Hatra

Hatra is an ancient fortified city in Nineveh Governorate, northern Iraq, now protected as an archaeological site and World Heritage location. Round walls with numerous towers enclose temples, residential buildings, and squares scattered across the sandy center of the complex.

The city emerged around the third century before our era as a trading post on the route between the Mediterranean and India. It resisted Roman attacks in the second century until the Sasanians destroyed it in the year 241 and drove out the inhabitants.

Buildings combine Greek columns with Persian vaults and Arabian reliefs showing gods and mythological scenes. Visitors still see temple walls with carved names of pilgrims and traders who prayed here nearly two thousand years ago.

The site sits roughly 110 kilometers southwest of Mosul in a remote desert region requiring special travel arrangements. Visitors should come early in the day to avoid midday heat and bring enough water and sun protection.

The central temple preserves a floor plan with double rows of columns, a form rarely found elsewhere in the region. Archaeologists discovered coins and jewelry beneath the floor left as offerings by pilgrims.