Lake Hamrin is a human-made
lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
approximately north-east of
Baqubah, in Iraq's
Diyala Governorate
Diyala Governorate ( ) or Diyala Province is a Governorates of Iraq, governorate in northeastern Iraq.
Provincial Government
*Governor: Muthanna al-Tamimi
*Deputy Governor: Mohammed Jassim al-Jubouri
Council
Geography
Diyala Governorate ...
. The town of
Hamrin sits on the western shore of the lake, both of which are at the southern tip of the Hamrin mountains. The
Hemrin Dam, which creates Lake Hamrin, was established in 1981 as an artificial dam to hold over two billion cubic metres of water. It is a source of fish and also provides water for nearby
date palm
''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as the date palm, is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet #Fruits, fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across North Africa, northern A ...
orchards and other farms. In June 2008, it was reported that due to
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ian damming of the
Alwand River, the lake had lost nearly 80% of its capacity.
Archaeological excavations
In the late 1970s, prior to the flooding of the lake, several archaeological sites in the flood plain were excavated. Excavations were led by various international organisations, such as the British Archaeological Expedition, as well as the Iraqi State Organisation for Antiquities and Heritage. Sites excavated include the
Ubaid period sites of
Tell Abada,
Tell Madhur,
Tell Saadiya, Tell Rubeidheh,
Tell Rashid and Tell Haizalun. The Hamrin sites probably shared a localised form of the Ubaid culture and possibly operated as one administrative unit based out of Tell Abada.
[Jasim, S. 1985. "The Ubaid period in Iraq. Recent excavations in the Hamrin region." British Archaeological Reports International Series: 267]
File:Polychrome painted jar, geometric designs and animals, the so-called "Scarlet Ware". From Iraq, Tell Abu Qasim (Arabic تل ابو قاسم), Hamrin Basin, Diyala Valley. 2800-2000 BCE. Iraq Museum.jpg, Polychrome painted jar, geometric designs and animals, the so-called "Scarlet Ware". From Tell Abu Qasim at Hamrin Basin. 2800-2600 BCE. Iraq Museum
File:Painted pottery jar with geometric motifs and birds. From Tell Hasan, Hamrin Valley, Iraq. 5th millennium BCE. Iraq Museum, Baghdad.jpg, Painted pottery jar with geometric motifs and birds. From Tell Hasan at Hamrin Basin. 5th millennium BCE. Iraq Museum
References
Hamrin
Diyala Governorate
Hamrin
Ubaid period
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