Lake Hamrin
Encyclopedia
Lake Hamrin, also known as Diyala Dam, is a man-made lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 approximately 50km north-east of the Baquba, in Iraq's Diyala province. The town of Hamrin
Hamrin
Hamrin is a town in northern Iraq which sits on the western shore of a man-made lake of the same name, both of which are at the southern extreme of the Hamrin Mountains. Hamrin is home to approximately 12,000 people. Most revenue comes from fishing and subsistence agriculture.-See also:*Lake Hamrin...

 sits on the western shore of the lake, both of which are at the southern tip of the Hamrin mountains.

It was established in 1981 as an artificial dam to hold over two billion cubic meters of water. It is a source of fish and also provides water for nearby date palm
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...

 orchards and other farms.

In June 2008, it was reported that due to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian damming of the al-Wand River, the lake had lost nearly 80% of its capacity.

Archaeological excavations

In the late 1970s, prior to the flooding of the lake, several archaeological sites in the flood plain were excavated. Excavations were led by the British Archaeological Expedition at the request of the Iraqi State Organisation for Antiquities and Heritage. Sites excavated include the Ubaid period
Ubaid period
The Ubaid period is a prehistoric period of Mesopotamia. The tell of al-`Ubaid west of nearby Ur in southern Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate has given its name to the prehistoric Pottery Neolithic to Chalcolithic culture, which represents the earliest settlement on the alluvial plain of southern...

sites of Tell Madhur, Tell Rubeidheh and Tell Haizalun. The Hamrin sites probably shared a localised form of the Ubaid culture and possibly operated as one administrative unit based out of Tell Abada.
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