Tell Halaf

Tell Halaf is an archaeological mound in northeastern Syria noted for multi-period occupation from the Neolithic through the Iron Age. It gave its name to the Halaf culture, an important pottery-producing Neolithic horizon, and later developed into an Iron Age urban center with monumental architecture.

The site is especially well known for early Neolithic Halaf-style painted pottery and, from the Iron Age layers, a palace complex decorated with large basalt orthostats and monumental sculptures. These Iron Age finds were excavated in the early 20th century and became internationally famous after being removed for study and display in Europe.

Excavations led by Max von Oppenheim in the early 1900s exposed substantial architectural remains and sculptures; many of the artifacts were transferred to museums in Berlin. The archaeological sequence shows long-term occupation and a transition from prehistoric village economies to a fortified urban center in the first millennium BCE.

Tell Halaf is located in northeastern Syria’s Al-Hasakah Governorate near the modern town that shares its name, situated within a semi-arid plain close to the Turkish border.

• Major finds and fate: Many large stone sculptures and decorated orthostats excavated by Max von Oppenheim were taken to Berlin; a substantial portion were damaged in World War II and later restored for display.

What to See #

• Halaf-period levels: Neolithic and Pottery-producing horizon - layers dating to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic that gave the site its name for the Halaf culture, known for painted pottery.
• Iron Age palace and orthostats: Iron Age Aramaean city and palace - an early first-millennium BCE urban complex with a palace decorated with carved orthostats and large stone sculptures excavated in the early 20th century.