Global Arab Network | Tal al-Sheikh Hamad, an Assyrian City Inhabited since Fourth Millennium BC

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Tal al-Sheikh Hamad, an Assyrian City Inhabited since Fourth Millennium BC

Global Arab Network - - Maha Karim

Monday, 07 September 2009 16:40

Tal al-Sheikh Hamad, or Dor Katlimo as it was called in cuneiform tablets found 32 years ago by an archeological expedition, is an ancient Assyrian city dating back to the 4th millennium BC.

According to the cuneiform tablets, the Assyrian city which is located on the eastern bank of the Khabour river 70 kilometers from the city of Der el-Zor in northern Syria dates back to the Middle Assyrian period, in the days of Shalmaneser I (1274-1245 BC) and Tukulti-Ninurta I (1244-1208 BC).

Director of the Deir el-Zor Department of Archeology and Museums Yasser Shouhan noted that the position of the city of Dor Katlimo protected it from Khabour River floods, allowing it to remain populated from the 4th millennium BC until now.

The location witnessed the largest expansion in the Assyrian era between 1300 and 600 BC, covering an area of 110 hectares.

Consecutive excavations in the site uncovered a room full of cuneiform tablets and an archive room, which apparently was damaged in massive fire but kept intact nonetheless.

The archive contains 600 cuneiform tablets, one of which details the movement of military forces to the city, showing that it contained a garrison whose leader lived in the largest structure in the city, commonly known as the 'Red Castle'.

The discovery of the city provides valuable historic information showing that the borders of the Middle Assyrian Empire stretched up to the lower Khabour River, and that the city's main role was the protection of the empire's western front.

During the Neo-Assyrian period, Dor Katlimo was a military site on the road used by Assyrian kings.

The tablets found at the site bear seals which are traditionally used by senior officials. The seals themselves are works of arts, bearing images of winged bulls and winged gods.

The excavations which began in 1977 by a German expedition uncovered an exterior wall 200 meters from the city. The wall was protected by towers dating back to around the 9th and 6th century BC. Next to the wall was a structure probably used as a weapons store or barracks.

Excavations and restorations are ongoing until now, with restorations in 2008 and 2009 costing around SP 1.2 million. Most of the restorations were made in the 'Red Castle, with parts of it reconstructed with bricks and its courtyards paved, in addition to reconstructing decorative arches. (SANA) by Maha Karim.

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