Raqqa Museum

Raqqa lies at the confluence of the Euphrates and the Balikh River, a tributary flowing from the north. The earliest settlement in the area dates back to prehistoric times: Tall Zaidan, situated east of the modern city, which existed from the 6th to the 4th millennium BC. This archaeological site revealed layers from the Halaf culture (6000-5000 BC) and the Chalcolithic Ubaid culture (5000-4000 BC). In ancient times, the eastern city of Tuttul, now known as Tall Bi’a, became an important crossroads for trade routes between Aleppo (and the Mediterranean) to the west, Mari to the east, Qatna (near Homs) to the southwest and the Balikh Valley to the north. A large city wall, palaces, a vast settlement and probably even a port connected with the Euphrates testify to this thriving period in the 3rd and the first half of the 2nd millennium BC. By the early 6th century AD, at least two Christian monasteries existed in Raqqa, one of which was located on Tall Bi’a: Dair Zakka. Archaeological excavations revealed a vast monastic complex of around 2,500 m², with mosaics in some rooms. Two of these mosaics are even dated: the years 509 and 595. They continue to be preserved in the museum's collections. Ar-Raqqa, City Wall of ar-Rafiga (1985, Peter Grunwald) City wall of ar-Rafiqa, the wall core dates back to the Abbasid period, the partially reconstructed brick facings were carried out as part of restoration project by the Syrian Antiquities Administration between 1976 and 1983. In Hellenistic times, around 300 BC, a new city was built south of Tall Bi’a and called Nikephorion ("The Victorious“) in modern day Mishlab. Until the Islamic conquest, Raqqa primarily belonged to the Byzantine Empire, although it was also under Sasanian rule; fortified by a great city wall with towers. Throughout its history, Raqqa changed names several times depending on the rulers. In Greek and Latin sources it was referred to as Kallinikos, Leontupolis, perhaps even Konstanteia, and Nikephorion. In the year 636- 637, Kallinikos was conquered by Arab troops and then again in 639. The city was renamed ar-Raqqa. In its centre was the large Friday mosque (The Umayyad Mosque) featuring a square minaret that remained standing until the early 20th century, as evidenced by photographs taken by scholars and travelers. The mosque itself was constructed, at least in part, using ancient capitals and columns, some of which were later repurposed as gravestones in the cemetery around the Mausoleum of Uwais al-Qarani. Although the mosque itself is long gone, its irregular outline has since been preserved in the courtyard of a secondary school. Finally, in 771 - 772, the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur ordered the establishment of a new garrison town to the west of ar-Raqqa, named ar-Rafiqa, “the companion of ar-Raqqa”. However, this name apparently did not take hold as shortly after the twin city became known as "the two Raqqas“, until at last only ar-Raqqa remained. Eventually, it became the largest urban unit apart from Baghdad, even surpassing Damascus. The ar-Rafiqa wall, shaped like a horseshoe and measuring a total length of 4.5 km, is a defining feature of the city. It had a rectangular grid of streets with the Friday Mosque (The Great Mosque) at its centre. The caliph's palace and his representatives were likely situated nearby, but no architectural traces have been found to date. An implicit hint might be the large quantities of high-quality ceramics of the so-called Raqqa-ware which have been confiscated or sold as a result of illegal excavations since the end of the 19th century. 25 years later, the most famous of all Abbasid caliphs, Harun ar-Rashid, made Raqqa his new residence and moved his capital from Baghdad to the west to better combat the Byzantine Empire. This resulted in the move of the entire court and in the construction of an enormous palace covering approximately 10 ha north and northeast of the twin-city. Around 20 large building complexes have be