From Deir-az-Zur it is possible to visit two sets of Mesopotamian ruins Dura-Europos and Mari that are located between the city and the Iraqi border and beside the Euphrates River. Both sites can be easily visited in a single day from Deir-az-Zur by catching one of the many minibuses that run from the city towards the Iraqi border along Highway 4 as both sites are less than 1 km from the highway. Traveling southwards from Deir-az-Zur the first ruins that are reached are Dura-Europos and about 10 km further south is the complex of Mari. Returning minibuses to Deir-az-Zur can be flagged down on the highway.
