8 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

New discoveries have been made at a 9,000-year-old Amida mound in Turkey

The most recent archeological investigations at the 9,000-year-old Amida Mound in southeastern Turkey’s Diyarbakir province have uncovered fresh finds that shed light on the region’s past.

This year’s excavations at the site were recently completed, with archaeologists unearthing several 800-year-old marble pieces adorning the Artuqid Palace, the seat of the Diyarbakır branch of the Artuqid dynasty, said professor Irfan Yıldız from Dicle University, head of the archaeological team, who spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA).

“We believe that the marbles were used for decorative and ornamental purposes, especially for flooring, at the palace in the 13th century,” Yildiz said.

Recent findings have added several cultural assets to the growing historical catalog.

The historical Sur district, where the mound is located, was home to many ancient civilizations, including the Hurrians and Mitannis, Urartians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Umayyads, Abbasids, Artuqids, Seljuks, and the Ottomans.

Newly found artifacts are displayed on a table on-site at the historic 9,000-year-old Amida Mound. (AA Photo)
Newly found artifacts are displayed on a table on-site at the historic 9,000-year-old Amida Mound. (AA Photo)

Archeological work at the Amida Mound, which is known as the “heart of Diyarbakir”, has been ongoing since 2018 with several exciting new findings made in 2021.

Previous archeological work had revealed a 2,000-year-old street from the Roman period, Yildiz noted.

The historic city of Diyarbakır is home to innumerable ancient wonders and relics from throughout history.

Today, Diyarbakır is home to the Hevsel Gardens which have been used for agricultural purposes for more than 8,000 years, the Great (Ulu) Mosque, one of the oldest mosques of Anatolia, and the Malabadi bridge built during the Artuqid period in the 12th century.

Meanwhile, the Hasuni Cave city where pre-historic people lived during the early years of Christianity, and the Zerzevan Castle, which is a Roman military facility containing the temple of Mithraism, a mysterious religion, are also located here.

Source: AA

Related Articles

Archaeologists unearth first archaeological evidence about Anatolia’s mysterious Kaska community, sworn enemies of the Hittites

16 January 2025

16 January 2025

In the course of the excavations conducted by Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University‘s Department of Archaeology, artifacts from the Late Bronze...

Detectorist Finds 2,500-Year-Old Unique Bronze Brooch

26 August 2024

26 August 2024

A metal detectorist, who chose to remain anonymous, uncovered three artifacts, including a massive fibula, i.e. a bronze brooch dating...

Illegal digs reveal rare Roman-era mass grave in Turkey

28 July 2022

28 July 2022

A total of 27 skeletons were found in a burial pit carved into the rocks in Adıyaman province, an important...

Remains of 2 houses belonging to the founding period of the city were unearthed in the ancient city of Hierapolis

5 November 2021

5 November 2021

During this year’s excavations in the ancient city of Hierapolis-Pamukkale in Turkey’s Aegean province Denizli, the remains of two houses...

World’s Smallest Stegosaurus Track Found

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The smallest trace of stegosaurus in the world that lived 155 million years ago was found. Stegosaurus, a herbivorous dinosaur,...

Archaeologists found a mysterious stone tablet in Georgia that contains an unknown language

5 December 2024

5 December 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a basalt tablet with inscriptions in an unknown language near Lake Bashplemi, in the Dmanisi region of...

Scenes of Warriors from 6th Century BC on a Slate Plaque Discovered at Tartessian Site in Spain

6 June 2024

6 June 2024

Archaeologists representing Spain’s National Research Council (CSIC) excavating at the archaeological site of Casas del Turunuelo have uncovered a slate...

Archaeologists have found a fort that the Romans built to protect their silver mines, complete with wooden spikes

23 February 2023

23 February 2023

Archaeologists have discovered wooden defenses surrounding an ancient Roman military base for the first time in Bad Ems, western Germany....

Dozens of unique bronze ornaments discovered in a drained peat bog in Poland

28 January 2023

28 January 2023

Numerous bronze ornaments have been discovered in Poland’s Chełmno region (Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship). Archaeologists report that dozens of bronze ornaments, including...

Farmer Found an Ice Age Cave Under His Field

30 March 2021

30 March 2021

A naturally formed cave was found near the town of Kraśnik in southeastern Poland, used by humans during the Ice...

A Mikveh or Jewish ritual bath discovered in basement of former strip club in Poland

24 August 2023

24 August 2023

Marian Zwolski, a Chmielnik businessman, bought a former nightclub that had been closed for 15 years a few years ago....

Buddha statue discovered in ancient city of Berenice, Egypt

29 April 2023

29 April 2023

Archaeologists excavating in the ancient Egyptian seaport Berenice Troglodytica on the western shore of the Red Sea have unearthed a...

A unique find in the Middle Don: Scythian gods on a silver plate

19 November 2021

19 November 2021

Archaeologists of the Archaeological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, during their excavations at the Devitsa V cemetery in...

Beautiful’ Water-Nymph statue turns out to be Aphrodite

20 October 2023

20 October 2023

The statue of a nymph (water fairy) discovered last month during excavations in the Ancient City of Amastris was identified...

The Kyrgyz epic ‘Manas’ manuscripts were included in the UNESCO Memory of the World

10 June 2023

10 June 2023

Manuscripts of the Kyrgyz epic “Manas” by narrator Sagymbay Orozbakov have been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World...