Hatra Iraq a Parthian City and UNESCO Site

Capital of First Arab Kingdom - Location of Exorcist Opening Scenes

Apr 29, 2009

Hatra, Iraq, capital of the first Arab Kingdom, is one of the best-preserved examples of a Parthian city and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

Today Hatra, now known as Hazr, like Ur of the Chaldees and other important Iraq historical and archaeological sites, has few visitors, testament to the ‘difficult’ security situation in post war Iraq. Consequently those few intrepid people who do make the journey there, are more liable to arrive in a Humvee or Abrams tank rather than a tour bus.

Origins of Hatra

The origins of this ancient city, which may have been founded as early as the third or second century BCE, has been the subject of much academic debate. However the historical picture becomes clearer during the first and second centuries CE.

Rudiger Schmitt, Parthian Hatra, speculates that: “Hatra seems to have been the seat of a local dynasty since the first century CE… Hatra at that time may have been one of the eighteen kingdoms within the Parthian Empire which are mentioned by Pliny (Naturalis Historia 6. 112).”

Silk Route

The city’s geographical position, astride the ancient Silk Route, on the border between Roman and Parthian Empires, allowed the city to grow in authority, reaching its peak during the second century.

There is little doubt that the city’s immense fortifications, inner and outer walls topped with more than 150 towers, prolonged its survival. Until its demise in 241 CE the impressive defences rebuffed many unwelcome visitors. Even the mighty Roman Emperor Trajan who came calling in 117 CE was forced back; Emperor Septimus Severus suffered a similar fate some 80 years later.

Hatra's Great Temple

Lying at the heart of the city was, and still is, Hatra’s Great Temple, part of a larger temple complex, dedicated to a number of gods among them: Nergal (Akkadian), Hermes (Greek) and, the principal one, the Mesopotamian sun god Shamash.

Today historians understand much more of the city’s past thanks to the abundance of Aramaic inscriptions and ‘graffiti’ together with the many statues, which offer an indication of dress style and social class.

Al –Shawi Nasser Abdulwahid, Sculptures of Hatrans, painted a fascinating picture: “The female statues’ costumes are under the influence of Hellenistic costume whereas the males’ costume reflects Mesopotamian and central Asian influences. The jewelry of the females demonstrates Syrian influence and the males’ jewelry shows Assyrian and central Asian influence…”

UNESCO Mission

In November 2008, a UNESCO mission, the first since 2003, visited a number of Iraqi archaeological sites to check for war damage. The team members, under the protection of the US army, visited sites at Nimrud, Ninevah, Ashur and Hatra and found: Only minor wilful destruction, looting or criminal activity at the sites.”

Less welcome news was the: “More severe signs of damage caused by water infiltration, erosion and neglect, particularly in Nimrud and Hatra.” There was also considerable evidence of looting during the Saddam Hussein regime in the 1980’s and 90s.

Opening Scenes of the Exorcist

A Daily Telegraph newspaper report (January 09) told its readers of the plans of American soldiers based nearby to help local Iraqis market Hatra by building not on its ancient history but on its reputation as the place where the opening scenes of the cult horror movie the Exorcist were filmed. Perhaps in the years to come Hatra will become a new holiday destination for the many aficionados of the 1973 classic.

The future of Hatra and Iraq’s other ancient sites however will remain in doubt until some kind of political solution is found which will allow historians, archaeologists and movie enthusiasts to conduct their business in safety.

Sources:

Colin Freeman, American Troops Launch ‘ Exorcist’ Tour at Ancient Temples, Daily Telegraph Newspaper, 7 January 2009

Rudiger Schmitt, Parthian Hatra, the original source of this article is Encyclopaedia Iranica, (www.iranica.com) which lists multiple sources of reference.

Al –Shawi Nasser Abdulwahid, Sculptures of Hatrans: A Study of Costume and Jewelery 1986, P457

The copyright of the article Hatra Iraq a Parthian City and UNESCO Site in Middle Eastern History is owned by Neil Gunn. Permission to republish Hatra Iraq a Parthian City and UNESCO Site in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.