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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Fortress

Relief depicting an unknown man at the twin fortress of Rabana-Merquly. Was the site also a sanctuary to the water goddess Anahita? Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Parthian Fortress in Iraq May be a Sanctuary for Goddess Anahita

At the remote, ancient mountain fortress of Rabana-Merquly in Iraqi Kurdistan, German archaeologists have made a surprising discovery. Evidence has emerged that suggests the site had been used as a...
Loarre Castle. Source: FJ / Adobe Stock

The Formidable Castle of Loarre, Jewel of Aragon

Spain has a strong medieval heritage. Specifically, its northern region of Aragon is strongly rooted in the early origins of a modern and unified Spanish nation. As a vestige of that glorious...
Ancient Uçhisar Castle in Turkey. Source: Parilov / Adobe Stock

Uçhisar Castle, the Enigmatic Stone Village of Cappadocia

Uçhisar Castle stands as an iconic geological formation and historical marvel nestled in the heart of Cappadocia, Turkey. Carved into the unique landscape of the region, this fortress-like structure...
Pena Palace at sunset, Sintra, Portugal. Source: onnybas / Adobe Stock

Eight Places Straight out of a Fairytale (Video)

In Portugal's Sintra Mountains, the Pena Palace stands as a showcase of King Ferdinand II's flamboyant taste, featuring a red clock tower and a yellow minaret. Abandoned in 1910, it earned UNESCO...
The oldest fortified settlement sits atop a section of land overlooking the Amnya River. Source: Nikita Golovanov/Antiquity Publications Ltd

World’s Oldest Fortress Discovered in Siberia Challenges Traditional Archaeology

The world's oldest fortress has been discovered in Siberia, dating to 8,000 years ago. This defensive complex reveals an ancient class structure, and like Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, it challenges...
Aerial view of Lake Tere-Khol and Por-Bajin island, the Siberian fortress. Source: Por Bajin Cultural Foundation

1,300-Year-Old Fortress Ruins on Siberian Lake Mystifies Experts

It is one of the most mysterious archaeological sites in Russia – an ancient complex engulfing a small island in the center of a remote lake in the mountains of southern Siberia. At first glance, it...
Hever Castle, Kent. Source: Rolf / Adobe Stock.

The Secrets Of Hever Castle: Home Of Anne Boleyn (Video)

Hever Castle, with its 700-year history, is a remarkable historic house in Britain. Originally a timber mott and bailey castle , it was upgraded to a stone fortress in the 13th century, complete with...
Büklükale Archaeological Settlement, Turkey. Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey.

Excavations in Turkey Reveal the True Home of the Cimmerians

‘Conan the Barbarian’ popularized the name of the Cimmerians, an equestrian nomadic people from Anatolia for the uninitiated, and they’re back in the news for fantastic reasons. Ongoing excavations...
Castle Frankenstein, Germany. Source: Dr. N. Lange / Adobe Stock.

Castle Frankenstein: The Real Inspiration for a Monster (Video)

Perched upon a hill in southern Germany, overlooking the enchanting city of Darmstadt, lies a castle steeped in mystery and whispers of inspiration. Welcome to Castle Frankenstein , a medieval ruin...
Alhambra Fortress. Source: pillerss / Adobe Stock.

The Hidden World Beneath Alhambra Fortress (Video)

Beneath the majestic Alhambra fortress , a hidden world lies waiting to be discovered. This ancient monument, attracting millions of visitors each year, unveils more than meets the eye. While many...
Faded Cyrillic script discovered on lead plate. Source: Ivaylo Kanev/Bulgarian National History Museum

Earliest Known Cyrillic Script With Ancient Plea Found at Medieval Bulgarian Fortress

Researchers performing excavations at a medieval fortress in Bulgaria unearthed a weathered and aged lead plate that contained a hard-to-read inscription. In fact, the inscribed words were so faint...
Northeastern view of the remains at Castro Valente, where the medieval fortress has been uncovered thanks to LiDAR technology. Source: Fernàndez-Pereiro & Sánchez-Pardo / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

LiDAR Reveals Medieval Fortress in Spain, Rewriting History

An ancient 25-acre (10-hectare) fortified settlement found on a hilltop in Galicia was long ago identified as an Iron Age village, meaning it was dated to the period between 1,500 and 500 BC. But a...
Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh, India. Source: Dmitry Rukhlenko / Adobe Stock.

