Hatra

Hatra is a fortress-like town in the barren desert area in north-west Iraq, between Mosul and Samarra. The Hatra era lasted from about 400 BC to AD 300, and was at its height during the first century AD. Although the earliest phases of its history remain unknown, it can perhaps be considered the most important monument of the ancient Mesopotamian cultures. It was a major staging-post on the famous oriental silk road and its prosperity was based on the international caravan traffic. The center of Hatra consists of a group of temples. The most important is the temple dedicated to the Shamash or sun god; other heavenly bodies had temples of their own. The group of temples has been partly restored and exemplifies the unique Hatran architecture: an elegant combination of eastern and western influences. Excavations of Hatra have only just started. The town itself has not been uncovered yet but we are able to see the temples, the tombs, the wall and the remains of towers. Impressive examples of Greek-influenced Hatran art, with its statues of kings and all kinds of smaller items, can be admired at the National Museum of Iraq.

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