Singara, Roman city in northern Iraq
Singara is an ancient Roman city in northern Iraq, situated on the southern slopes of the Jebel Sinjar mountains. Its ruins, found near the village of Balat Sinjar, include old stone walls, foundations, and remains from the period of Roman occupation.
The site was first seized by Rome under Emperor Trajan in 114 and later formally established as a colony under Emperor Septimius Severus in 197, bearing the Latin name Aurelia Septimia Colonia Singara. Before Roman rule, it had been settled since the Bronze Age and appears in records from the Assyrian Empire and the ancient Egyptian Amarna Letters.
The name Singara comes from ancient Akkadian and Aramaic and has survived in different forms across centuries. Today, the place is called Sinjar in Kurdish and Arabic, carrying the sound of those old languages into the present.
The site sits on flat, dry plains in northern Iraq where summers are very hot, so visiting during cooler months is a practical choice. Due to ongoing security concerns in the region, it is worth checking local conditions before planning a trip.
Singara was home to the Legio I Parthica, a legion created specifically to guard the far eastern border of the Roman Empire, making it one of the most remote Roman garrison posts ever established. Coins found at the site still bear the full Latin colonial name of the city, offering a direct link to its Roman past.
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