Hatra

Hatra, Iraq

Hatra, Arabic Al-Ḥaḍr, ruined city located in the Al-Jazīrah region of present-day northern Iraq, 180 miles (290 km) northwest of Baghdad and 68 miles (110 km) southwest of Mosul. A religious and trading centre of the Parthian empire, it flourished during the 1st and 2nd centuries bce. The city survived several invasions before being razed in 241 ce. It is an important archaeological site with well-preserved ruins.

Hatra was probably founded in the 3rd or 2nd century bce, under the Seleucid kingdom. It rose to prominence as the capital of Araba, a small semiautonomous state under Parthian influence. Because of its strategic position along caravan trade routes, the town prospered and became an important religious centre. In the 1st and 2nd centuries ce Hatra was ruled by a dynasty of Arabian princes whose written language was Aramaic, and it became known as Beit ʾElāhāʾ (“House of God”), a reference to the city’s numerous temples. Among the gods honoured were the Sumero-Akkadian god Nergal, Hermes (Greek), Atargatis (Aramean), and al-Lāt and Shāmiyyah (Arabian), along with Shamash, the Mesopotamian sun god.

Built in a circular plan of military tradition, Hatra was able to turn back many attacks, including sieges by Roman forces in 116/117 (led by the emperor Trajan) and 198/199 (under the emperor Septimius Severus). About 240 ce, however, the city fell to Shāpūr I (reigned c. 240–272), ruler of the Persian Sāsānian dynasty, and was destroyed. According to legend, al-Naḍīrah, the daughter of the king of Hatra, betrayed the city and permitted Shāpūr to conquer it, slay the king, and later marry her. Tradition also holds that Shāpūr soon killed his bride.

Parthia: Hatra ruins

German archaeologists systematically studied the site between 1907 and 1911, and important Iraqi investigations were undertaken from the mid-20th century. Hatra is the best-preserved and most-informative example of a Parthian city. It is encircled by inner and outer walls nearly 4 miles (6.4 km) in circumference and supported by more than 160 towers. A temenos (temple enclosure) surrounds the principal sacred buildings in the city’s centre. The temples cover some 3 acres (1.2 hectares) and are dominated by the Great Temple, an enormous structure with vaults and columns that once rose to 100 feet (30 metres). Numerous sculptures and statues have also been discovered in the city. In 1985 Hatra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Although a major restoration project was supported by the Iraqi government in the 1990s, the site was looted of a number of important artifacts during that time. Likewise, though it suffered no damage during the Iraq War (2003–11), a number of artifacts that had been excavated there came up missing when the National Museum of Iraq was plundered in the chaos that followed the start of the conflict.

In April 2015 videos emerged that showed members of the extremist group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant smashing statues and decorations around the site. It was also reported that parts of the site had been bulldozed.