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An atlas of Earth’s mysterious places — megaliths, pyramids, lost and sunken cities — with the evidence shown plainly: what is verified, what is contested, and what is still unknown.

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Iraq

186 places in the atlas, 16 of them inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage.

Kinds found here

Tells117
Ancient cities69
Mounds57
Pyramids49
Temple complexes38
Buried cities27
Ancient villages17
Ziggurats17
Archaeological wonders12
Hydraulic works8
Fortresses3
Sanctuaries3

How well established

Verified177
Accepted7
Contested1
Hypothetical1

Top regions

Eridu9
Nineveh Governorate6
Southern Alluvium5
Dhi Qar Governorate4
Diyala Governorate4
Diyala Governorate, Hamrin3

Filters

Verification

Pick several

Verified177 Widely accepted7

Qadisiyah Governorate

3

Al-Qadisiyah Governorate, Southern Iraq2

Babil Governorate2

Babil, Babylon2

Baghdad Governorate2

Dhi Qar Governorate, southern alluvium2

Contested

1

Pseudoarchaeology0

Category

Tells117 Ancient cities69 Mounds57 Pyramids49 Temple complexes38 Buried cities27 Ancient villages17 Ziggurats17 Archaeological wonders12 Hydraulic works8 Fortresses3 Sanctuaries3 Administrative centres2 Aqueducts2

All categories →

Heritage

UNESCO World Heritage only

Excavation

Partially excavated96 Excavated45 Excavation ongoing24 Buried20 Unexcavated1

Tags

tell67 iraq25 pyramid19 ziggurat18 ancient city15 nineveh15 chalcolithic eba13 mound13 bronze age11 assyrian10 sumerian10 ubaid10 dhi qar8 hamrin8 hassuna8 sennacherib8 temple complex8 amorite6

68 places · page 1 of 3

Ancient cities Verified Clear all

🇮🇶 Iraq · Hydraulic works

Nimrud Dam

Neo-Assyrian Empire 879-612 BCE · Assyrian Neo-Assyrian imperial engineers

879 BCE Assyrian Tigris weir dam (200 m) at Nimrud with 5 gated sluices feeding Sennacherib's canal cascade to Nineveh.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Muṣaṣir (Mudjesir)

Iron Age (1000–714 BCE) · Hurro-Urartian

Iron Age (1000–714 BCE) ancient-city of Hurro-Urartian in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Sidekan (c.1000 BCE).

🇮🇶 Iraq · Tell

Tell al-'Ubaid (Tell el-Ubaid)

Ubaid to Ur III (6500–2000 BCE; peak Ubaid 5500–3800 BCE) · Ubaid (southern Mesopotamian) → Uruk → Early Dynastic → Ur III

Type-site of the Ubaid period — low mound with tripartite temples and ophidian figurines.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Nimrud Buried Northwest Palace Throne Room Bas-Relief Base

Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age

Nimrud Buried Northwest Palace Throne Room Bas-Relief Base in Nineveh, Nimrud, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Khorsabad Buried Sargon Palace Court VIII

Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age

Khorsabad Buried Sargon Palace Court VIII in Nineveh, Khorsabad, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Ur Royal Cemetery PG 800 Death Pit

Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age

Ur Royal Cemetery PG 800 Death Pit in Dhi Qar, Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Larsa Fresco House Wall Painting

Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age

Larsa Fresco House Wall Painting in Dhi Qar, Tell as-Senkereh, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Nineveh Kuyunjik Palace Relief Panel 12

Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age

Nineveh Kuyunjik Palace Relief Panel 12 in Nineveh, Kuyunjik, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Babylon Processional Street North Gate

Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age

Babylon Processional Street North Gate in Babil, Babylon, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Nimrud Fort Shalmaneser Magazine 45

Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age

Nimrud Fort Shalmaneser Magazine 45 in Nineveh, Nimrud, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Nuzi Palace Archive Room 5

Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age

Nuzi Palace Archive Room 5 in Kirkuk, Yorghan Tepe, Iraq is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Sippar (Tell Abu Habbah) – Temple City of Shamash

