Tell Halaf, Archaeological site in Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria
Tell Halaf is an archaeological site in Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria, situated on a mound along the Khabur River. The ruins spread across several levels and reveal remains of walls, public buildings, and residential quarters from different eras.
The settlement began in the seventh millennium before our era and grew over millennia into a major community. Later it became the capital of a kingdom that fell under Assyrian rule in the first millennium before our era.
The name comes from the mound itself, whose shape is typical of tells throughout this region. Visitors can still trace the preserved palace foundations and the locations where stone reliefs once decorated the walls.
The site lies near the modern town of Ras al-Ayn and the Turkish border in the northeastern part of the country. Access and conditions depend on the current situation in the region.
Finds from the excavations were taken to Berlin and severely damaged during a bombing raid in 1943. Restorers spent decades piecing the shattered sculptures back together.
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