Archaeological sites Syria

The site marries the shape of a triangle delimited by well-preserved walls and it is interesting to take the tour to appreciate its quality. The wall around the Euphrates on 385 m is the most damaged by time. The north and south walls (350 and 550 m, respectively) are drilled with two well-marked doors near the river. The current route crosses the axis delimited by these two doors, which probably constituted the main route of the site.

The gypsum wall is flanked by towers which are set at intervals of not more than 50 m. By crossing the northern wall through a steep road, a larger building is achieved than the towers: . Its dimensions allowed the garrison to stay there. The end of its walls and its vaults is well preserved on three floors. From the top of the building, the view on the river is particularly beautiful. The ruins of Zalabiyé, the site on the opposite shore, are visible in the south. Less well preserved than those in Abu, they are accessible by a road from Deir ez-Zor.
By continuing to climb, the citadel is reached, but its access is dangerous. More easily accessible, the remains of the two basilicas located in the centre of the site. Unfortunately, they are in ruins, and the wall is. Several funeral towers, supplemented by tombs dug in the rock, are visible outside the walls, north of the enclosure.

The visit may be disappointing for those who expect to discover very visible remains, the site does not offer any documentation. The walls of dried raw clay bricks have been greatly deteriorated due to the rare but torrential rains raging in the region. Only a 700 m ² area was protected in 1974 by a white roof, rather unaesthetic. It is not enough, moreover, to prevent the destruction process. Following the 2007 archaeological campaign, some pieces of the Palace of the Second Millennium were ensablés while other areas were gradually being released. By leaving the car park, take the small trail to go to the ziggurat (also called High Terrace) which lies right on the right of the Palais-Lim palace. All around a number of religious buildings are the temple aux Lions of 2000 B.C., the temple of Shamash, temple of Nini-Zaza (middle of the third millennium). Then descend west to arrive at the sacred enclosure. A small corridor between thick and high walls of clay gives access to the sacred enclosure of a présargonique palace on the right. From the maze of rooms, the main square room, which contains water supply facilities, will be identified. This présargonique portion was covered by a much larger palace named Zimri-Lim, the name of the last king of Mari.

To find out, you leave the protected area to reach the main courtyard, the hub of the building. She reported on the left with the court of the Palm, which had superb murals protected by a canopy.

In a room that precedes the palm courtyard in the south, the statue of the goddess in from vase was discovered today in Aleppo. The next piece is the throne room. This heart of the palace was complemented by a multitude of small pieces intended for the royal apartments (west of the sacred enclosure), the palace staff, the service staff, the women's apartments. Many warehouses were built there. The ensemble was built on two floors and had 300 pieces and a library of over 20 000 tablets.

By leaving the palace, in the west, the temple of Ishtar is located in an area of présargoniques excavations.