Duhok excavation uncovers artifacts at 16th-century caravanserai

Shafaq News- Duhok

Archaeologists working at a 16th-century caravanserai in northeastern Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan, have uncovered pottery, old smoking pipes, and architectural features at a site once used by travelers and merchants along a route linking present-day Iraq with Turkiye.

Bekas Brifkani, director of Duhok’s Antiquities Directorate, told Shafaq News that excavations are continuing in Akre district at Khan Bazira, which he dated to the 16th century, while noting that teams have recovered artifacts from earlier periods nearby.

Constructed from stone and lime during the Islamic era, the building served as a roadside stop where travelers and merchants could rest, much like an inn.

Italy’s University of Udine is conducting the project alongside antiquities authorities in Duhok and Akre, Brifkani said, adding that restoration is also planned to preserve the site’s archaeological features.

The excavation follows another archaeological find in Akre earlier this year, uncovered during preparations for a planned statue of Kawa the Blacksmith in the town’s Sari Gari area.

Read more: Duhok launches archaeological research project at Bazira site