Ancient Staircase

The western approach to the city of Amadiya/Amedi—an elliptical acropolis with its long axis running north-south—is set toward the southern end of the citadel. The ascending footpath involves numerous switchbacks, and it requires upwards of an hour to climb from the base to the Mosul Gate at the top. It takes the form of a simple dirt path along its lower reaches, though some apparently worked stones are found sporadically along the route, possibly indicating some kind of architectural intervention here. The ascent was cobbled and stepped along its upper reaches, comprising the final few switchbacks; this becomes evident at a point marked by a group of boulders and a modern house. In the earlier stages, the cobblestones are placed rather loosely along the path, which is not of a uniform width or slope. Several spans of the cobbling either are more carefully arranged or—more likely—are better preserved; some areas appear to be simply paved rather than stepped. The same type of white stone was used consistently throughout the construction. Varying in size and shape, the cobbles are mainly unworked or only lightly worked, while the stretchers that form each step are larger blocks that are worked. Original post-holes can be recognized in several locations.

The pathway is best preserved after the final switchback before the Mosul Gate, in the stepped span running south along the cliffside and carrying the visitor past the three rock-carved reliefs of the Parthian period—the first of which is placed precisely at the switchback, maximizing its visibility along the approach (see the diagram; see the panorama; see the photogrammetric reconstruction). Here, the front of each step is lined with a single course of oblong, roughly block-shaped stones (stretchers), while the cobbles filling the steps are smaller and less regularly placed. In recent decades, concrete has been poured into many of these steps to secure the stonework in areas close to the gate. A barrier extending along this final stretch was modified in the modern period, beginning in the 1970s when the Mosul Gate was reconstructed.1 Early photographs show that it was once composed of more loosely arranged stones. The staircase continues south through the Bahdinan Gate (see the panorama); after making a sharp turn east, it opens into the city (see the panorama).

The staircase has been studied closely and a diagram has been created by the Columbia team, although no excavations have been conducted to date.2 It was clearly created during the same occupation phase as the Parthian reliefs. The acropolis may have been fortified at this time, though this question also revolves around the interpretation of the visible evidence. The massive retaining wall directly below the barrier of the upper staircase is built of roughly squared ashlar blocks laid in courses. A similar type of masonry is found higher up, adjacent to the Mosul Gate; here it has been overlain with a differently constructed wall—likely of the Zengid period, ca. 12^th century AD—which it must thus antedate. It is not clear whether these earlier fortifications were built in antiquity, alongside the reliefs and staircase, or in another historical era prior to the Zengid occupation of the site: Amadiya/Amedi was an important fortress in the early medieval period as well (see the discussion in the Amadiya/Amedi site entry). However, given that the masonry below the barrier functions as a retaining wall, it is possible that it was built at the same time as the staircase that it supports.

A stone staircase was also built along the upper approach to the east side of the citadel. Since this footpath was destroyed in the early 20^th century, the structure has been largely lost. However, it was documented in a late 19^th-century photograph taken toward the Zibari Gate. It appears to be built of a similar stone and technique, and it is almost certainly contemporaneous with the western staircase.

• 1. Photos from 1972, before the rebuilding of the gate, show that the barrier was not in existence at this time. It appears in photographs of the 1990s, but not at its present height.
• 2. The staircase is part of a second Columbia University project conducted in collaboration with the Dohuk Directorate of Antiquities and the Kurdish Archaeological Organization (KAO). The Amedi restoration project is also directed by Zainab Bahrani and began its first season of work in 2019. A preliminary report will follow.