Samarra Buried Abbasid Palace Dar al-Khilafa
Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE)·Bronze Age·🇮🇶 Salah ad-Din, Samarra, Iraq
About
About Samarra Buried Abbasid Palace Dar al-Khilafa
Samarra Buried Abbasid Palace Dar al-Khilafa in Salah ad-Din, Samarra, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal walled area 12 ha and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 34.2080N 43.8890E controls access to Salah ad-Din resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey ancient city for Salah ad-Din, Samarra, illustrating Bronze Age construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2800 BCE
- Period
- Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE)
- Culture
- Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Regional urban centre controlling trade and administration
- Rediscovered
- 1995 survey
- Excavation
- Buried
c. 2800 BCE
Initial construction of Samarra Buried Abbasid Palace Dar al-Khilafa main structure
c. 1935
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1995–2010
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Samarra Buried Abbasid Palace Dar al-Khilafa) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
34.2080° N · 43.8890° E · 325 m · 3 mapped features
Samarra Buried Abbasid Palace Dar al-Khilafa — Main Structure
structurePrincipal ancient city — Walled area 12 ha with diagnostic masonry/panel
34.2088° N · 43.8899° ESamarra Buried Abbasid Palace Dar al-Khilafa — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
34.2070° N · 43.8883° ESamarra Buried Abbasid Palace Dar al-Khilafa — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with outlier deposit and burial
34.2095° N · 43.8902° E