Sites

The places themselves, mostly mounds now. Uruk, Ur, Eridu, Nippur, Girsu, Babylon, Nineveh, Nimrud, Assur, Khorsabad and Mari, and the ziggurats at Ur, Aqar Quf and Choga Zanbil. Aerial and satellite imagery, including the looting pits that only show from above. Also the reconstructions built on top of the ruins, which are their own kind of historical document.

Part of Mesopotamia

132 moments in this segment.

1. 883 BC - Miniature corbel ("hand of Ishtar") MET DP-13085-001. 883 BC. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video.
2. 1855 - Vestiges of Assyria. Sheet lst an Ichnographic Sketch of the remains of ancient Nineveh with the enceinte of the modern Mosul... ; Sheet 2nd. 1b53102706h (1 of 3). Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video.
3. 1884 - Cyrus cylinder extract. The Cyrus Cylinder, a Babylonian foundation deposit recording Cyrus the Great's capture of Babylon in 539 BC, the event that ends this archive's ancient span. It is often described as the first charter of human rights, a modern reading that the text itself does not support: it is a conventional Mesopotamian royal building inscription in form.
4. 1923 - Baghdad 1923 Bell Cornwallis Eskell Bourdillon. Photograph of various British and Iraqi dignitaries in Baghdad in 1923 during the era of en:Mandatory Iraq . From second left to right in the front row, en:Kinahan Cornwallis , en:Sassoon Eskell , en:Gertrude Bell . Standing behind Gertrude Bell is en:Bernard Henry Bourdillon . Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
5. 1932 - Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. A general view of the ruins LOC matpc.16187. Title: Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. A general view of the ruins Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
6. 1932 - Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. The ruins showing remains of ancient castle in background LOC matpc.16186. Title: Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. The ruins showing remains of ancient castle in background Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
7. 1932 - Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. El-Qala'a. The castle. A close view LOC matpc.16188. Title: Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. El-Qala'a. The castle. A close view Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
8. 1932 - Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). Temple of Nannar, the moon God LOC matpc.16103. Title: Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). Temple of Nannar, the moon God Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
9. 1932 - Iraq. Babylon 'the great.' Various views of the crumbling ruins. The Via Sacra LOC matpc.16076. Title: Iraq. Babylon "the great." Various views of the crumbling ruins. The Via Sacra Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
10. 1932 - Iraq. Babylon 'the great.' Various views of the crumbling ruins. Among the great palaces LOC matpc.16073. Title: Iraq. Babylon "the great." Various views of the crumbling ruins. Among the great palaces Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
11. 1932 - Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). The great ziggurat LOC matpc.16092. The Great Ziggurat of Ur, built by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC and partly reconstructed under Saddam Hussein. It is one of the few Mesopotamian sites with standing architecture, because most were built in mud brick and mud brick melts into mounds.
12. 1932 - Iraq. Birs Nimrud. (Possibly the Tower of Babel). So-called Tower of Babel. Distant view LOC matpc.16129. Etemenanki, the ziggurat of Babylon, is commonly identified with the Tower of Babel. The identification is a reasonable inference rather than an attested fact, and almost nothing of the structure survives above foundation level.
13. 1932 - Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). The ziggurat from the N.W. LOC matpc.16094. Title: Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). The ziggurat from the N.W. Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
14. 1932 - Iraq. Babylon 'the great.' Various views of the crumbling ruins. Massive brick buildings LOC matpc.16072. Title: Iraq. Babylon "the great." Various views of the crumbling ruins. Massive brick buildings Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
15. 1933 - CH-NB - Irak, Uruk (Warka)- Zikurrat - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-03-131. Irak, Uruk (Warka): Zikurrat; Ansicht Zikkurat aus der Ferne. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
16. 1934 - Grave of Meskalamdug (PG 755, B) at Ur, next to royal tomb PG 779 (A) and royal tomb PG 777 (C). Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
17. 2003 - WRAP Bremer tours mass grave site and Babylon. Paul Bremer tours Babylon during the occupation. The Coalition Provisional Authority period is when the base at Babylon was established.
18. 2004 - Ancient ruins of Babylon back under Iraqi control. Babylon returns to Iraqi control. The site was occupied by coalition forces after 2003 and Camp Alpha caused documented damage to ancient fabric.
