Tell Chagar Bazar (Ašnakkum / Khabur Ware Capital)
Tell Chagar Bazar · Chagar Bazar · Ašnakkum · Shagar Bazar
Neolithic through Old Babylonian (Halaf/Ubaid through Khabur Ware Ašnakkum)·Halaf → Ubaid → Ninevite V → Akkadian → Ur III → Old Babylonian (Ašnakkum)·🇸🇾 Hasakah Governorate, Khabur Triangle, Wadi Dara tributary, Syria
About
About Tell Chagar Bazar (Ašnakkum / Khabur Ware Capital)
Tell Chagar Bazar (Ašnakkum / Khabur Ware Capital) is a multi-period tell/ancient village in Hasakah Governorate, Khabur Triangle, Wadi Dara tributary, Syria — Khabur Triangle city-state capital Ašnakkum — Mari archive nexus and Khabur Ware type-site Excavated evidence reveals Halaf → Ubaid → Ninevite V → Akkadian → Ur III → Old Babylonian (Ašnakkum) cultural horizons with mudbrick architecture. The upper mound 150 m diameter, 12 m high; lower town 12 ha (kh) preserves mudbrick on stone socle, khabur ware kilns, cuneiform tablet archive rooms technique.
Position on Hasakah Governorate illustrates definitive khabur ware stratigraphy and old babylonian ašnakkum kingdom — mari letters anchor chronology.
Why it mattersDefinitive Khabur Ware stratigraphy and Old Babylonian Ašnakkum kingdom — Mari letters anchor chronology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chagar Bazar = Ašnakkum securely or neighbouring centre?
- 02Khabur Ware monochrome origin — Chagar or Tell Brak?
Theories
- 01Mallowan Khabur Triangle network vs. Mari-centric model
- 02Ašnakkum city-state confederation debate
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.6000 BCE Neolithic founding; Early Dynastic 2900 BCE; Old Babylonian Ašnakkum 1900–1600 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic through Old Babylonian (Halaf/Ubaid through Khabur Ware Ašnakkum)
- Culture
- Halaf → Ubaid → Ninevite V → Akkadian → Ur III → Old Babylonian (Ašnakkum)
- Builders
- Khabur early urban communities, Ašnakkum kings (Mari-era)
- Purpose
- Khabur Triangle city-state capital Ašnakkum — Mari archive nexus and Khabur Ware type-site
- Abandoned
- c.1600 BCE Old Babylonian abandonment
- Rediscovered
- Excavated 1935–1937 Mallowan, resumed 1999–2002 McMahon (Liège/Syrian DGAM)
- Excavation
- Excavated
1935
Mallowan opens Chagar Bazar, Khabur Ware defined
2000
Liège re-excavation exposes Old Babylonian tablet archive
2011
Khabur Ware C14 sequence refines 2000–1600 BCE
On the ground
Structures & features
36.8760° N · 40.8979° E · 410 m · 3 mapped features
Upper Town Ašnakkum Palace-Archive Horizon
palaceOld Babylonian palace with cuneiform tablets
36.8761° N · 40.8981° EKhabur Ware Kiln and Pottery Production Zone
workshopKhabur Ware painted pottery kilns and dumps
36.8758° N · 40.8977° ENinevite V Lower Town Settlement Grid
settlementEarly Dynastic Ninevite V lower town grid
36.8762° N · 40.8983° E