Water channels and a heating system estimated to be 1,800 years old have been found during archaeological excavations in Amida Mound, in the Sur district of Diyarbakır.

Amida Mound was home to many civilisations including the Hurri-Mitannis (also known as the ancestors of the Kurds), as well as the Urartians, Persians, Romans, Umayyads, Abbasids, Marwanids, Seljuks and Artukids.

Head of the Excavation Committee, Prof. Dr. İrfan Yıldız, said that Amida Höyük was the heart of both Amed and Mesopotamia. He said that there are channels through which the hot water in the bath flowed. “They distributed hot water directly to the spaces through channels”, he said. “We can call this method the heating system of that period. It is the oldest heating system ever detected in the region”.

Excavation work continues in the area with a permanent team of volunteers.