Near the city of Naqadeh, in the province of W. Azerbaijan, there is a hill holding secrets aging 8000 years. The objects obtained from this area date back to the Iron Age. The several layers discovered are proof of the multiple habitations of the people of that area: from the beginning of the Stone Age to the ancient era of Iran and even the ages after that. It is called “Teppe Hasanlu.”
Hasanlu Hill is located near a village of the same name and in a beautiful plain called Solduz. The beauty around this area reveals why people chose this area for living and working. Around that hill, there are also other heights that have a civilizational link to Hasanlu. It could be that all the inhabitants of that area were of the same descent and people and did daily trade with each other. All these hills are in a 2-km range.
The residents of Hasanlu have had a brilliant and advanced civilization. The artifacts discovered from the heart of the Hasanlu hills are worthy of comparison with the most important contemporary societies, especially with the Kasi tribe in Lorestan, to the extent that it is believed that there were kinship ties between the Hasanluis and the Kasis.
A bronze bowl from the 1st millennium BC, found in Hasanlu Hill, The National Museum of Iran
The oldest layer identified in Hasanlu Hill shows the 6th to the 3rd millennium BC period. This period is from the beginning to the end of the Stone Age in human history. The layers after that reveal the ancient age, from the Medes era onwards. Therefore, Hasanlu Hill has been a place for civilizing the people of that region, for a long period of time.
A fort has been discovered on Hasanlu Hill, with a 3 meters thick wall and several towers. These towers measure 10 sqm. Half of these watch towers were visible inside the fort and the other half (or more) was seen outside. Inside the fort, there are also halls and a place for prayer. Hasanlu temple was 30 meters long and more than five meters wide. Therefore, it is clear that in the eyes of the inhabitants of that ancient area, the performance of prayer rituals was essential and a part of their social life. This temple has a ceiling.
Warehouses, rooms, and a place to store weapons should also be added to that collection. Several iron swords and spears have been found in the armory. The most exciting thing is to find women’s makeup tools, Tools like kohl containers and Vasmeh containers.
Eternal Hasanlou lovers
One of the wonders of the archaeological excavation of Hasanlu Hill was a three-thousand-year-old grave in which the skeletons of two bodies were buried next to each other: a woman and a man. Archaeologists named this grave “Lovers” to remind of one of the oldest prehistoric loves. Nothing else was found in this mass grave.
Hasanlu Golden Cup
But the jewel of the findings of Hasanlu Hill is a golden cup that has immense value and importance in the world of archeology. This cup weighs 950 grams and is 21 cm high and 25 cm thick. The elegance used in its construction is unparalleled. Its structure dates back to 800 BC. Many characters on its body may be the narrator of an epic story. An Izad riding a chariot and a warrior in a battle with a dragon and a cow with a river flowing out of its mouth are some of the designs on this unique cup. This cup was discovered in Farvardin 1337 (March 1958) during the excavations of the Iranian and American archeology group in Hasanlu Hill, while the cup was in the arms of a person who had fallen to the ground and a dagger was stuck in his back. This cup proves that Hasanlu Hill’s Manechian residents were skilled artists. They have managed to create a masterpiece that, fortunately, has survived the ravages of time and is now a sign of the rich civilization and fine art of the inhabitants of the Iranian plateau.
