An Ancient City and A Current Crisis:
Preview
By Staff Reporter, John Briggs
Approximately 3,800 years ago, merchants within an ancient urban center on the Tigris in modern day Iraqi Kurdistan engaged in a customary practice involving the acquisition of timber resources. In this town dubbed Zakhiku by some researchers, those traders thrived off the arrival of wooden beams, harvested from the woodlands nestled amidst the mountainous terrain to the north and east of Mesopotamia. These forests spanned the geographical regions now recognized as Iraq, Kuwait, and portions of Turkey, Iran, and Syria.
Many of these areas are now arid and dry, but during that time, they were forested and full of all sorts of plant life.
As the logs descended the currents of the Tigris River, they eventually reached Zakhiku, where they were diligently gathered and transported to designated storehouses for safekeeping.
Originating from the mountainous territories of contemporary Turkey and Iran, traders also engaged in the transportation of precious metals and minerals, including gold, silver, tin, and copper, to the ancient city of Zakhiku. These merchants traversed rugged terrain atop donkeys or camels, undertaking arduous journeys to reach their destination. To safeguard against the threat of banditry, they formed caravans, traveling collectively for protection. Upon arrival in Zakhiku, they conducted trade, exchanging their valuable goods before embarking once more on their onward journey. Crossing the Tigris River, they ventured forth into the borderlands, continuing their trade routes beyond the city’s confines.
Situated amidst a landscape characterized primarily by water and soil, Zakhiku was strategically established to capitalize on the bustling caravan traffic and the burgeoning trade routes. As such, over the course of six centuries, Zakhiku burgeoned from a modest trading post into a thriving commercial hub within the region, serving as a pivotal center for trade and commerce.
However, some researchers suggest that its prosperity was abruptly halted by the ravages of a powerful earthquake, which struck the city and inflicted irreparable damage. According to this, Zakhiku was forsaken, its once bustling streets deserted as its inhabitants sought refuge elsewhere, leaving behind echoes of a bygone era.
It is not clear whether that thesis is true. It is strange that a single earthquake took away the importance of the city’s strategic location for trade on the river between the major trade routes in the region. It is more likely that larger and more complex reasons owe to its abandonment. Most likely it occurred over a long period of time, and evolved according to other changes in the reason; ecological, economic, and ocial reasons, along with the impact of natural disaster.
But what meaning does Zakhiku have today?
Dismounting our motorcycles, Ibrahim and I arrived at the banks of the Tigris River, feeling the heat radiating off our bodies after the journey under the scorching sun. The weight of history seemed to hang heavy in the air as we gazed out at the tranquil waters. A brief moment however and it was clear that the only thing in the air was our sweat evaporating. But perhaps ancient secrets lay somewhere submerged beneath the river? No, those too would have been taken alongside the ancient artifacts that had been excavated in 2022 during a severe drought spell.
That excavation sparked a brief flurry of international media attention but as we stood on the riverbank now, there was little evidence of anything here, let alone a submerged ancient city. Ibrahim, whose knowledge of the Kurdistan Region often surprised me, confessed that he had never heard of this submerged ancient town before. His admission sparked a sense of embarrassment within me. It was a reminder of how fleeting moments of interest would sometimes capture the world’s interest but in a region plagued by much more pressing issues for the people living there, such as the ongoing water crisis.
The lifeline of ancient civilizations and modern societies alike, the Tigris is now under siege, its waters dwindling at an alarming rate. As drought tightens its grip and temperatures soar, the specter of a parched future looms large over the region.
There has been much buzz about the Development Road Project in Iraq and it’s connection with negotiations over water and security. This could drastically changr the situation of the Tigris and the entire region.
However, what is the situation actually like on the ground? Could a new Zakhiku emerge in the Iraqi Kurdistan region? Or, have regional issues destined it to never again see a civilization such as Zakhiku? How might emerging water agreements change the course of recent years? And, importantly, what will it mean for the people in the region?
In our upcoming issue, we will turn our attention to the relationship between water issues and the reality of the people living in Anatolia, the Levant, and Mesopotamia.