Hasankeyf Höyük
Hasankeyf Höyük · Hasankeyf Hoyuk · Hasankeyf Mound
PPNA to Medieval; dominant Neolithic and Medieval citadel·PPNA/PPNB Neolithic → Assyrian → Artuqid Kurdish → Ottoman·🇹🇷 Batman Province, Hasankeyf District, Tigris Gorge, Turkey
About
About Hasankeyf Höyük
Multi-layer tell inside Tigris gorge urban fabric of Hasankeyf — Neo-Assyrian/Roman-Medieval citadel atop 10m Epi-Palaeolithic to Bronze layers, with PPNA–PN cliff-edge settlement excavated 2009–2017 by Japanese team (Yutaka Miyake, Mardin Museum) before Ilısu reservoir partly encircled promontory. Neolithic levels show stone-paved round-houses, elaborate burials, early caprine. Later Hittite-Assyrian town, Roman Cephe Castle overlay. Rescue archiving before Ilısu partial inundation 2020; lower Neolithic levels backfilled under riverside park.
Why it mattersOnly gorge-stratified Tigris Neolithic inside later citadel — links PPNA Tigris valley sequence to medieval urban continuity despite Ilısu inundation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Extent of PPNB abandonment before Assyrian citadel — hiatus length?
- 02Neolithic cliff-edge settlement vs floodplain villages — defensive rationale?
Theories
- 01Miyake gorge-cul-de-sac niche model vs Özdoğan interfluve cultivation
- 02Ilısu rescue bias — salvage vs research excavation ethics
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.10000 BP PPNA basal; PPNB 8500 BP; EBA/MBA intermittently; Assyrian–Artuqid citadel 900 BCE–1515 CE
- Period
- PPNA to Medieval; dominant Neolithic and Medieval citadel
- Culture
- PPNA/PPNB Neolithic → Assyrian → Artuqid Kurdish → Ottoman
- Builders
- Neolithic foragers → Assyrian garrison → Artuqid builders
- Purpose
- Cliff-edge village then gorge citadel controlling Tigris crossing
- Abandoned
- 2019 partial town relocation before reservoir fill; mound stable
- Rediscovered
- Rescue 2009–2017 Japanese (Tsukuba) + Mardin Museum; medieval citadel long known
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
2009
Miyake PPNA round-house with burial cache excavated on Tigris cliff
2020
Ilısu water encircles promontory, park caps Neolithic levels
On the ground
Structures & features
37.7140° N · 41.4120° E · 520 m · 3 mapped features
PPNA cliff-edge village
settlementNeolithic round-houses on Tigris cliff edge
37.7142° N · 41.4122° ECitadel tell crest
citadelMedieval Artuqid citadel on tell summit
37.7140° N · 41.4124° ENeolithic burial floor
necropolisSub-floor burial cluster under paved porch
37.7141° N · 41.4120° E
Gallery