16 Spectacular Photos of India’s Once-Powerful Hilltop Forts

India’s many remarkable forts and citadels stand as a testament to its rich and turbulent history. These towering monuments, the majority of which are castles, fortified palaces , or fortresses,...
Rabana ‘sanctuary, fortifications at the Rabana-Merquly. Source: © Rabana-Merquly Archaeological Project / Antiquity Publications Ltd

Lost Royal City of Natounia May Have Been Found in Zagros Mountains

An ancient, fortified settlement known as Rabana-Merquly, which was located high in the north-central Zagros Mountains of modern-day Iraqi Kurdistan, was protected by impenetrable fortifications...
Remains of the castle at Bilhorod Kyivskyi in the Ukraine. Source: Kiyanka / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Largest Surviving Fortress of its Era: Bilhorod Kyivskyi in the Ukraine

The ancient city-castle known as Bilhorod Kyivskyi in the Ukraine, rose to prominence in the 10th century. With the fall of the Kievan Rus in the 13th century, it then lost its importance in the area...
Derbent: Contested Ancient City Stronghold on the Silk Road

Derbent: Contested Ancient City Stronghold on the Silk Road

Nestled between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, the Russian city of Derbent and its famed citadel tells the story of ancient power struggles to control the Silk Road trade route which...
A view of the excavations of the main quadrangle of the Uzundara fortress in 2021.   Source: Institute of Archaeology RAS

First Excavations at 2,300-Year-Old Bactria Kingdom Fortress Completed

In the Boysun region of southeastern Uzbekistan, a joint Russian-Uzbek archaeological expedition recently achieved an historic first . They have just finished their initial round of excavations at an...
View of the trench crossing one of the outer ramparts of the fort      Source: Daniel Skoczylas / PAP

History of Teutonic Era Castle Unearthed in Poland Goes Deeper

In 2021, archaeologists conducted investigations of a Teutonic era castle in Poland to reveal deeper secrets of its past. The excavators discovered not only weapons from the medieval period, but an...
Kenilworth Castle today. Source: Carl / Adobe Stock.

Something in the Water: Kenilworth Castle and a History of Rebellion

Kenilworth Castle is a ruined castle located in the market town of Kenilworth, in Warwickshire, a county in the West Midlands, England. It is believed the site was occupied by a fortified structure...
 ‘An Arab Caravan outside a Fortified Town, Egypt.

Inside Rhinocolura, The City Of Noseless Criminals

Near the city of Gaza, 3,000 years ago, laid a city unlike any other in the world. The Greeks called it Rhinocolura, named for strange faces of the people who lived there – because every person there...
The outlines of the 2,800-year-old Urartian castle, the most recent discovery of its kind, found in eastern Turkey recently.                    Source: Anadolu Agency

Researchers Discover Ancient Urartian Castle in Eastern Turkey

A team of archaeologists from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University recently unearthed the remains of a 2,800-year-old castle in eastern Turkey, which was first reported by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency , one of the...
Bolsover Castle and its grand view over Bolsover town and the surrounding landscape. Source: Matthew / Adobe Stock

Bolsover Castle: 11th Century Fort Bloomed Into Stunning Residence

Bolsover Castle is a famous and unusual castle in Derbyshire, a county in England’s East Midlands. Although the current building was constructed during the 17th century, the history of Bolsover...
Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle - One of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle - One of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine

The Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle is a fortress located in the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi, in the western part of Ukraine. According to written sources, the city existed as early as the 12th century,...
Caernarfon Castle Dig Reveals More Ancient Secrets

Caernarfon Castle Dig Reveals More Ancient Secrets

In January 2019, a team of archaeologists from the University of Salford launched a large-scale excavation at Caernarfon Castle, one of Wales’s most famous historical sites. This grand and...

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