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Kurdistan: Digging for lost treasure in
Darbandikhan
1.11.2006
By Lara Fatah, Contribution: Vladimir van Wilgenburg
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Darbandikhan,
Kurdistan Region (Iraq), November 1, -- An Italian
team of archeologists travel to the Berkl area near
Darbandikhan to lay the groundwork for an extensive
excavation of a Sassanian monument, due to take
place in the Spring.
Once upon a time, or as the Kurds would say, habu
nabu, there was an Armenian King, Nerses, that ruled
the Sassanian Empire (226-651 AD), which included
Kurdistan within its borders. Standing high on a
hill in the Berkl area near Darbandikhan is one of
the only known remaining Sassanian monuments, and it
is a monument to King Nerses.
The location of the monument has been known since
the turn of the last century, but due to the unrest
that followed in the region, it was not until the
present day that the site could be professionally
excavated. In conjunction with the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG), an Italian team of
archeologists from the Instituto Italiano per
l'Africa e l'Oriente, is currently carrying out a
short research dig at the site, in order to prepare
for the full excavation they intend to do in the
spring.
Examining the actual monument has not been easy,
because not only are there later constructions on
top of it, an earlier excavation that removed some
of the inscribed stones of the monument, had caused
other stones to become scattered. The Italian team
also fears that some of the bricks may have been
looted over the past 10-15 years.
"We have known for a few years what the general gist
of what is inscribed on the two main walls, but
fully excavating the site, will allow us to
understand the inscription and how it fits into what
we already know," says Barbara Faticoni, one of the
archeologists.
"This is the second most important known inscription
from the Sassanian period, so it is very important
that we now have the chance to study it in depth,"
she adds.
Faticoni is looking to when the team returns in the
spring to complete their work and is excited to
learn more about the actual structure of the
monument; "Because there are so few surviving
examples of Sassanian architecture, I'm looking
forward to determining how the monument actually
looked, it's important for us to learn these things,
we will hopefully be able to reconstruct some of the
monument too," she enthuses.
Faticoni is obviously passionate about the site as
she confidently strides around its perimeter in her
dusty work clothes and her sun-kissed face. She is a
stark contrast with the three young Kurdish girls
the Italians are training, who in their clean and
pressed jeans with large sombrero-esque hats perched
on their heads hover uncertainly on the perifieries
of the site.
"I think they are a little scared of doing something
wrong and I'm not sure they realized we would
actually involve them in the process, but it is the
best way for them to learn," says Faticoni.
Working with Faticoni on the dig is Fabrizio Sinisi,
the linguistic expert, who says that the only real
problem that they have encountered is a language
barrier.
"Communicating with the Kurdish workers has been fun
at times, but even that is not too big a problem
because we are used to working in foreign
countries," he says. Sinisi also says that while the
monument may look impressive sitting on its hill in
the countryside around Darbandykhan, its distance
from the town has given them a few logistical
problems. Although the team was winding down its
research dig and refilling all the trenches that
they had dug, they were enthusiastically
anticipating their return when they will not only
complete the excavation but open an Italian cultural
center in Erbil and start teaching at the University
of Salahaddin.
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