About 30km southeast of Mardin is the village of Dara with its ancient Roman garrison city ruins dating back to the 6th century. Dara is where Mesopotamia's first dam and irrigation canals were built. Various sites are scattered throughout the modern village including a series of rock-cut tombs with a catacomb site and two underground cisterns with a cathedral-like ambience.
The Antik Dara Cafe beside the main rock-tomb site entry provides refreshments. Taxis from Mardin charge around ₺180 return for a trip including Dara and Deyrul Zafaran.