19. 2007 - Saddam Hussein's Mission to Rebuild Babylon. Saddam Hussein's programme to rebuild Babylon, laying new brick on ancient foundations with his own name stamped into it. The reconstruction is now itself part of the site's documented history and a reason its World Heritage listing took so long.
20. 2007 - General Edgington visits Ali Air Base DVIDS64692. Chaplain (Capt.) Robert Borger gives a guided tour to Maj. Gen. David Edgington Oct. 26, at the Great Ziggurat of Ur. Borger explained to Edgington the historic and biblical importance of the area and how the ancient city of Ur was the blue print for future civilizations.
21. 2007 - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates meets with military policemen and security guards at the Great Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2007 Defen. 070119-D-7203T-021. The Great Ziggurat of Ur, built by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC and partly reconstructed under Saddam Hussein. It is one of the few Mesopotamian sites with standing architecture, because most were built in mud brick and mud brick melts into mounds.
22. 2007 - Defense.gov photo essay 070119-D-7203T-016. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates receives a tour of one of the structures next to the Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2007. The ziggurat was believed to be a place of worship, dedicated to the moon god Nanna in the Sumerian city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia.
23. 2008 - Flickr - The U.S. Army - www.Army.mil (130). Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video.
24. 2008 - Flickr - The U.S. Army - 081215-F-5855M-047. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video.
25. 2010-01-05 - Conservation Project - Babylon, Iraq. A World Monuments Fund conservation project at Babylon. The site was used as a military base after 2003, and the resulting damage from Camp Alpha is documented in the WMF and UNESCO assessments.
26. 2010-06-03 - Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (UNESCO/NHK). Ashur, Qal'at Sherqat, presented by UNESCO. The city gave Assyria both its name and its chief god, and it remained the ceremonial centre after the political capital moved.
27. 2010-06-03 - Hatra (UNESCO/NHK). Hatra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Iraq. Hatra is a Parthian-era city, so it is not Mesopotamian in the third to first millennium BC sense, and it should be labelled as what it is.
28. 2010 - Iraq elections: The palace that Nebuchadnezzar built. The palace built at Babylon under Saddam Hussein, overlooking the ancient city. Modern rulers have repeatedly used Mesopotamian antiquity to make claims about themselves.
29. 2010 - Operation Iraqi Freedom DVIDS284466. The Great Ziggurat of Ur, built by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC and partly reconstructed under Saddam Hussein. It is one of the few Mesopotamian sites with standing architecture, because most were built in mud brick and mud brick melts into mounds.
30. 2010 - Operation Iraqi Freedom DVIDS284469. U.S. Soldiers from 17th Fires Brigade walk the stair case of one of the most well-preserved monuments from the remote age of the Sumerians, the Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq near Contingency Operating Base Adder, May 18. The Ziggurat was constructed as a place of worship in the 21st century B.C.
31. 2010 - Operation Iraqi Freedom DVIDS284470. U.S. Soldiers from 17th Fires Brigade visit a historical site, the Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq near Contingency Operating Base Adder, May 18. The Ziggurat was constructed by King Ur-Nammu as a place of worship in the 21st century B.C.
32. 2010 - Enki Bilal 20100328 Salon du livre de Paris 1. Enki Bilal au Salon du livre de Paris lors de la conférence Dessine-moi un roman . Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
33. 2011 - Conservation worries for Iraq's ancient Ur site. Conservation concerns at Ur. Woolley dug here from 1922 to 1934, and the site has been managed with limited resources ever since.
34. 2011-08-23 - Conservation Science - Documenting Babylon, Iraq. Documenting Babylon through conservation science. Recording condition precisely is the precondition for any conservation decision at a mudbrick site.
35. 2012 - Iraq battle pits oil against Babylon antiquities. A dispute over oil development at Babylon. Iraq's archaeological sites sit on land wanted for other uses, and the state must weigh both.
36. 2012 - -330-130 Assur Kesselpauken-Keilschrift-Text anagoria. Text on stretching of a membrane over the large kettledrum; Ashur (Iraq); ca. 330-130 BC. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
37. 2012-12-31 - Mari- Tell el-Hariri ماري-تل الحريري. The site of Mari, Tell Hariri, on the Syrian Euphrates. Mari was a major Amorite centre destroyed by Hammurabi of Babylon around 1760 BC, which is why its archive stops abruptly.
38. 2015 - Reviving the marshlands in southern Iraq | Journal. Reviving the marshlands of southern Iraq. Marsh drainage in the 1990s was a deliberate act against the population living there, and reflooding has been partial and fragile.
39. 2015 - World Heritage site of Hatra. The World Heritage site of Hatra. Facade sculpture was destroyed on video in 2015, though the damage proved less total than early reports suggested and substantial architecture survives.
40. 2015 - Babylon ruins torn between preservation and profit. Babylon's ruins caught between preservation and development. Oil infrastructure and pipelines have repeatedly threatened the site's buffer zone.
41. 2015 - Qizqapan (Seriserd) archaeological cave tomb in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq 13. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
42. 2015-10-15 - Visiting Babylon. Smarthistory visits Babylon. Koldewey's German excavation from 1899 found no trace of the Hanging Gardens, and Nebuchadnezzar, who recorded his building works obsessively, never mentions them.
43. 2016-01-28 - Conservation Science - Ishtar Gate Flythrough, Babylon, Iraq. A digital flythrough of the Ishtar Gate at Babylon. Three-dimensional recording has become the standard response to sites that cannot be safely rebuilt.
44. 2016 - Sumerian ruins gain UNESCO heritage status
45. 2016 - Street in Babylon. A reconstructed portion of the ruins of Babylon. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
46. 2016 - 20160105-Abraham house in Ur Iraq. The alleged Abraham house in Ur city, Dhi Qar, southern Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
47. 2016-10-18 - Conservation Project - Documentation of the Ishtar Gate, Iraq. Documentation of the Ishtar Gate remains at Babylon in Iraq, as distinct from the reconstruction in Berlin. Part of the gate stayed in the ground and part of it went to Germany.
48. 2017 - Jerwan archaeological site, part of Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib's canal system 19. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
49. 2017 - Road near Jerwan archaeological site, part of Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib's canal system 05. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
50. 2017-08-09 - Uruk Mesopotamia Iraq. Uruk in southern Iraq, the largest city in the world in the late fourth millennium BC. Population estimates for Uruk vary widely between surveys, so a range is the honest figure.
51. 2017-12-04 - Ishtar Gate, Babylon 3D Laser Scanning and Modeling. Laser scanning and modelling the Ishtar Gate at Babylon. Scanning captures the surviving fabric as measured data rather than as interpretation.
52. 2018 - Views around Khenis archaeological site related to Assyrian king Sennacherib's aqueduct system 04. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
53. 2018 - Palazzo Mari pianta. Trattasi dell'ingrandimento della parte relativa al palazzo di Mari del file Mari landmarks.png presente su wikimedia commons nel quale ho evidenziato personalmente i resti dei muri ed inserito le indicazioni delle stanze. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
54. 2018 - Views around Khenis archaeological site related to Assyrian king Sennacherib's aqueduct system 18. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
55. 2019 - Babylon recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Babylon is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, after decades of failed attempts. Saddam-era reconstruction and later military damage were the main obstacles to inscription.
56. 2019 - The City of Babylon: Earns UNESCO recognition as World Heritage Site. Babylon earns UNESCO recognition. Inscription brings obligations of management and protection as well as status.
57. 2019 - UNESCO Names Ancient City of Babylon a World Heritage Site. Babylon named a World Heritage Site. The city was Nebuchadnezzar II's capital and fell to Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, the closing date of the ancient half of this archive.
58. 2019 - Iraq's Marsh Arabs facing threats of climate change. The Marsh Arabs facing climate pressure in southern Iraq. Reduced river flow and rising salinity are now the main threat to the marshes.
59. 2019 - 37. Qalatga Darband, near Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Qalatga Darband, near Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
60. 2019 - 39. Qalatga Darband, near Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Qalatga Darband, near Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
61. 2019 - Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
62. 2019 - Trümmerteil mit Keilschrift . ' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video.
63. 2019-07-02 - Sennacherib Archaeological Park - Khinis. The Sennacherib Archaeological Park at Khinis in Iraqi Kurdistan. The canal head, the reliefs and the aqueduct at Jerwan form one hydraulic scheme of the early seventh century BC.
