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 in 1866 CE by Mohammed Pasha Jaff, a Kurdish leader appointed by the Ottoman Empire. The castle was originally as an administrative center for the local Jaff tribe and as a private residence, and so until the 1930s. The castle was built on top of a large tell. Artifacts were occasionally during excavations and 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)
An undated photograph of artifacts in the Sherwana Castle Museum (Kurdistan Board of Tourism)
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)
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)
