Ancient rock-cut tomb suffers graffiti defacement скачать в хорошем качестве

Ancient rock-cut tomb suffers graffiti defacement

(3 Jun 2020) LEAD IN: The archaeological site of Qizqapan, a rock-cut ancient tomb in the north of Iraq, suffers from neglect. Locals are calling on the government to do more to protect the heritage site. STORY-LINE: Dating back to the median era, Qizqapan is a rock-cut tomb nestled in a mountain in Iraq's Northern Kurdish region. The tomb, which is carved into a cliff in the Chemi Rezan valley of Sulaymaniyah, suffers from neglect and defacement. Some of its visitors have sprayed the archaeological site with graffiti. "Sadly, as you see, they (visitors) have written on it and they don't care. This is not nice at all," says local tourist Sakar Abdulla. The site is approximately 8 metres above the ground. To reach it, visitors have to use metal staircases that lead to the entrance.   There are three coffins in three different chambers inside the tomb, but it is unknown who exactly was buried there. The carved sculpture on the front gate shows two kings raising their right hands while holding bow weapons in their left hands. Between them, a ball on a table that represents the sun. The sculpture is meant to represent the peace agreement between the Median king Cyaxares and the king of the Lydian kingdom. The two kingdoms were in a continued war with each other but because of the sun eclipse - which was considered as a bad sign during that time - the two parties sat down and signed a peace agreement, according to Kamal Rashid, the director of the antiquity department in Sulaymaniyah. Qizqapan means girl catcher or girl kidnapper in Turkish, and it is believed that the Ottomans named it during their reign over the region. Rashid says the graffiti defacement "shows that there are people who don't care about the history and the importance of this archaeological site." He says his department has better plans to preserve the site, but is waiting for the coronavirus crisis to be over. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...