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Kırmızı Madrasa

The Kırmızı Madrasa (Kırmızı Medrese) was built atop the city’s western walls. The madrasa includes the family cemetery of the Cizre emirs and the tomb of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Jazeri, the scientist, poet, and literary scholar. The exact date of construction is unknown, as the building lacks a cornerstone inscription and an endowment; but experts believe the building dates from the first quarter of the 14th century.

The madrasa features an inner courtyard, with classrooms, a dining hall and teacher accommodations in the east, west and north. In the southwest quadrant is a square-plan room decorated with beautiful motifs. This room was used by the poet and writer Sheikh Ahmed Al-Jazeri, as well as by Sheikh Ibrahim Sori, a grandfather of Mufti Mullah Zade.

The madrasa is called the Red Madrasa because it was built with the red bricks unique to Cizre.

The Tomb of the Prophet Noah

It is believed that the Prophet Noah, considered since the flood to be the second father of humanity, was buried in the shrine inside the mosque named after him. The tomb is below the ground; the upper levels of the mosque had deteriorated over time but when repairs were made, the tomb and mosque were both restored.

The Tomb of the Prophet Noah (Hz. Nuh Türbesi) was first used as a synagogue, then a church. In CE 639, it became a mosque. It is one of the oldest tombs in the world!

The renowned historians İbnülesin Firuzabadi, from Cizre, Evliya Çelebi, Katip Çelebi, Ebubekir Helevi and Babilli Berassus (Bersis) have written that this tomb belongs to Prophet Noah.

Abdaliye Madrasa and the Tomb of Mem U Zin

Abdaliye Madrasa (Abdaliye Medresesi) is on the rampants of Cizre. The Mem-u Zin Tomb (Mem U Zin Türbesi) is underground, in the basement under the administration rooms of the madrasa. There are three graves, which belong to Zin, Bekir and Mem. Mem-u Zin is a story about divine love, and the existence of the tomb keeps this legend alive.

Grand Mosque

Set in the Cizre city centre, the mosque has survived to the present, with additions and repairs performed at different times. There are eight inscriptions on the structure. These inscriptions indicate that the mosque was erected during the Mosul Atabeks Era, between 1155 and 1160, and was repaired in 1203 and in 1284. The most recent repair took place in 2007. The mosque’s metal door and its dragon-shaped door knockers on it are displayed in the İstanbul Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.

Hamidiye Military Barracks

The Hamidiye Military Barracks (Hamidiye Kışlası) is in the centre of Cizre district, on the south side of the inner castle. The barracks were built in the last period of the Ottoman Empire by stone masters from Cizre and Midyat. The building was commissioned by the chief of the Cizre Miran Tribes, Mustafa Pasha (Mısto-i Miri), who was appointed as a pasha by Sultan Abdülhamid II.

Cizre Castle

Cizre Castle (Cizre Kalesi), erected in the Cizre district centre, on the banks of the Tigris River (Dicle Nehri), consists of outer and inner castles. The castle’s construction process can be determined from its ruins, dating from the Roman and Byzantine periods to the reigns of Mosul Atabeks and Cizre Beys – from the 7th to the 16th century.

Virgin Mary Church

The Virgin Mary Church (Meryem Ana Kilisesi) is in the İdil district centre, in the old residential area. The church belongs to the Syriac Orthodox Community and is currently active and open for worship. A bell tower was a later addition to the church.

Öğündük Monastery

The Öğündük Monastery (Öğündük Manastırı) is in Öğündük Village, an Assyrian village. Built as a monastery complex, the church is on the north end of the inner courtyard, with a two-storey classroom on the west side and a catacomb on the east. The courtyard is entered from the south through a monumental door. The church is currently active and open for worship.