DOI Artikel:
Krogulska, Maria: Bijan, Iraq
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42008#0014
BIJAN /IRAQ/
by
HARIA KROGULSKA
In the late seventies, the Iraqi govei*nment decided to build a large water
reservoir some 93 km long on the middle Euphrates, The dam was to be built 7 km
north of the city ofHaditha. Before being flooded, the area became the object
of intensive archaeological research, known as QadissiyaDam Project. In the
years 1979-1983 several Iraqi and foreign teams were asked by the Iraqi
Department of Antiquities and Heritage to participate in investigating
thoroughly this previously little known area. The Polish Archaeological Mission
anderProf.H.Gawlikowski. was among the first to begin archaeological research
in 1979. The mission worked at Bijan, an island site on the middle Euphrates,
till 1983; eight field seasons were accomplished during this period. The first
threecampaignsweredirectedbyProf.H.Gawlikowski, the following five by Dr.
H. Krogulska.
Bijan is one of a series of three islands containing archaeological sites,
all three on the middle Euphrates. Excavations have shown it to have been a Neo-
Assyrian fortress built from water level. With time an elongated sandbar was
created along the western wall and specially along the southern wall, which
closed off the stronghold; in modem times this sandbar was overgrown with
bushes and partly planted with date palm trees.
The head of the island consisted of a platform 25m wide, extended south
with walls 5 to 6m thick. The platform and walls were build on large limestone
blocks to a height up to 6m above water level.The area enclosed by the walls
was filled in to the top of the stone walls with earth brought in from
elsewhere. In this way an artificial island was created on the Euphrates. The
quay and gate leading into the island-fortress were located in its southeastern
10
by
HARIA KROGULSKA
In the late seventies, the Iraqi govei*nment decided to build a large water
reservoir some 93 km long on the middle Euphrates, The dam was to be built 7 km
north of the city ofHaditha. Before being flooded, the area became the object
of intensive archaeological research, known as QadissiyaDam Project. In the
years 1979-1983 several Iraqi and foreign teams were asked by the Iraqi
Department of Antiquities and Heritage to participate in investigating
thoroughly this previously little known area. The Polish Archaeological Mission
anderProf.H.Gawlikowski. was among the first to begin archaeological research
in 1979. The mission worked at Bijan, an island site on the middle Euphrates,
till 1983; eight field seasons were accomplished during this period. The first
threecampaignsweredirectedbyProf.H.Gawlikowski, the following five by Dr.
H. Krogulska.
Bijan is one of a series of three islands containing archaeological sites,
all three on the middle Euphrates. Excavations have shown it to have been a Neo-
Assyrian fortress built from water level. With time an elongated sandbar was
created along the western wall and specially along the southern wall, which
closed off the stronghold; in modem times this sandbar was overgrown with
bushes and partly planted with date palm trees.
The head of the island consisted of a platform 25m wide, extended south
with walls 5 to 6m thick. The platform and walls were build on large limestone
blocks to a height up to 6m above water level.The area enclosed by the walls
was filled in to the top of the stone walls with earth brought in from
elsewhere. In this way an artificial island was created on the Euphrates. The
quay and gate leading into the island-fortress were located in its southeastern
10