What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to assess the damage to the Shamash Gate during the ISIS control period and establish a stabilization plan for preservation.

May 3, 2026Open Access

The Shamash Gate, Nineveh: A Window Into Two Episodes of Instability

Key Points

The aim is to assess the damage to the Shamash Gate during the ISIS control period and establish a stabilization plan for preservation.
Preliminary investigation conducted by the Iraqi–Italian Nineveh Expedition in 2020.
Three seasons of archaeological work involving mapping, stabilizing, and excavation of the Shamash Gate were performed.
Detailed assessment of the gate's damage and survival was documented.
Significant damage to the Shamash Gate was documented due to ISIS activities.
The core of the gate complex was confirmed to be largely intact, indicating potential for restoration.
A well-planned research program is deemed necessary for effective stabilization and preservation.

Abstract

Abstract The Shamash Gate of Nineveh is one of the major gates that leads into the city from the east. Archaeological work at the gate has been on hold since the early 1970s, when the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage embarked on excavations and reconstruction of the gate. A preliminary investigation of the Shamash Gate in 2020 by the Iraqi–Italian Nineveh Expedition (NINEVE), under the directorship of Nicolò Marchetti, revealed both the considerable extent of the damage and destruction wreaked on this important and historic landmark of ancient Nineveh and Mosul during the period of ISIS control and the urgent need to stabilise the surviving remains of the gate. This investigation also confirmed that the core of the gate complex remains intact and would benefit greatly from a carefully planned and judiciously implemented research program. In this paper we provide a summary report on three seasons of work at the Shamash Gate, including mapping, stabilising, and excavation.

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