Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

As Islamic Militants Destroy Iraq Heritage, a Stunning Find in Kurdistan
Rudaw ^ | July 22, 2014 | Alexandra Di Stefano Pironti

Posted on 08/10/2014 5:13:14 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

While the history of civilization is being demolished by war and religious zealots in the rest of Iraq, in the Kurdistan Region archeologists are marveling at a stunning discovery: the remains of a long-lost temple from the biblical kingdom of Urartu, dating back to the 9th century BC.

Kurdish archaeologist Dlshad Marf Zamua, who has studied the columns and other artifacts at the find, told Rudaw these were unearthed piecemeal over the past four decades by villagers going about their lives, digging for cultivation or construction.

But only recently, after the discovery of life-size human statues and the unearthed columns, Zamua realized that the villagers had stumbled upon the temple of Haldi. That was one of the most important gods of Urartu, an Iron-Age kingdom around Lake Van in the Armenian highlands.

The temple was found in the village of Mdjeser, in the district of Bradost-Sidekan, the most northeastern corner of Iraq and bordering Iran and Turkey.

“The temple was recorded very well in the Assyrian and Urartian inscriptions,” explained Zamua, a doctoral student at Leiden University in the Netherlands who also teaches at Salahaddin University in Erbil.

“One of the reliefs depicts the plunder of the temple by the Assyrian King Sargon II in 714 BC,” said the researcher, who spent from 2005 to 2012 working on the site.

According to historical evidence and the recently uncovered sites, the ancient city of Musasir, located where Mdjeser is today, was home to Haldi’s temple...

Zamua also studied eleven human-size statues unearthed in the same area, which he believes are from the Scythian state of the 7th-6th century BC. They were originally erected above the graves of chieftains and warrior leaders.

(Excerpt) Read more at rudaw.net ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: albaghdadi; anatolia; archaeology; assyria; assyrian; assyrianempire; assyrians; epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; iran; iraq; jihad; jihadi; jihadis; kurdistan; letshavejerusalem; nimrud; sargonii; sarmatians; scythia; scythian; scythians; temple; turkey; urartu; yazidi; yazidis
At the temple, the columns are made of green basalt, and some with sandstone, limestone and marble.

At the temple, the columns are made of green basalt, and some with sandstone, limestone and marble.

1 posted on 08/10/2014 5:13:14 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Hootowl99; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; ...
Thanks Hootowl99, and welcome to GGG.


2 posted on 08/10/2014 5:15:00 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Instead of announcing it he should have buried it. Keep moving. Nothing to see here.


3 posted on 08/10/2014 5:17:18 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

I’m always fascinated by reading about these new finds…..

Thanks for posting.


4 posted on 08/10/2014 5:17:26 AM PDT by basil (2ASisters.org)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

They had better get it out of there...somewhere safe...ISIS will blow it up and destroy it...

Islam destroys every civilization it comes into contact with!

Recently, the Taliban blows up the Budda statues...
They have blown up historical churches in and around Mosul...
...and if the Nation State Super powers don’t stop and REALLY thin about what they need to do...ISIS and their mindset will be coming to a neighborhood near all of us - real soon!


5 posted on 08/10/2014 5:17:47 AM PDT by BCW (ARMIS EXPOSCERE PACEM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

6 posted on 08/10/2014 5:19:13 AM PDT by BCW (ARMIS EXPOSCERE PACEM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BCW
"And if the Nation State Super powers don’t stop and REALLY thin about what they need to do...ISIS and their mindset will be coming to a neighborhood near all of us - real soon!"

If they can promise to do something with DC....well....never mind...

7 posted on 08/10/2014 5:35:30 AM PDT by unread (Rescind the 17th. Amendment...bring the power BACK to the states...!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: basil

My pleasure.


8 posted on 08/10/2014 5:56:44 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: basil

I agree. Thanks for posting. These historical finds are always intriguing and interesting.


9 posted on 08/10/2014 6:15:24 AM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: BCW
Recently, the Taliban blows up the Budda statues... They have blown up historical churches in and around Mosul... ...and if the Nation State Super powers don’t stop and REALLY thin about what they need to do...ISIS and their mindset will be coming to a neighborhood near all of us - real soon!

All the moderate muslim preachers all over the world have been condemning this, right? Where is CAIR on this? Have they been outspoken?

10 posted on 08/10/2014 6:45:07 AM PDT by The_Media_never_lie (The media must be defeated any way it can be done.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Wow, Urartu is going way back in that neighborhood.


11 posted on 08/10/2014 5:31:00 PM PDT by colorado tanker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Wow, Urartu is going way back in that neighborhood.


12 posted on 08/10/2014 5:34:11 PM PDT by colorado tanker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson