Opis, Archaeological site near Baghdad, Iraq
Opis is an excavation site on the eastern bank of the Tigris where it meets the Diyala, roughly 50 kilometers north of present-day Baghdad in Iraq. Beneath the surface lie layers of foundations, pottery shards and tools reaching back to the 14th century BCE.
In 539 BCE the battle between the Persian army under Cyrus and the Babylonian troops ended here, triggering the collapse of the Neo-Babylonian Empire within a few weeks. The victory opened Cyrus the route to Babylon and shifted the balance of power across Mesopotamia.
The river port connected Mesopotamian traders with caravans from the Iranian highlands, and this junction made the settlement a hub for spices, textiles and metals. Inhabitants from different regions lived side by side, their languages and customs mingling in the narrow lanes near the water.
The excavation site lies on flat ground near the river junction and is best reached from the eastern side. The absence of visible structures above ground means there is little shade, and visitors should prepare for dusty, uneven paths.
Sections of the Median Wall, a fortification of baked brick built by Nebuchadnezzar II to block invasions from the north, still emerge sporadically from the ground. The wall once stretched for many kilometers and formed one of the longest defensive lines in ancient Mesopotamia.
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