A postcard from Iraq: ancient ruins of Hatra

Postcard

Hatra ruined city located in the Al-Jazīrah region of present-day northern Iraq. It is an ancient Arab city about 80 km to the south west of Mosul and 290 km north west of Baghdad.  A religious and trading centre of the Parthian empire, it flourished during the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. The city survived several invasions before being razed in ad 241. It is an important archaeological site with well-preserved ruins.

Stamp

A matching stamp. Lying at the heart of the city is Hatra’s Great Temple, part of a larger temple complex, dedicated to a number of gods among them: Nergal (Akkadian), Hermes (Greek) and, the principal one, the Mesopotamian sun god Shamash.

THX Milad!