Quick Facts
- Also spelled:
- Tell Brak
- Date:
- c. 3200 BCE - c. 2200
- Key People:
- Sir Max Mallowan
- Related Topics:
- temple
- Related Places:
- Al-Ḥasakah
- ancient Middle East
- Syria
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Tall Birāk
ancient site, Syria
Also known as: Tell Brak
Tall Birāk, ancient site located in the fertile Nahr al-Khābūr basin in Al-Ḥasakah governorate, Syria; it was inhabited from c. 3200 to c. 2200 bc. One of the most interesting discoveries at Birāk was the Eye Temple (c. 3000), so named because of the thousands of small stone “eye idols” found there. These curious objects have almost square bodies and thin heads carved with two to six large eyes. The temple itself is important for its use of typically southern Mesopotamian decorative motifs.
During the time of the Akkadian king Naram-Sin (reigned c. 2254–c. 2218), a royal residence was built at Birāk, and the town served as a control point for all the roads of the Jazīrah desert.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.