Watch Site of the Week: The Khinnis reliefs, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, date to around 700 B.C. They were sculpted into the cliffs at the head of a great river canal system created by the Assyrian king Sennacherib to provide water to Nineveh. Carvings of deities, mythological animals, and cuneiform inscriptions feature alongside the main relief of the huge figures of Sennacherib with the deities Ashur and Enlil standing atop mythical animals. Later structures, possibly tombs or Christian monastic cells, were cut into the rock face. The archaeological and cultural heritage of Khinnis is threatened by encroaching development, and the stone reliefs are in need of conservation due to exfoliation and staining from water run-off.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 13:34:28 +0000