Atlas of Battles

siege, ancient

Siege of Nisibis

Siege of Nisibis was a siege conducted in AD 252 at Nusaybin, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Roman–Sasanian wars, which ran from AD 224 to AD 363. The recorded result: Sasanian victory. Recorded strength: 2,000–5,000 Legionaries against Unknown.

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FoughtAD 252
WhereNusaybin, Turkey37.083N, 41.217E
OutcomeSasanian victory
BelligerentsRoman EmpireagainstSasanian Empire
Part ofRoman–Sasanian warsShapur I's Syrio-Mesopotamian campaign

Where it sits in the Roman–Sasanian wars

First Mesopotamian campaign of Ardashir I, AD 229Ardashir I's Siege of Hatra, AD 229Sassanid campaign of Severus Alexander, AD 230Siege of Nisibis, AD 235Second Mesopotamian campaign of Ardashir I, AD 237Siege of Dura-Europos, AD 239Fall of Hatra, AD 240Sasanian campaign of Gordian III, AD 242Battle of Resaena, AD 243Battle of Misiche, AD 244Siege of Dura-Europos, AD 250Battle of Barbalissos, AD 252Siege of Nisibis, AD 252Siege of Antioch, AD 253Siege of Emesa, AD 253Battle of Edessa, AD 260Siege of Antioch, AD 260Siege of Caesarea, AD 260Odaenathus' Sasanian campaigns, AD 261Carus and Numerian's Sasanian campaign, AD 283Sasanian campaigns of Galerius, AD 296Julian's Persian expedition, AD 363AD 229AD 363Siege of Nisibis, AD 252
22 placed engagements of the Roman–Sasanian wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 252 (year precision)
PlaceNusaybin, Turkey
37.083N, 41.217E
KindSiege, ancient
Territorial changeSasanians capture Nisibis.
Strength2,000–5,000 LegionariesUnknown
Commanders
Siege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisMosulDiyarbakırBatmanTall AfarMardinAl HasakahDuhokSiirt100 km37.083N, 41.217E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between 68 BC and AD 573.

In the same war

Siege of Nisibis is one of 97 engagements of the 3rd century in the atlas and one of 687 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q53813053, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Nisibis (252), revision 1370744035, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.