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INCIDENT REPORT FEATURE: SHEWARNA CASTLE

U. S. DEPT. COOPERATION AGREEMENT NUMBER: S-IZ-100-17-CA021

BY Jamie O’Connell

An earthquake severely damages the Ottoman-era Shewarna Castle in as-Sulaimania Governorate.

* This report is based on research conducted by the “Safeguarding the Heritage of the Near East Initiative,” funded by the US Department of State. Monthly reports reflect reporting from a variety of sources and may contain unverified material. As such, they should be treated as preliminary and subject to change.

A pre-damage photograph of Sherwana Castle (Kurdistan Tourism Authority; undated photograph)

Sherwana Castle, located in the town of Kalar in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, was built in 1866 CE by Mohammed Pasha Jaff, a Kurdish leader appointed by the Ottoman Empire. The castle was originally builtas an administrative center for the local Jaff tribe and as a private residence, and remained so until the 1930s. The castle was built on top of a large tell. Artifacts were occasionally discovered during excavations and revealed after heavy rains date to various periods of occupation, including the Kassite, Sasanian, Umayyad and Abbasid eras.

A large clay bowl uncovered on Sherwana Castle hill after heavy rains (Dilberkurd/Twitter; November 16, 2015)

In 2003, a museum was installed in the castle. Its collection consists of around 400 artifacts discovered in the Kalar area, as well as historical photographs of daily life in the region.

An undated photograph of artifacts in the Sherwana Castle Museum (Kurdistan Board of Tourism)

Sections of Sherwana Castle, including the cupola on the roof, were repaired several times during the 20th century. Military activity in the area in the 1990s resulted in damage to the castle. In 2014, Niqash reported that heavy rains had damaged the castle walls, causing them to crack, and that the local antiquities department lacked funds to undertake the necessary restoration.

A photograph of Sherwana Castle in 1963, before the restoration of the cupola on the roof and addition of new doors and windows (Profiles from Iraq/Twitter; February 12, 2016)

Sherwana Castle was damaged by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake on November 12, 2017. The earthquake killed over 300 people and injuring more than 7,000 across both Iraq and Iran. The head of the Germiyan Antiquities Department reported that 35% of the castle suffered damage. The cupola on the castle roof was particularly affected, and partially collapsed.

Damage to the roof of Sherwana Castle (Bas News; November 22, 2017)
Workers attempt to stabilize the standing remains of the cupola (Bas News; November 22, 2017)

In January 2018, a team from the University of Glasgow received $50,000 USD from the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development in order to carry out restoration efforts at the castle. According to the Glasgow team, the castle sustained significant structural damage, including dislocated walls and terraces, the collapse of the cupola, and significant cracks in the castle’s four main towers.

Damage to a one of the four towers at the corners of the castle (Iraq Museum/Facebook; November 13, 2017)

By late February 2018, the team completed the removal of the earthquake rubble.  The next phase of the Qala Shirwana Cultural Heritage Project (QaSCHP) will focus on the stabilization of the most significantly damaged parts of the castle. The third and final phase will focus on the reconstruction of the central cupola and the castle’s interior. The team hopes to complete the project by August 2018.

For more information on damage to Sherwana Castle, see ASOR CHI Incident Report IHI 17-0079 in December 2017 Monthly Report.