Foreign excavators uncover ancient grave in Iraq’s Arbil

 

By Basem al-Khateeb

 

Azzaman, December 1, 2009

 

A foreign excavation team has unearthed an ancient burial mound dating to the first millennium B.C.

 

The Antiquities Department in Arbil said the grave was found in the central of the town and that the authorities had to purchase a few houses to make way for the digs.

 

Arbil is reputed as the world’s longest continuously inhabited site in the world and the modern city is built around an ancient mound with several archaeological layers on top of which stand fascinating old-style houses.

 

In a statement the department said excavations were in their initial stages and Iraqi scientists had joined their foreign colleagues in the digs.

 

There were several foreign excavation teams in Iraq prior to the 1991 Gulf War.  It was hoped that the aftermath of the 2003 Gulf War which deposed former President Saddam Hussein would see an influx of foreign archaeologists.

 

But foreigner scientists have avoided the country, one of the world’s richest in antiquities due to mounting violence.

 

A few foreign excavation teams are working in northern Iraq where security conditions are relatively better than the middle and southern parts of the country.