Archaeological park with Assyrian carvings opens in Duhok
DUHOK, Kurdistan Region - In the presence of UNESCO, Kurdish and Italian officials opened an archeological park in Duhok province's Faida area, the first of its kind across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
The KRG's Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism tweeted that "the Park, which is the first of its kind in Iraq and the region, located in Faida south of Dohuk, and comprises of 13 two-meter-height sculptures engraved on its walls dating back to the reign of the Assyrian king Sargon II (705-721 BC) and his son Sennacherib.”
Daniele Morandi Bonacossi, director of the Italian Archaeological Mission to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq told Rudaw’s Naif Ramadhan on Sunday that the latest discovery is an example of how “huge and extraordinary cultural heritage of this region can be,” adding that it highlights the importance of archaeology being “protected, conserved, and especially enhanced.”
The project is led by a team from the University of Udine in Italy with the support of Duhok's archeological directorate.
The University of Udine and Duhok’s archeological directorate have worked together for almost a decade since 2012, spending three months of the year researching archeological sites in the region.
"This park is more like a domestic or natural museum here. It becomes a cultural and intellectual center. It will become a green park protected by security guards," Bekas Brifkani, head of Duhok’s archeological directorate said.
The University of Udine has so far recorded nearly 1,140 archeological sites in Duhok province, according to Brifkani.
The KRG's Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism tweeted that "the Park, which is the first of its kind in Iraq and the region, located in Faida south of Dohuk, and comprises of 13 two-meter-height sculptures engraved on its walls dating back to the reign of the Assyrian king Sargon II (705-721 BC) and his son Sennacherib.”
Daniele Morandi Bonacossi, director of the Italian Archaeological Mission to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq told Rudaw’s Naif Ramadhan on Sunday that the latest discovery is an example of how “huge and extraordinary cultural heritage of this region can be,” adding that it highlights the importance of archaeology being “protected, conserved, and especially enhanced.”
The project is led by a team from the University of Udine in Italy with the support of Duhok's archeological directorate.
The University of Udine and Duhok’s archeological directorate have worked together for almost a decade since 2012, spending three months of the year researching archeological sites in the region.
"This park is more like a domestic or natural museum here. It becomes a cultural and intellectual center. It will become a green park protected by security guards," Bekas Brifkani, head of Duhok’s archeological directorate said.
The University of Udine has so far recorded nearly 1,140 archeological sites in Duhok province, according to Brifkani.