64. 2019-09-10 - Jerwan Lato Nord Iscrizione 2. An inscription on the north side of the Jerwan aqueduct. Sennacherib recorded his waterworks in building inscriptions, in contrast with Nebuchadnezzar's silence about any gardens at Babylon.
65. 2019-09-10 - Jerwan Lato Sud Iscrizione 4. A second inscription at Jerwan, on the south side. The aqueduct is one of the earliest known stone bridge-aqueducts anywhere.
66. 2020-02-25 - Hatra, un patrimonio artistico e archeologico a rischio. Hatra as an artistic and archaeological heritage at risk. Italian missions have worked in northern Iraq for decades and carried out much of the assessment.
67. 2020 - Golden dagger and sheath - Ur RT. Gold dagger and scabbard, from the royal tomb of Ur PG 580, grave of A'anepada, son of Mesanepada. v. 2550-2400 BC AD. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
68. 2020 - Warka interior. Wnętrze kościoła Matki Bożej Szkaplerznej w Warce. Zdjęcie w kierunku głównego ołtarza. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
69. 2020 - Clou de fondation du temple de ningirsu. Foundation nail of the temple of Ningirsu in Lagash. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
70. 2020 - PlacaCuadradaTemploIshtarKidmuriNimrud. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video.
71. 2020 - AccesorioMueblesNimrud. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video.
72. 2020 - PieDeTrípodePalacioNoroesteNimrud. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video.
73. 2020-09-18 - Babylon (Iraq)-Site management during COVID-19 pandemic. Site management at Babylon during the Covid-19 pandemic. Continuity of guarding matters at sites where looting rises whenever supervision falls.
74. 2020-10-26 - Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Iraq)-Site management during COVID-19 pandemic. Site management at Ashur during the Covid-19 pandemic. Iraqi site staff kept working through the closures that stopped international missions.
75. 2021-03-20 - Discover Ur, Iraq. A tour of Ur in southern Iraq. The ziggurat, the royal cemetery and the residential quarter Woolley excavated are all on the same mound.
76. 2021-04-13 - Drone video of Khinis, Maltai and Jerwan. Drone footage of Khinis, Maltai and Jerwan in northern Iraq. These belong to Sennacherib's canal system for watering Nineveh, and that engineering is central to Stephanie Dalley's argument that the Hanging Gardens were at Nineveh rather than Babylon.
77. 2021-05-03 - Great Ziggurat of Ur - Madain Project. The Great Ziggurat of Ur at Tell al-Muqayyar. Its lower stage was heavily restored under Saddam Hussein, so the stepped mass visitors see is partly modern brick on an Ur III core built under Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC.
78. 2021-05-09 - Khinis and the Great Relief of Sennacherib. Khinis and the great rock relief of Sennacherib at the head of his canal. The Hanging Gardens question has three live positions: Babylon, Nineveh, or a Greek literary construct with no single referent.
79. 2021-05-09 - Aerial View of Babylon, Mesopotamia.. An aerial view of Babylon. From above, a Mesopotamian city reads as a tell, a mound built up from centuries of collapsed mudbrick, which is why aerial imagery carries these sites better than ground photography.
80. 2021-05-11 - Jerwan. The aqueduct at Jerwan, built by Sennacherib to carry water to Nineveh. Its existence shows the capacity to water terraced gardens on a large scale, which is one strand of the Nineveh case for the Hanging Gardens, a case that is respected and is not consensus.
81. 2021 - Drone shots and reax to pope's visit to Ur. Drone footage of Ur during the papal visit. The visit brought unusual international attention to a site that is otherwise rarely filmed.
82. 2021 - Ancient Mesopotamian marshes threatened by Iraqi sewage | AFP. Sewage threatens the Mesopotamian marshes. Pollution compounds the water shortage in a landscape already reduced from its historic extent.
83. 2021 - Pope Francis arrives in the ancient city of Ur for interfaith service | AFP. Pope Francis arrives at Ur in March 2021 for an interfaith service. Ur is identified in Genesis as Abraham's city, an association that is scripturally significant and archaeologically unattested.
