Tell al-Rimah (Karana / Qattara)
Old Babylonian–Old Assyrian (c.1900–1700 BCE) to Middle Assyrian·Upper Mesopotamian Old Babylonian kingdom of Karana / Qattara·🇮🇶 Nineveh Governorate, Upper Jazira, Iraq
About
About Tell al-Rimah (Karana / Qattara)
Upper Jazira fortified court city Karana (Tell al-Rimah) with massive temple Zigg followed by a double palace discovered by David Oates: palace with wall paintings, archive of 600 OB letters (Qattara letters to Zimri-Lim and Hammurabi epoch), the only Old Babylonian pillared hall preceding Greek columns, and a high-stepped ziggurat of Karana illusion. Tell al-Rimah (Karana / Qattara) context and stratigraphy linking to regional chronology.
Why it mattersTell al-Rimah (Karana / Qattara)
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Stratigraphic relation to neighboring cultures?
Theories
- 01Regional trade node
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Occupied Old Babylonian–Old Assyrian (c.1900–1700 BCE) to Middle Assyrian
- Period
- Old Babylonian–Old Assyrian (c.1900–1700 BCE) to Middle Assyrian
- Culture
- Upper Mesopotamian Old Babylonian kingdom of Karana / Qattara
- Builders
- Local communities
- Purpose
- Embassy palace linking Assur, Babylon and Yamhad
- Abandoned
- post-period
- Rediscovered
- 19th-century surveys, modern excavations
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
Old Babylonian–Old Assyrian
Embassy palace linking Assur, Babylon and Yamhad
On the ground
Structures & features
36.0000° N · 42.6000° E · 450 m · 2 mapped features
Palace with Archive of Qattara Letters
palaceWestern palace with 600 letter tablets to Mari/Hammurabi court
36.0010° N · 42.6010° EZiggurat of Qattara
zigguratSquare mudbrick ziggurat 30 m side with high staircase
35.9990° N · 42.5990° E