Urkesh
View of Tell Mozan from the north. | |
Urkesh Shown within Syria Urkesh Urkesh (Near East) | |
| Alternative name | Tell Mozan |
|---|---|
| Location | Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria |
| Region | Taurus Mountains |
| Coordinates | 37°3′25″N 40°59′50″E / 37.05694°N 40.99722°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 4th millennium BC |
| Abandoned | 1200 BC |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Urkesh, also transliterated Urkish (Akkadian: 𒌨𒆧𒆠 UR.KIŠKI, 𒌨𒋙𒀭𒄲𒆠 UR.KEŠ3KI; modern Tell Mozan; Arabic: تل موزان), is a tell, or settlement mound, located in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains (in the area of upper Khabur River basin) in Al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. Urkesh was one of the oldest city of the Ancient Near East, originating in the fourth millennium BC. Its importance is due to the fact that it is the only third millennium B.C. urban centre known so far which can be considered wholly Hurrian.