Gird-î Qalrakh is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in the Shahrizor Plain in

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. The archaeological site covers an area of 3 hectares according to the excavators; a geomagnetic survey indicated a size of 15 ha. At 26m high, Gird-î Qalrakh has been described as one of the highest mounds in the Shahrizor Plain.

Excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

have been carried out in 2016, 2017 and 2019 by a team from the

Goethe University Frankfurt Goethe University Frankfurt () is a public research university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt ...

. This research showed that the site has been almost continuously occupied from the third millennium BC into the Islamic period. Important discoveries include a substantial stone-built wall from the

Neo-Assyrian period The Neo-Assyrian Empire was the fourth and penultimate stage of ancient Assyrian history. Beginning with the accession of Adad-nirari II in 911 BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire grew to dominate the ancient Near East and parts of South Caucasus, Nort ...

, and a well-preserved

loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

from the

Sassanian period The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

. Together with the numerous

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

that have been discovered, this suggests that textile production may have been important at Gird-î Qalrakh during this period. File:September 11, 2016. The ancient mound of Gird-î Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraqi Kurdistan.jpg, Gird-î Qalrakh, September 11, 2016 File:September 11, 2016. Excavating the ancient mound of Gird-i Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraq.jpg, Excavatinons at Gird-i Qalrakh File:September 11, 2016. Excavations at the ancient mound of Gird-i Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraqi Kurdistan.jpg, Excavatinons at Gird-i Qalrakh. Shahrizor Plain appears in the background File:September 11, 2016. Excavation. The ancient mound of Gird-i Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraqi Kurdistan.jpg, Excavatinons at Gird-i Qalrakh

References

Further reading