One km away from the city, along the east coast, there is an area destined for burials, which is located on the lower slopes of the Çanacik Tepe hill. This area is dominated by the slender outline of the Roman funerary monument known locally as the ‘Clock’. It dates to late imperial Roman times and is reminiscent of similar Syriac graves of this period, known as ‘tower’, ‘podium’, or ‘baldaquin’ tombs.

The monument was already described in the early 20th century by the Italian archaeologist Giacomo Guidi, who noted nearby the presence of tombs of ‘modest dimensions, formed by a great slab set on top of two nearby rocks’. Some are still visible today, and, on account of their shape, could date back to very ancient times. Guidi was also able to see the monument standing just beyond the ‘Clock’ in a much better preserved state than it is today. This seems to be a wide rectangular enclosure including a room off-centre at the back, a second external room against the east side, and a south looking façade provided with three great arches.