84. 2021 - Ruins of the Christian church or monastery at Darband-i Bazian, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Sassanian to early Islamic period, 3rd-7th century CE. S
85. 2021 - Panoramic view showing the temple complex (left) and the ziggurat at Dur-Kurigalzu, western Baghdad, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
86. 2021 - View of church tower in Assyrian village of Arkah, Tur Abdin. A view of a church tower alongside houses in the Assyrian village of Arkah, Tur Abdin. The village is primarily Syriac Orthodox. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
87. 2021-06-18 - العاصمة الاشورية دور شاروكين Dur Sharrukin The capital of Assyria 707 BC. Dur-Sharrukin, the Assyrian capital founded around 707 BC, presented in Arabic. Sargon II built the city complete and it was effectively abandoned within a generation.
88. 2021-10-01 - OI Armchair Travelers: Iraq. An armchair tour of Iraq from the Oriental Institute. Mudbrick sites photograph as brown mounds, which is why aerial views and reconstruction carry them better.
89. 2021-12-09 - Uncover Ancient Babylon. Uncovering ancient Babylon with the World Monuments Fund. Koldewey excavated here from 1899 and found the Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way and Etemenanki's foundations, but never the Hanging Gardens.
90. 2021-12-29 - 1. Panorama view. Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar-Quf), Kassite era, western Baghdad, Iraq. December 29, 2021. Part of the so-called "temple complex" ap. (Aqar-Quf), Kassite era, western Baghdad, Iraq. December 29, 2021. Part of the so-called "temple complex" appears. The ziggurat is in the background. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
91. 2021-12-29 - 10. Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar-Quf), western Baghdad, Iraq. December 29, 2021. Part of the Kassite era ziggurat appears on the left. Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar-Quf), western Baghdad, Iraq. December 29, 2021. Part of the Kassite era ziggurat appears on the left. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
92. 2022 - UNESCO world heritage site was once the capital of the Assyrian empire. Assur, at Qal'at Sherqat, was the first capital and religious centre of Assyria and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was excavated by Walter Andrae for the German Oriental Society from 1903.
93. 2022 - Iraq's ancient city of Hatra reopens. Hatra reopens. Iraqi authorities retook the site in 2017 and have worked on it since.
94. 2022 - UNESCO world heritage site Hatra receives boost as tourists return. Tourists return to Hatra after its recapture and stabilisation. Reopening a site is a security judgement as much as a conservation one.
95. 2022 - Iraq's fading wetlands: UNESCO site threatened by climate change. Iraq's fading wetlands, a World Heritage site under climate stress. The Tigris and Euphrates carry far less water than they did, upstream damming included.
96. 2022 - 132. Erbil Citadel Visitor Center. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Erbil Citadel Visitor Center. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
97. 2022 - 187. The French Institute of the Near East (left). Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The French Institute of the Near East (left). Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
98. 2022 - 255. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The Citadel Antique shop (souvenirs). Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The Citadel Antique shop (souvenirs). Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
99. 2022 - 12. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
100. 2022 - 140. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
101. 2022 - 65. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
102. 2022 - 81. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
103. 2022 - 41. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
104. 2022 - 48. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
105. 2022 - 53. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
106. 2022 - 87. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
107. 2022 - 96. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
108. 2022 - Eridu.Canopus. Die Kulmination des Sterns Canopus auf dem südlichen Meridian von Eridu aus gesehen. Die sechs eingezeichneten Bahnen stehen von unten nach oben für die Jahre 4500, 4000, 3500, 3000, 2500 und 2000 vor Christus und zeigen die zunehmende scheinbare Helligkeit von Canopus im höchsten Punkt seiner Bahn.
109. 2022 - FIBD2022EnkiBilal. Enki Bilal au Festival d'Angoulême 2022 . Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
110. 2022 - 001125-Babylon-IMG 8087-2. Saddam Palace, View from Babylon, Hillah, Iraq - February 2022 - Photo by: Safa Daneshvar. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
111. 2022 - 001125-SaddamPalace-Iraq-IMG 8020-2. Saddam Palace, View from Babylon, Hillah, Iraq - February 2022 - Photo by: Safa Daneshvar قصر صدام حسین - نمایی از طرف شهر قدیم بابل، حله عراق، بهمن ۱۴۰۰ - عکس از صفا دانشور. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
112. 2022-09-15 - Restoring the Legendary Ishtar Gate: A Journey to Babylon’s Iconic Site. A World Monuments Fund programme on restoring the Ishtar Gate at Babylon. The gate carries the mushhushshu, the dragon of Marduk, alongside bulls of the storm god Adad.
