Kurd Qaburstan, is an ancient Near East archaeological site in the Erbil Governorate, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 22 kilometers southwest of Erbil. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the region. The site is strategically located between the Upper and Lower Zab rivers. The modern village of Yedi Kizlar is adjacent to and covers a portion of the southeastern lower town. The site is primarily a single-period site dating to the early 2nd millennium BC, the Middle Bronze Age (contemporaneous with the historical Old Babylonian period). There is also a compact Late Bronze Age occupation on the high mound (possibly Mitanni-related). Kurd Qaburstan has been proposed as the location of the ancient city of Qabra. The site is located near Tell Halawa, Tell Aliawa, Tell Baqrta,Kopanias, Konstantinos, et al, "The Tell Nader and Tell Baqrta Project in the Kurdistan region of Iraq: Preliminary report of the 2011 season", Subartu 6, pp. 23-57, 2013Konstantinos Kopanias, Claudia Beuger, John MacGinnis, and Jason Ur, "The Tell Baqrta Project in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq", In The Provincial Archaeology of the Assyrian Empire, edited by John MacGinnis, Dirk Wicke, and Tina Greenfield, Pp. 117-128. Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, 2016 and Qasr Shemamok (Kilizi), other prominent sites on the Erbil plain.Rouault, Olivier and Masetti-Rouault, Maria Grazia, "French Excavations in Qasr Shemamok-Kilizu (Iraqi Kurdistan): The First Mission (2011)", in Tradition and Innovation in the Ancient Near East: Proceedings of the 57th Rencontre Assyriologique International at Rome, 4–8 July 2011, edited by Alfonso Archi, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 481-490, 2015Masetti-Rouault, Maria Grazia, "Late Bronze and Iron Age Levels from Qasr Shemamok.: A First Evaluation of the Impact of the Assyrian Presence in the Region East of Calah", Proceedings of the 11th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East: Vol. 2: Field Reports. Islamic Archaeology, edited by Adelheid Otto et al., 1st ed., Harrassowitz Verlag, pp. 253–64, 2020Rova, Elena, "Fragments of a Hidden History: The Third Millenium BC at Qasr Shemamok", P. Abrahami et L. Battini (eds), Ina dmarri u qan tuppi. Par la bêche et le stylet, pp. 245-255, 2019Rouault, Olivier, Maria Grazia Masetti-Rouault, and John MacGinnis, "Les inscriptions royales d’Irišti-enni à Qasr Shemamok", Études Mésopotamiennes–Mesopotamian Studies: N° 2–2022, pp. 448-467, 2023
Archaeology A regional survey by the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey led by Jason Ur of the Harvard University identified the location (Site 31, Kurd Qaburstan, UTM 397479 E/3983250 N) from satellite imagery and examination of the site. From the 1960's CORONA image it appeared to be a large walled city. The 11 hectare central mound (with a modern cemetery at its highest point) is 17 meters in height with a lower town rising about 3 meters above the plain. The site has an area of around 100 hectares and the surrounding city wall (encompassing 105 hectares) is preserved to the height of between 1 and 3 meters and had bastions every 20 meters. UR, JASON, et al., "Ancient Cities And Landscapes In The Kurdistan Region Of Iraq: The Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey 2012 Season", Iraq, vol. 75, pp. 89–117, 2013 Ur, Jason, et al. "The Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey: Preliminary Results, 2012–2020.", Iraq 83, pp. 205-243, 2021 The wall thickness ranged from 3.3 meters wide in the west to 5.3-7.6 meters wide in the north and the bastions were about 8 meters wide.MacGinnis, John, "How high were the walls of Mesopotamia?", Tracing Transitions and Connecting Communities in the Archaeology of Southwest Asia Papers in Honour of Roger Matthews, pp. 135-153, 2025
Excavation field seasons by a Johns Hopkins University team led by Glenn M. Schwartz and geophysics survey led by Andrew Creekmore of the University of Northern Colorado have been held in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2022 (with a study season in 2016). In 2013 a geophysical survey was begun and seven small (6 x 10 meters) sample sections were opened. Mitanni era remains were found on the upper mound and middle Islamic remains in the lower town and the city wall was confirmed. In 2014, the geophysical survey was continued (totaling 30 hectares by seasons end) augmented by surface sherd collection. The geophysical survey showed well ordered streets and neighborhoods in the lower town, within the wall. Five trenches on the upper mound found three phases of Mitanni occupation including a cylinder seal. A trench in the lower town found Middle Bronze residential occupation. A trench on the south slope of the upper mound revealed two Middle Bronze phases with the lower firmly Old Babylonian period. A Neo-Babylonian era grave (with "stamp seals, a cylinder seal, bronze toggle pins, and a bronze fibula") was also excavated there. In 2017, continued work in the lower town showed that the Middle Bronze construction was bedded on virgin soil at a depth of 3 meters showing that the lower town was first occupied then. Continued geophysical work located a monumental Middle Bronze