Singara
Singara is an ancient city located in northern Mesopotamia, Iraq, near the Mygdonius river and the Jebel Sinjar mountains. Historically significant, it is mentioned in Assyrian records and has roots dating back to antiquity. The city gained prominence as a military base during the Roman Empire, particularly after being conquered by Trajan's general, Lusius Quietus, around AD 114. Singara served as a key strategic point on major trade routes, benefiting from its reestablishment as a colony under Septimius Severus. Despite its fortifications and military importance, it fell to the Persian king Sapor II in 360 after a siege. The remnants of the city, including sections of its fortifications and the site of an original settlement, reflect its historical significance and the various civilizations that have influenced its legacy. Today, Singara stands as a testament to the region's rich cultural and military history.
Subject Terms
Singara
(Balad Sinjar)
A city in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq) beside the water-course Mygdonius, west of the Tigris, on the southern slope of the Jebel Sinjar range. The settlement was of considerable antiquity, and is mentioned in Assyrian records.
A recently discovered milestone of AD 116 testifies to its conquest from the Parthians by Trajan's general Lusius Quietus, some two years earlier. Evacuated after the emperor's death in 117, it was reoccupied by the generals of Lucius Verus (162–65) and became a key military base in the frontier province of Mesopotamia reestablished by Septimius Severus (187–89). Occupying an important strategic and commercial position on routes toward the north (Trajan built a road to Nisibis [Nusaybin]), southwest (Chaboras [Khabur] valley) and southeast (Hatra), Singara was raised to the rank of a colony, under the name of Colonia Aurelia Septimia Severiana, and coined (in Greek) between the reigns of Severus Alexander (222–35) and Philip the Arab (244–49). The Jebel Sinjar mountains fulfilled an important role in the frontier defences established for protection against the Sassanian Persians (who had superseded the Parthians). In 360, however, as Ammianus Marcellinus records, Singara was captured—through the use of a large battering ram—by the Persian Sapor (Shapur) II from Julian the Apostate, with the loss of its whole garrison; and the fortress was ceded to him by Julian's successor Jovian in 363.
The outer and inner walls of the late Roman city, with their ditch and salient towers, can be traced (although much damaged) over a large part of their circumference. The nucleus of this town, and probably the site of the original settlement, is a steep-sided hill to the east of the Mygdonius, on which the Romans built a fortified citadel, including springs, on lower-lying ground within its perimeter. Remains of the south gate, through which the road from the Chaboras valley entered the city, can also be seen.