Hajji Muhammad, Archaeological tell in Al Muthanna Governorate, Iraq.
Hajji Muhammad is a small tell in Al Muthanna Governorate, Iraq, 15 km southwest of Warka (ancient Uruk). It lies on the left bank of the Euphrates and is now flooded by the river. The mound gave its name to the Hajji Muhammad phase of the Ubaid culture, dated about 5000–4500 BC.
The site gave its name to the Hajji Muhammad phase of the Ubaid culture, dated roughly 5000–4500 BC. A team led by A. Nöldeke, who also dug at Uruk, excavated the tell, but it was Ernst Heinrich who identified the Ubaid settlement there. The mound lies 15 km southwest of Warka, on the left bank of the Euphrates, and is now flooded by the river.
The pottery discovered here displays geometric patterns painted in dark brown and black, showing how the Ubaid communities expressed their artistic traditions. These painted vessels reveal what people valued in their daily lives and the crafts they practiced.
The tell lies about 15 km southwest of Warka (ancient Uruk) on the former left bank of the Euphrates, and the site is now flooded, so there are no exposed layers to walk through. Work there was carried out by A. Nöldeke's team, with Ernst Heinrich identifying the Ubaid settlement. Plan access and permissions with Iraqi authorities in Al Muthanna Governorate before travelling.
Among the finds were clay female figurines with reptilian heads, standing naked and upright, resembling those from Ubaid. Stone amphorae, hoes, clay sickles, axes and bone needles were also recovered. Christiane Ziegler studied 500 pieces of the site's pottery, whose clay has a greenish tint.
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