temple in the lower town which was confirmed by test excavation. In 2022 a 19 x 4 meter trench was excavated on the high mound north slope on a large Middle Bronze building showing signs of having been burnt. Three 10 meter by 10 meter trenches were begun in the eastern lower town. Continued magnetometry showed a large structure in the northern lower town, possible a palace.Schwartz, G. M., Brinker, C. D., Creekmore, A. T., Feldman, M. H., Smith, A., & Weber, J. A., "Excavations at Kurd Qaburstan, a Second Millennium BC Urban Site on the Erbil Plain", Iraq, 79, 213-255, 2017Schwartz, G., Creekmore, A., Smith, A., Weber, J., & Webster, L., "Kurd Qaburstan On The Erbil Plain: Field Research 2016–2017", Iraq, vol. 83, pp. 1-42, 2022 doi:10.1017/irq.2022.2Glenn Schwartz, "Kurd Qaburstan, A 'Second Generation' Urban Site on the Erbil Plain", Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016
Radiocarbon dates have now been obtained for four Middle Bronze Age stratified samples, three in the upper town and one in the lower town, resulting in a calibrated date range of c. 1875–1745 BC with the MBA destruction being dated c. 1805–1733 BC. Eight samples were obtained from the Late Bronze Age, all in the upper town. For the three phases of LBA occupation, dates were obtained of c. 1538–1505 BC for Phase three, with Phase two beginning c. 1512–1491 BC and ending c. 1501–1479 BC, and with Phase One beginning c. 1489–1463 BC and ending c. 1475–1435 BC. The data suggests a two century abandonment between the MBA destruction and the Mitanni re-occupation. Webster, Lyndelle C., et al., "Towards a Radiocarbon-Based Chronology of Urban Northern Mesopotamia in the Early to Mid-Second Millenium BC: Initial Results from Kurd Qaburstan", Radiocarbon, pp. 1-16, 2023
Since 2024, the site has been excavated by a University of Central Florida team led by Tiffany Earley-Spadoni. The NSF funded project investigates the social processes that led to the rapid growth of the Middle Bronze Age city. Results from the 2024 season confirm the presence of a lower-town palace based upon well-preserved monumental architecture and evidence for administrative activities such as cylinder sealings, a game board, and three cuneiform tablets. Excavations in a residential district northwest of the high mound also revealed glimpses of everyday life in the ancient northern Mesopotamian city. One of the tablets was found in a destruction deposit along with burned materials, building rubble, and human remains.Ancient artifacts unearthed in Iraq shed light on hidden history of Mesopotamia - Phys.org - January 14, 2025 The other two tablets were found in an administrative context alongside cylinder sealings and storage vessels bearing identical pre-fired pot marks.
In 2025 excavations in the destroyed Lower Town East (LTE) Palace revealed extensive and rare evidence for siege warfare in the Middle Bronze Age, and the magnetometer survey of the area inside the city walls, begun in 2014, was completed. In the LTE Palace, archaeologists determined that there had been two distinct destruction events. Finds included more than 100 clay sealings and twenty cuneiform tablets. The tablets were mainly of an administrative nature and at least three were datable within a few days of one another, with the dates of the first of the two destruction events matching historical events known from the Stele of Dadusha. Another tablet, a letter, was written by a high official known to have been operating at Qabra, further supporting the identification of the site with this ancient city. Remote sensing work revealed another portion of the massive citywide outer wall, which the excavators report matches the depiction from the Stele of Dadusha. Work also continued in the northwest neighborhoods and a small sondage was conducted on the high mound.Kurd Qaburstan Project 2025 Season Fieldwork Summary Taken together the 2024 and 2025 excavation seasons reveal evidence of the LTE palace's destruction, matching the historical records, including 17 skeletons interred in the rubble.UCF-Led Excavation Reveals Evidence of Life, Conflict in Ancient Mesopotamia - Andrew Miller - June 8, 2026
The 2024/2025 tablets, most of which were unfired/air dried, have undergone professional conservation and remain in the collection of the Erbil Civilization Museum.Archaeologists Race to Save 4,000-Year-Old Unfired Cuneiform Tablets in Iraq - Abdul Moeed - October 23, 2025
History The upper mound of Kurd Qaburstan was first occupied early in the 3rd millennium BC. Occupation spread to the lower town early in the 2nd millennium BC (Middle Bronze Age) and the city reached its maximum extent during the Old Babylonian period and into the Mitanni period (Middle Bronze to early Late Bronze Age). During the Late Bronze Age occupation retreated to the high mound and the northeastern lower town. Afterward, occupation was very light and restricted to the upper mound through the Sassanian period.Schwartz, G., "Kurd Qaburstan, A Second Millennium BC Urban Site: First Results of the Johns Hopkins Project", in Kopanias, K., & MacGinnis, J. (Eds.). The archaeology of the Kurdistan region of Iraq and adjacent regions, pp. 385-401, Oxford: Archaeopress, 2016 ISBN 978-1784913939
Qabra (Qabara)