Tigristunnel
| Tigristunnel | |
|---|---|
|
exit of the Tigristunnel | |
 .svg.png){kind=icon} Shown within Turkey | |
| Region | Diyarbakır Province, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 38°31′47″N 40°32′51″E / 38.52972°N 40.54750°E |
The Tigristunnel is a cave approximately 50 miles north of Diyarbakır in Turkey. It has a length of about 750 m (2,461 ft). The Berkilin Cay is flowing through this cave. It forms a source of the Tigris. Hence the exit of this cave was long time believed to be spring of the Tigris. In fact the spring is near Bingöl not far away from the Tigristunnel. In its vicinity there are several archaeological monuments.
Best known are the reliefs of Tiglath-Pileser I and Shalmaneser III that are carved into the wall of the Tigristunnel. Their production in 852 BC is shown in the relief of the Bronze door bands from Balawat. These Balawat Gates are now in the British Museum.[1] Above the Tunnel there is a natural rock Arch that is connected to the tunnel by a stairway created by the Urartians. Above the exit of the Tunnel there are further caves. The biggest of them bears a baldy preserved relief and inscription of Shalmaneser III.
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Cave above the tunnel-exit
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Relief of Shalmaneser III
References
- ↑ Bronze band from the gates of the palace of Shalmaneser III, British Museum, accessed 11 December 2013
Sources
- Andreas Schachner (2009): Assyriens Könige an einer der Quellen des Tigris. Archäologische Forschungen im Höhlensystem des sogenannten Tigris-Tunnels. Tübingen.