Tell Bazmusian, Archaeological tell on the Little Zab, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq

Tell Bazmusian is an archaeological mound in Sulaymaniyah Governorate that rises 23 meters above ground and spans roughly 1500 meters in circumference. The site sits on the right bank of the Lower Zab River and now lies submerged beneath Lake Dukan.

Iraqi archaeologists conducted major excavations from 1956 to 1958 and uncovered 16 distinct layers of human settlement. These layers extend back to approximately 6000 BCE, documenting a long history of occupation at the site.

Level III held a single-room temple with thick mudbrick walls, dated to the late second millennium BCE; an earlier version of the same temple was found in level IV. Clay tablet fragments from a pit outside the temple were too damaged to read but were dated by style to the Middle Assyrian period. The upper levels also yielded ninth-century CE Islamic pottery.

The site is now inaccessible under Lake Dukan's waters and would require specialized diving equipment for any direct visit. For those interested in archaeology, visiting nearby museums is a more practical way to see the artifacts recovered from the location.

The final two excavation seasons, directed by A. al-Tikriti, were never published, so much of what was found at Tell Bazmusian remains unknown to researchers. The first season in 1956 was led by Abu al-Soof. The site was one of five dug during the salvage campaign before Lake Dukan flooded the area.