Iraq is a country that is suffering greatly from global warming. The drought caused by this disaster affects not only the inhabitants but also the landscape.
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On the banks of the Tigris River, the drought is extreme, forcing the government to take radical decisions to save the plantations. And as the country draws on its most important water reservoir, an ancient city has suddenly resurfaced, as reported by The Independent.
The ancient city of Zakhiku
There are archaeological sites that we look for, and there are those that come to us. Kemune belongs to the second category. Near the Mosul reservoir, in northern Iraq, a real ancient city was revealed to archaeologists.
The event was so sudden and unexpected that the researchers had to set up, finance, and send a team to the site in just a few days... The risk being that the water would return to engulf this precious ancient city.
According to the University of Tübingen, which sent some of its researchers, it could be the ruins of the ancient city of Zakhiku, from the Mitanni Empire. According to the archaeologists' estimates, it was particularly active at the end of the Bronze Age, between 1550 and 1350 B.C. This city would have been at the centre of the Mitanni Empire (a union of several Hourrite kingdoms) and would have been a thriving place 3400 years ago. At least that's what the excavations reveal.
"A 3,400-year-old Mittani Empire-era city once located on the Tigris River emerged from the waters of the Mosul reservoir in Iraq as water levels fell rapidly due to extreme drought. Possibly Zakhiku (ca. 1550–1350 B.C.)." https://t.co/ofoh3SS1RNpic.twitter.com/Q7Ivll6rwT
— Wrath Of Gnon (@wrathofgnon) May 30, 2022
A city full of palaces
The archaeologists didn't have much time to do their research. But they were dazzled by their findings. In a statement, the University of Tübingen said it had found a palace, fortifications, towers and cuneiform tablets.
Professor Ivana Puljiz states that one of the huge buildings found 'is of particular importance because huge quantities of goods must have been stored there, probably from the whole region,' which would indeed make Zakhiku an important city of the Mitanni Empire.
Finally, the site is submerged again, but plastic sheeting has been laid down by researchers to preserve the remaining ruins and artefacts.
This article has been translated from Gentside FR.
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