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Image Title calendar2024-01-28

Archaeological work in the region is concentrated in Slemani

Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage of Slemani, currently has many contracts and partnerships with several foreign universities and institutes for (surveying, excavation, reconstruction and maintenance….. etc) in Slemani province.

Image Title calendar2024-01-11

New exhibition of the archaeological investigations at Gird-i Yasin Tepe

The site is one of the largest tell-type sites in the Slemani Governorate and contains rich archaeological remains from the Neolithic to the Islamic periods.

Image Title calendar2025-01-17

Halaf and Late Chalcolithic occupations at Shakar Tepe in the Shahrizor Plain, Iraqi Kurdistan: Preliminary report of the 2023 excavations

The Shahrizor Plain is one of the ideal fields for tracking the transition from Neolithic village life in the Fertile Crescent to Urbanisation which occurred in Mesopotamia because of its geographical location connecting the mountainside valleys along the Zagros and the downstream Diyala River that flows into the Tigris. Our field project aims to obtain archaeological materials to unveil this process. Following the first excavations at Shakar Tepe conducted in 2019, we excavated two additional areas at this site in 2023, including one of the three satellite mounds that were newly identified around the main mound. The cultural remains of the Late Halaf settlement uncovered from Operation B at Shakar Tepe II date back to approximately 5600–5400 calBC. On the other hand, Operation C at Shakar Tepe I yielded a thick deposit of the Late Chalcolithic occupations dated to ca. 3800–3600 calBC. The recovered materials fill the time ranges in the late prehistoric chronology of the site and will contribute to our understanding of the historical role of this region in the transition from Neolithisation to Urbanisation.

The testing trench is located on the Bnawasuta-Penjwen project

Article Name

The Directorate of Archeology and Culture of Sulaimani continued their work and activities by conducting a test trench excavation in an area of 17 dunams in front of Bashmakh international gate, approximately 600 meters away. Despite working diligently on the land within the specified timeframe, no archaeological remains such as constructions, clay, or used and repaired stones were discovered in the pits.

However, during the land survey, some unidentified pieces of mud were found, which we believe do not belong to the site. It is likely that these mud pieces were either brought in through digging and transporting dust and debris or were deposited by floods and rain. This assumption is supported by the fact that the land had been previously used for other purposes and is now situated 3 to 4 meters lower. Upon completing the excavation and documenting the pits and their structures, the team drew the following conclusions:

1 - The land is situated far from hills and archaeological areas, and neither the land itself nor the underlying layers contain any archaeological remains.

2 - The soil composition primarily consists of mountains and blue rocks, along with a mixture of debris, garbage, plastic, and broken iron.