MULINEM Project

The project “Medieval Urban Landscape in the Northeastern Mesopotamia” (MULINEM), supported by the Czech Science Foundation, is focused on investigation of medieval urban sites in Adiabene (al-Hidyab), historical province of Arbela (Arbīl, Erbil, Hawler).

Nearly twenty sites of either confirmed or presumed urban status appeared in the region during the period of the 4th to 17th centuries A.D. The urban landscape finally collapsed during the Ottoman era and remains of towns are largely in a very good state of preservation.

The interpretation coming from textual evidence, satellite imagery and archaeological survey will concentrate on the issues of continuity of the ‘Islamic’ urban network, its resistance to the political and economic changes and the social structure demonstrated in the built environment of individual cities.

The project gives us an unique opportunity to know more about the last pre-modern stage of development of the cultural landscape in the region of Northeastern Mesopotamia, scholarly neglected so far.

The project is coming from, and linking with our previous research of topography and development of the city of Arbīl.