Gird-î Qalrakh is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in the Shahrizor Plain in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. The archaeological site covers an area of 3 hectares according to the excavators; a geomagnetic survey indicated a size of 15 ha. At 26m high, Gird-î Qalrakh has been described as one of the highest mounds in the Shahrizor Plain. Excavations have been carried out in 2016, 2017 and 2019 by a team from the

Goethe University Frankfurt Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...

. This research showed that the site has been almost continuously occupied from the third millennium BC into the Islamic period. Important discoveries include a substantial stone-built wall from the Neo-Assyrian period, and a well-preserved

loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...

from the

Sassanian period The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

. Together with the numerous

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

that have been discovered, this suggests that textile production may have been important at Gird-î Qalrakh during this period. File:September 11, 2016. The ancient mound of Gird-î Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraqi Kurdistan.jpg, Gird-î Qalrakh, September 11, 2016 File:September 11, 2016. Excavating the ancient mound of Gird-i Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraq.jpg, Excavatinons at Gird-i Qalrakh File:September 11, 2016. Excavations at the ancient mound of Gird-i Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraqi Kurdistan.jpg, Excavatinons at Gird-i Qalrakh. Shahrizor Plain appears in the background File:September 11, 2016. Excavation. The ancient mound of Gird-i Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraqi Kurdistan.jpg, Excavatinons at Gird-i Qalrakh

References

Archaeological sites in Iraq Sulaymaniyah Governorate Tells (archaeology) Former populated places in Iraq Sasanian Empire Ancient Assyrian cities {{Iraq-stub