Hatra, Iraq: architectural details at entrance to Iwan (Hall) No. 4 of C2ndAD Iranian-style temple-palace complex in central temenos of the oasis city
Hatra (al-Hadr), Iraq: architectural details at entrance to Iwan (Hall) No. 4 of the C1st/2ndAD Iranian-style (Parthian) temple/palace complex in the central sacred enclosure (temenos) of the oasis city some 110km (68 miles) SW of Mosul in northern Iraq: half column, corbel with face looking down, arch with decorated architrave & springer, gorgon mask & inscriptions. Mask sometimes described as Hercules/Green Man. Hatra was one of the earliest settlements established by Arabic-speaking nomad tribes. Situated in the desert on the W bank of Wadi Tharthar between the Rivers Tigris & Euphrates in a province of the Parthian Empire called Arabaya (Land of the Arabs). Hatra became a cosmopolitan caravan city, the hub of 12 ancient trade routes. In the 'forward zone' of Roman frontier policy, it was strongly fortified against invading Roman armies. Sieges by emperors Trajan (117AD) & Septimius Severus (twice, 198-201) failed because of heat, hunger & thirst, flies & hornets, & the effective use of machine catapults & sorties by the defenders. The city was captured & sacked c. 241AD by Shapur I & his father Ardashir, founder of the Sassanian dynasty. A hybrid between the Mediterranean world & Asia with a mix of C1st BC Hellenic & C1st/2ndAD Iranian (Parthian) architecture within the layout of an Asiatic town. Circular in plan with a double wall nearly 4 miles () in circumference with over 160 towers. At the centre lay a rectangular enclosure (temenos) containing the sacred buildings & palaces. The area in between was packed with houses divided by narrow lanes. This photograph was taken in March 1983, in 1985 Hatra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. IS/Daesh occupied Hatra from 2014 to 26 April 2017, using the buildings as a military training camp, defacing the figurative sculptures (corbel removed/destroyed, gorgon damaged) & using them for target practice. Walls damaged by bullets & shrapnel, the two main halls of the Iranian temple-palace scorched by fire.
Size: 3780px × 2658px
Location: Hatra (al Hadr), Wadi Tharthar, Mosul, Northern Iraq, Iraq
Photo credit: © Mick Sharp / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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