Cultural Heritage-Wise Analysis Based on Multilateral Comparanda Attesting to The Uniqueness of Castrum Zerzevan and its Mithraeum

The Zerzevan Fortress on the eastern borders of the Roman Empire reflects the prototype of the headquarters established by the Romans in Upper Mesopotamia. The fortress is one of the rare examples that has survived to the present day, partially preserving its plan scheme. It is also a quasi-civilian settlement where rituals of different belief systems and Roman military planning elements can be seen together. Dating back to the 1st-6th centuries AD, the castrum is a prototype of the castra Romana outside central Rome, with a carefully designed construction scheme and appearance matching a medium-sized garrison. Based on all the available architectural and archaeological data, without any assumptions or limitations, this paper endeavors to posit the rightfulness of the nomination of the site as a world cultural heritage as a unique testimony of the Roman world in Mesopotamia and the necessity for finalizing the process. It aims to demonstrate the site's uniqueness and show the reasons for its rarity all over the globe through national, regional, and continental comparanda, either on a fortress system, single-building, or duo scale. There is either a gap in the WHL regarding the co-presence of the duo of Castrum and Mihtraeum, or they have not been adequately represented in the same historical site/archaeological belonging so far. In this context and in comparison to counterparts, Zerzevan, with its Mithraeum, is a featured area where forts and mithraeums known from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, where Roman rule was established, can be best observed in a single point.