Fortress

Assyrian fortress

The Assyrian settlement at Tell Sabi Abyad was inhabited during the late 13th and 12th centuries BC. This is a relatively short period. Yet its history is very complex. 

The remains from Assyrian times have been preserved best. We have been excavating them over a large area.

As is usual in traditional architecture in ancient Syria, the whole fortress was built of sun-dried mud bricks. In the middle of the walled space there is a large, square tower, approximately 23 metres long and 21 metres broad, with thick walls and at least two storeys. The exceptionally well-preserved lower storey consists of nine rooms that are accessible through low, arched doorways. This tower is comparable to the donjons in medieval European castles. The cuneiform texts tell us that it was here that the prisoners were guarded. Besides this the building was used for storage; in some of the rooms we have found dozens of jars and pots, partly still full of charred grain.

Next to the tower there is a palace, comparable to the tower in size. The palace has a rectangular central hall, about 17 metres long and 4 metres broad, with smaller rooms for living and working on either side. In front of the palace there is a large walled courtyard with a tiled floor.

The two sidewings of the palace have a toilet and a bathroom. The bathroom has a luxurious tiled floor and the toilet is of the squatting variety one still finds in Mediterranean countries.

The space between these two huge structures in the centre and the thick exterior wall was completely built up. Here we have found a number of houses, storage rooms, workshops for various craftsmen, and offices for civil servants and clerks. Small lanes lead to the various buildings.

The closely interlaced houses have small courtyards, from which the various rooms may be reached. Some rooms are for living and sleeping, some are workrooms for civil servants and others are kitchens or storage rooms. There is a potter's workshop as well.

In the southwest of the town the baker's bread ovens have been found. Here several cooks will have been employed: we have found the charred remains of cloves of garlic and of other seasonings. When the Assyrians fled the town in great haste, they left most of their things behind in the place where these were used. Shortly afterwards the settlement was destroyed by fire. The abandoned objects have been recovered on the floors of the buildings.

After the fire the fortress remained desolate for some time. In the end the Assyrians returned and the settlement was partly rebuilt. In the late 12th century BC the ruins of the impressive tower and the central palace served as a refuse dump and a burial site. In the ruins of the settlement the new occupants built their houses and workshops.