Archaeological investigation of Tell Nebi Yunus in Nineveh (Mosul/Iraq)

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After conquering Mosul in the summer of 2014, IS troops blew up the mosque with the tomb of the prophet Jonah on Tell Nebi Yunus. Causing great damage IS treasure hunters dug a dense network of tunnels through the ruins of the last unknown Assyrian royal palace which lay just under the mosque’s foundations. In 2018 the Iraqi government asked the University of Heidelberg for help in assessing the damage and conducting rescue excavations, during which the reliefs and monumental inscriptions discovered in the tunnels would be secured and recovered. In 2019, the Iraqi government granted Heidelberg University a long-term excavation license. Funds from the state of Baden-Württemberg were used to create the infrastructure required for archaeological investigations in a completely destroyed city. This allowed to carry out initial investigations. At this the enormous throne room of the palace was discovered. In the three- year project module applied for here, archeological investigations, especially in the south and the east of the mosque ruins, are to be carried out. The finds and findings from excavations and tunnels should make it possible to obtain an accurate picture of the architecture, building history and furnishings of the throne room wing, which occupied a central position in the royal palace. In this context a very representative room, which lays currently under rubble and a massive concrete ceiling, is to be completely uncovered. It is equipped with orthostats and sculptures of winged bulls and connects the huge throne room with the inner areas of the palace. Moreover it is intended to excavate the east facade of the throne room, which is richly decorated with reliefs and sculptures. Smaller sondages in the vicinity of the throne room wing and at other selected locations are intended to provide a more precise idea of the basic structure of the royal palace and its dimensions. It is likely that the excavations will uncover new inscriptions on wall panels, bricks and other objects and provide important historical insights. The inscriptions are to be deciphered, studied and evaluated. The excavations will provide important insights into the culture and history of the Ancient Near East and will give back a piece of its cultural heritage to the city of Mosul where all ancient Near Eastern monuments have been completely destroyed.