The city of Anah in Anbar Governorate, western Iraq, witnessed the emergence of archaeological sites after the water levels of the Euphrates River decreased, including the prisons and tombs of the “Talibs” kingdom, which dates back to the BC era.

Iraq is full of thousands of historical sites and cities, as well as those that are still hidden under the country's waters and soil, waiting for specialized excavation teams.

Muhammad Jassim: The decline and decline of water in the Euphrates basin led to the emergence of more than 80 archaeological sites (Al-Jazeera Net)

Archeological sites

On this, Muhammad Jassim, the official in charge of the rebuilding team of the archaeological minaret of Anah, says that the emergence of these sites at this time is a result of the receding waters of the Haditha dam lake, due to the lack of water releases into the Euphrates River by Turkey.

It shows to Al Jazeera Net that the receding water and its retreat into the Euphrates basin as it was before the construction of the Haditha dam, led to the emergence of a number of archaeological sites that exceed 80 sites.

He expresses his belief that the so-called "clothed prisons" are in fact a group of burial tombs dating back to the Neo-Assyrian period, as the Assyrians passed through that region during their military campaigns in which they controlled the Levant and reached Egypt.

Jassem confirms the presence of the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage in archaeological sites, especially the prominent ones. Last year, it began the process of rebuilding the archaeological minaret of Aana, which is only a few kilometers away from this site.

Part of the decline in water levels in the Euphrates River in western Iraq (Al-Jazeera Net)

He cautions that the appearance of this site is temporary as a result of the receding waters of a modern dam lake, and therefore it cannot be certain that the water will continue to recede even if these sites are not fully excavated, as most of these sites have not completed the excavation work completely due to the short period of time that Excavations began at that time, which began almost from 1978 and continued until 1988, when the waters of the Haditha Dam Lake covered the entire area.

Jassim points out that the site is a group of graves carved in stone, and there is a "Majul Caves" similar to the site of Talbis, in which the Italian mission worked. The ancients and residents of that region dug these graves, which are not ordinary, but belonged to important people in that period.

He points out that among those sites that have received recent attention from the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage, the site of Hit Castle and the archaeological minaret of Al-Farouq Omar in Hit, Al-Mamoura Tower and Ali Al-Faris Palace in Alos, and many sites rich in antiquities along the Euphrates River.

The receding waters of the Euphrates revealed graves in the Talbis area (Al-Jazeera Net)

The sunken city

The ancient city of Aana is located 350 km west of Baghdad within the regions of the upper Euphrates. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and is more than 4,000 years old, as indicated by historical sources, as it was mentioned in Babylonian and Assyrian manuscripts, and mentioned by historians such as Ammianus Marcellianus, Saint Isidore and others.

History professor Dr. Khaled Hassan al-Juma says that the residents of the city of Anah sent delegations to the then President of the Republic, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, and government officials in Baghdad to wait for the construction of the dam so as not to affect the ancient city, but the government insisted on building the dam because it sees that its positives outweigh its negatives, nor Interested in the sinking of a city that carries a lot of antiquities.

In his speech to Al Jazeera Net, he points out that the flooded city included many centuries-old buildings and monuments, and was inhabited by many Sumerian and Babylonian peoples, as well as Roman monuments that were visible before the drowning.

The history professor mentions that this city has been sung by poets throughout history, and they wrote down a lot of poetry around it, its people, and the customs and traditions that they carry and cherish.

Al-Ani: The antiquities that appeared are prisons in which the outlaws were imprisoned (Al-Jazeera Net)

wear site

For his part, the documentary Abd al-Salam al-Duzdar says that an island in the Euphrates River is “worn” at a distance of 65 km from the current new city of Anah, and about 14 km to the south of the flooded city. It was mentioned in the cuneiform writings in the form of "Talmash" or "Telbash" and "Telbash". This name was mentioned in the campaign of the Assyrian king "Akluti" from 884 to 889 BC.

He adds to Al Jazeera Net that Talbs, Aana and other cities of the upper Euphrates are located in a region mentioned by Babylonian and Assyrian sources as "Sukhee", which is the name of one of the Aramaic tribes that settled high in the middle of the Euphrates River in the middle of the second millennium BC.

Al-Dezdar shows that the archaeological site of Talbis is one of the oldest sites within the geographical boundaries of the district of Anah, and its archaeological site was announced in 1955. These rocky cracks are burials located on a rocky hill on the eastern side of the Euphrates River. Large potentially for someone of high stature.

But researcher Raad Nuri Al-Ani says that the archaeological ruins of Talbub are prisons in which those who violate the laws of this kingdom were imprisoned, where the height of the prison opening is 115 cm and its width is approximately 50 cm. It is carved in a mountain bordering the Euphrates River, and above the mountain there are large tombs built of stone and lead.

Al-Qudsi: The most important monuments of the city of Aana are the castle of Aana and its minaret, the Citadel Bridge, the mosque and minaret of Hebron, and Mashhad Anah (Al-Jazeera Net)

lost landmarks

In turn, researcher and educator Hatem al-Qudsi says, "After the decline of Lake Qadisiyah and the decrease in the amount of water from western Iraq, the landmarks of the ancient city of Anah began to appear with something unpleasant to the beholder. This place was the city full of its inhabitants."

And he continues in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, considering that the sands of the river covered large areas, and we no longer see only the remains of dwellings, domes of minarets, structures for building waterwheels, sidewalks, islands, and so on.

Al-Qudsi explains that what appeared to the eye from the effects are some of the tombs revealed by the water on the edges of the hills adjacent to the city. The water also obliterated the features of the Citadel Island and covered it, Al Khaliliah and the rest of the small islands located in the middle of the river.

Among the most important monuments that were included in the flooded city - according to al-Qudsi - are the castle of Anah and its minaret, the Citadel Bridge, the mosque and minaret of Al Khaliliya, Mashhad Anah, and the Great Mosque in the castle of Anah.

Concerted efforts

Director of the Department of Antiquities of Aana Yahya Abdul Majeed Jamil reports that the emergence of these effects is due to the receding waters of the Haditha Dam, due to the non-release of water quotas that come from Turkey, as well as the advent of a dry season, which led to a decrease in the level of the dam.

Jamil assures Al Jazeera Net that the Haditha Dam basin includes more than 80 archaeological sites, most of which were flooded with the dam's water, and rescue excavations were carried out for archaeological sites from 1980 to 1986, but rescue excavations did not give the site its right to excavate, due to the short allotted time.

Jamil calls for concerted efforts by the Ministry of Culture and the rest of the ministries, in order to prepare these sites to be attractions for tourists from Iraq and abroad.

Experts confirmed that the emergence of the effects of a temporary wear area as a result of the receding waters of the Haditha Dam Lake (Al-Jazeera Net)

Its touristic importance

The mayor of the city of Anah, Saeed Fayyad, points out that the water receding in the city of Anah is a natural phenomenon since ancient times, as the river recedes in the summer months and archaeological sites appear, and then return to being flooded in the rest of the months, especially the winter season.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Fayyad expresses his belief that there is nothing that can be exploited in terms of tourism when the water recedes, because the effects have become a mound of mud that has no clear features that can be used in this area, except for a small area called wear, which appears when it recedes.

He points out that they are tombs carved in the rocks with cuneiform inscriptions, and many civilizations have succeeded in them, including the Babylonian, Assyrian, Parthian, Roman, Sassanian and Islamic civilizations.

Fayyad reveals the city's preparations for the opening of the Anah Historical Museum, next to the minaret of the castle, which could be an attractive element for historical archaeological tourism.