Ancient Near East

Almost 65 years since the first archaeological excavations in Abu Dhabi, new findings highlight the emirate's role in regional and global trade, and the resilience and innovation of regional Bronze Age societies.

 A dig in northern Iraq has unearthed a 2,700-year-old alabaster sculpture of the winged Assyrian deity Lamassu, which was found largely intact despite its large dimensions.

Archaeological excavations continue in the ancient city of Satala, the only surviving castle on the eastern border of the Roman Empire and the only Roman Legion castle in Anatolia that can be excavated.

A team of scientists has unearthed a Urartian monumental building complex in the eastern province of Van's Tuşba district, located within the historical castle known as Garibin Tepe.

Mehmet Işıklı, heading the excavation, expressed the team's astonishment at the findings, which included "pitos" (large storage containers) and exceptionally well-preserved mudbrick architecture.

The director of the excavations at the Kültepe Kaniş-Karum Mound in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri has estimated that it would take 5,000 years to unearth all the historical artifacts under the ground.

A Japanese archaeologist is leading excavation efforts for remains of the Hittite period in Büklükale, which has been inhabited since the Early Bronze Age to the Ottoman era, serving as a natural bridge on the east-west transit point.

Türkiye will remain in the grip of a bad weather spell as temperatures are expected to decrease on the weekend and go below seasonal norms throughout the country, according to the latest weather report.

The Turkish State Meteorological Services has shared the latest forecast reports, predicting nationwide precipitation in the last week of March and a noticeable drop in temperatures.

The Hittite tablets, consisting of thousands of years of historical documents, will be opened to the world with a digital library, which is currently under construction.

Within the scope of the project, a first in the world, 1,954 Hittite tablets are being deciphered using artificial intelligence.

Archaeological excavations have been ongoing to find the remains of Hittite-era palaces and temples in Uşaklı Mound.