Rabana-Merquly Explained

Map Type:	Near East
Relief:	yes
Location:	, Iraq
Type:	Archaeological site

Rabana-Merquly is a cluster of archaeological sites in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.^[1] It consists of at least two separate fortified settlements, Rabana and Merquly, and at least two rock reliefs, probably all dating to the Middle Parthian period (CE).^[2] It has been suggested that Rabana-Merquly was the site of ancient Natounia or Natounissarokerta, a city that is otherwise only known from coins.^[3]

History of research

Excavations by the Sulaimaniyah Directorate of Antiquities took place at Merquly in 2009. Rabana was studied in 2016-2017 by a team from Heidelberg University and the Iraqi-Kurdistan Directorate of Antiquities.

In June 2022, it was announced that researchers believe a rock relief was a king of Adiabene meaning a nearby fortress is the lost city of Natounia in the Kurdish region of Iraq.^[4]

According to Arab News, "researchers from the Directorate of Antiquities in Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan, together with Dr. Michael Brown of Germany’s Heidelberg University, say that the established fortification site of Rabana-Merquly could house the ruins of Natounia."^[5]

See also

• Cities of the ancient Near East

External links

• Brown, Michael, Rasheed R. Kamal, and Hama A. Hashim. "Rabana-Merquly: A Fortress in the Kingdom of Adiabene in the Zagros Mountains." Antiquity, vol. 96, no. 388, 2022, pp. 920-936

Notes and References

1. Web site: Amin . Osama Shukir Muhammed . Rock-reliefs of Mountain Merquli, Rabana and their near by settlements, Iraqi Kurdistan. . World History Encyclopedia . 6 February 2024.
2. Brown . Michael . Miglus . Peter . Rasheed . Kamal . Ahmad . Mustafa . Portraits of a Parthian King: Rock-Reliefs and the Mountain Fortresses of Rabana-Merquly in Iraqi Kurdistan . 2018 . Iraq . en . 80 . 63–77 . 10.1017/irq.2018.5 . 96440936 . 0021-0889. free .
3. Web site: Katie Hunt . Ancient fortress found by archaeologists may be a lost royal city . 2022-07-20 . CNN.
4. Web site: Magazine . Smithsonian . Solly . Meilan . Why Archaeologists Think They've Found the Lost City of Natounia . 2022-07-28 . Smithsonian Magazine . en.
5. Web site: 2022-07-28 . Hill fort in Iraqi Kurdistan could be lost city of Natounia: Researchers Arab News . 2022-07-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220728035131/https://www.arabnews.com/node/2126731/middle-east . 2022-07-28 .