The ancient Sumerian city of Girsu is located about halfway between the modern cities of Baghdad and Basra in southern Iraq. It is one of the earliest known cities in the world with a history of at least five thousand years. Girsu was the capital of the Lagash Kingdom, a sacred metropolis in honor of the Sumerian heroic god Ningirsu, and continued to be its religious center after political power shifted to the city of Lagash.
It was in Girsu that evidence of the existence of the Sumerian civilization was first discovered in the form of thousands of cuneiform tablets with registers of economic, administrative and commercial issues of the city. Over fifty years of excavations at this mega-archaeological site have uncovered some of the most important monuments of Sumerian art and architecture, including a 4,000-year-old brick-built bridge that is the oldest bridge discovered in the world to date.
Girso was first explored by a team of French archaeologists in 1877, even before modern excavation and conservation methods were invented. The French were also not very eager to follow the protocol and paid little attention to the preservation of architectural monuments. The treasure hunters then looted many artifacts and sold them to collectors. An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 items were looted from Girsu and subsequently released to the market, in contrast to the 4,000 official French finds. Without a doubt, this is one of the most unique bridges in the world.
The Girsu Bridge was first discovered in the 1920s. At the time, it was interpreted as a temple, dam and water regulator. Only recently has the structure been identified as a bridge over an ancient waterway. Since excavations almost a century ago, the bridge has remained open and subjected to constant impact, without any effort to preserve the landmark.
Girsu's modern Arabic name is Tello, and the site is currently being used by the British Museum with financial support from the UK government to train Iraqi archaeologists in cultural heritage management and practical fieldwork skills.
Promotional video:
Rebuilding the 4,000-year-old bridge will be part of the curriculum, according to a recent statement from the museum.