113. 2022-09-15 - Journey to Babylon and discover the legendary Ishtar Gate.. World Monuments Fund on Babylon and the Ishtar Gate at the site itself. What stands at Babylon today includes substantial Saddam-era reconstruction built directly on the ancient foundations, which complicated the World Heritage case for decades.
114. 2023-03-02 - An Inside Look at the Ancient Sumerian City of Nippur | Unearthed | Science Channel. An overview of the Sumerian city of Nippur. Nippur was the cult centre of Enlil and a scholarly capital, and its school tablets are the main source for Sumerian literature.
115. 2023 - Iraq's marshes are dying, and a civilisation with them | AFP. The marshes of southern Iraq are drying, and a way of life with them. This is the landscape in which the earliest cities appeared, and its condition is a live archaeological as well as human question.
116. 2023 - The Ziggurat from Old Sacramento. A zoomed-in picture of The Ziggurat, taken from the Old Sacramento Historic District. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
117. 2024-05-15 - UrukVR - Digital Twin. UrukVR, a digital twin of Uruk from the German Archaeological Institute. Uruk was the largest city in the world in the late fourth millennium BC and the source of the earliest proto-cuneiform tablets.
118. 2024 - Chibayish Marshes in Iraq 30. Chibayish Marshes in Iraq - Nasiriyah. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
119. 2024 - Grilling Fish in Chibayish Marshes in Iraq 02. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
120. 2024 - Pelita at Mari Mari Cultural Village 01. Pelita torch at Mari Mari Cultural Village. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
121. 2024 - Pelita at Mari Mari Cultural Village. Pelita torch at Mari Mari Cultural Village. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
122. 2024 - Triumphal Entry of Alexander into Babylon. This panel is from the frieze called the Triumphal Entry of Alexander into Babylon. Depicted are Macedonian soldiers on horseback in the train of Alexander the Great.
123. 2024-10-22 - The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: A Biodiversity Haven and Ancient Mesopotamian Marvel. The Ahwar of southern Iraq, the Mesopotamian marshes, as biodiversity and cultural landscape. The marshes were drained in the 1990s and partially reflooded after 2003, and they are the living landscape closest to the ancient one.
124. 2025 - Iraq’s drought reveals hidden ancient ruins • FRANCE 24 English. Drought in Iraq exposes hidden ancient ruins. Falling water levels have revealed sites that were flooded by twentieth-century dam building.
125. 2025 - Iraq’s water buffalo herds dwindle as drought and dams shrink ancient marshlands. Water buffalo herds dwindle as drought and upstream dams shrink the ancient marshlands. Buffalo herding in the Ahwar is a continuity with the marsh economy visible in third-millennium imagery.
126. 2026-03-05 - The oldest bridge in the world | Curators' Corner S10 Ep12. British Museum curators on the mudbrick bridge at Girsu in southern Iraq, among the oldest known constructed bridges anywhere. Mesopotamian architecture is mudbrick, which is why so much of it now reads as brown mounds.
127. 2026 - Iraq restores ancient Ur site threatened by climate erosion. Iraq works to protect the site of Ur from climate erosion. Mudbrick and fired brick both suffer badly from salt and from changing rainfall patterns.
128. 2026 - Iraq's Ziggurat Of Ur Shows Signs of Damage as Loss of Storm Barriers Leaves Site Exposed |WION News. The Ziggurat of Ur shows damage after the loss of storm barriers. Conservation at Ur is now largely a matter of managing water and salt.
129. 2026 - Foundation nail from the Temple of Nin-Girsu built by Ur-Baba, governor of Lagash, Babylonian, c. 2250 BC, terracotta - California Palace of. 09698. Exhibit in the California Palace of the Legion of Honor - San Francisco, California, USA. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
130. 2026 - Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque - Nineveh - Mosul - Iraq 03. Photos to be added to Wikipedia Articles. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
131. 2026 - Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque - Nineveh - Mosul - Iraq 02. Photos to be added to Wikipedia Articles. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.
132. 2026 - Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque - Nineveh - Mosul - Iraq 01. Photos to be added to Wikipedia Articles. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon.