Diyār Bakr, a city and the capital of the eponymous province in south-east Anatolia. It is situated in a valley on a bank of the Tigris river and is bound to the north by the Taurus mountains, to the west by the Karaca Dağ mountain and to the south by the Mardin hills. Diyār Bakr lies at the intersection of major historical trade routes.

The first archaeological work to be carried out in the area of south-east Anatolia took place during the late nineteenth century under the direction of Leman-Haupt and W. Belk, who examined graves in the village of Hilar nea…