It is the capital of Şırnak Province, a new province that split from the Hakkari province...
, as well as the route to Silopi
Silopi
Silopi is a district of Şırnak Province in Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region, close to the border with Iraq. The district, composed of Silopi center, 3 depending townships with own municipalities and 23 villages has an urban population of 73,400 .The Habur frontier gate, the only major...
run through the town.
The border checkpoint
Border checkpoint
A border checkpoint is a place, generally between two countries, where travellers and/or goods are inspected. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders often have a limited number of checkpoints where they can be crossed without legal...
in Cizre, the gate to Malikiye in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, was in use between 1940-1972.
Cizre, with +48.6°C (119.5°F) on July 30, 2000, holds the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Turkey.