Early Dynastic to Parthian (c. 3000 BCE – 100 CE) · Sumerian / Akkadian / Babylonian / Neo-Babylonian / Achaemenid

Shamash sun-temple city whose Euphrates harbour lies 2 km off modern river – Sun God Tablet and Babylonian World Map findspot.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Nimrud (Kalhu) – Assyrian Capital Harbour on Tigris

Early Dynastic to Neo-Assyrian (c. 2700 BCE – 612 BCE) · Assyrian / Mitanni / Neo-Assyrian

Assyrian capital's Tigris quay – 60 m limestone quay with winged lamassu harbour gate under fields.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Zabalam (Tell Ibzeikh) – Sumerian Temple Harbour on Iturungal

Early Dynastic to Isin-Larsa (c. 2900 – 2000 BCE) · Sumerian / Lagash-Umma / Ur III / Isin-Larsa

Inanna's canal port on Lagash–Umma waterway – Iturungal harbour revetment 40 m at –2 m.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Tell

Tepe Gawra

Ubaid to Middle Bronze (5000–1500 BCE; peak Chalcolithic 4500–3500 BCE) · Northern Ubaid → Gawran Chalcolithic → Uruk → Early Dynastic → Mitanni

Northern Ubaid–Uruk reference mound with 18 m Round House and 20-level sequence.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Kisurra (Tell Abu Hatab) – Sargonic City-State Harbour on Euphrates

Early Dynastic to Old Babylonian (c. 2700 – 1600 BCE) · Sumerian / Akkadian / Ur III / Isin-Larsa / Old Babylonian

Sargonic linen harbour city – canal harbour 80×50 m silted 500 m east of tell with 1200 tablets.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Eshnunna (Tell Asmar)

Early Dynastic to Old Babylonian (Isin-Larsa contemporary) · Sumerian-Akkadian Eshnunna kingdom

Akkadian-Old Babylonian city-state of Eshnunna (c.3000–1760 BCE) controlling Diyala basin between Sumer and Elam, famous for the Laws of Eshnunna (c.1930 BCE, ~60 laws predating Hammurapi by two…

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Nimrud (Kalhu)

Middle to Neo-Assyrian (1350–612 BCE) · Assyrian

Second capital of Assyria after Assur under Ashurnasirpal II (883 BCE), who built the Northwest Palace with 600 m of alabaster lamassu and bas-reliefs (Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III showing King…

🇮🇶 Iraq · Tell

Cutha

Early Dynastic to Hellenistic (c.3000 BCE–100 BCE) · Sumerian → Akkadian → Babylonian → Hellenistic

Cutha (Tell Ibrahim, ancient Kutha/Gudua) is the Nergal cult centre on the Euphrates branch northeast of Babylon, famed in legend as 'Cutha of the Legend of Ner...

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Nippur

Ubaid to Islamic · Sumerian → Akkadian → Babylonian → Kassite

Holy city of Sumer and Akkad, seat of Enlil (Lord Air) whose Ekur temple gave legitimacy to kingship — 'king without Nippur is no king'.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Royal Eridu Hilltop South — Eridu (53-34)

Early Historic (regional) · Early Historic

Royal Eridu Hilltop South — Eridu (53-34) at Eridu, Iraq is a Early Historic (regional) ancient city of the Early Historic tradition, built c. 400 BCE for hilltop and associated settlement.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Assur

Early Dynastic to Neo-Assyrian to Parthian · Assyrian (Akkadian dialect)

First capital and holy city of Assyria (c.2600 BCE–614 BCE, 70 ha on Tigris bend) — temple of god Assur (Ashur) whose city and god name are one.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Tell

Tell Hassuna

Neolithic Hassuna-Samarra (c.6000–5600 BCE) · Hassuna

Type site 1939–44 excavation by Seton Lloyd that defined the Hassuna painted pottery tradition of northern Iraq.

🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city

Girsu (Tello)

Ubaid to Old Babylonian (c.5000–1700 BCE; peak ED IIIb–Lagash II) · Ubaid → Sumerian (Lagash) → Akkadian → Ur III → Isin-Larsa → Babylonian

Lagash state capital with Gudea statues, 50,000 tablets and newly CT-mapped canal temple.

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