In Kurdistan's Duhok: 8,000-year-old Neolithic site discovered

Shafaq News/ Two archaeological sites, one dating back 8,000 years to the Neolithic era, have been discovered in Kurdistan Region's Duhok, the province's Director of Antiques and Heritage, Bekas Brifkani, announced on Thursday.

Brifkani told Shafaq News Agency that the sites were discovered in Asinkran and Kanisban areas, located in the Nafkor plain near the Rovia district in eastern Duhok.

The discovery in Asinkran includes some of the earliest forms of pottery production, along with grain processing, dating back more than 8,000 years. Meanwhile, at the Kanisban site, a Neolithic settlement from the 7th millennium BCE, traces of early agricultural specialization and craft production were found.

At the nearby Asinkran site, two exceptional buildings dating back about 7,000 years were uncovered. "These buildings, the Rectangular Mudbrick Building and the White Building, were constructed on a high mound and likely served as residences for the social elite of that era," he explained.

Brifkani pointed out that these discoveries are part of an excavation campaign under a joint project between the Duhok Antiquities Department and the University of Udine in Italy, supervised by the Directorate General of Antiquities and Heritage in the Kurdistan Region.

“This campaign aims to understand the transformations in early agricultural societies, from egalitarian communities to complex settlements with specialized labor and social hierarchies,” he said.

Brifkani described the discovery as an "important step" in reconstructing the history of human development in the region, highlighting the Kurdistan Region's significance as “one of the main centers of early civilization.”