Arslan Tash

Arslan Tash — known in antiquity as Hadatu — is an archaeological site in northern Syria whose modern name derives from the Aramaic for 'lion stone', a reference to the two pairs of lion reliefs that once flanked its western and eastern gates. This decorative scheme was characteristic of Assyrian gateway architecture in the early first millennium BCE. Early 20th-century excavations unearthed notable ivory carvings and cuneiform inscriptions, many of which are now dispersed across international museum collections. Visitors today encounter exposed mudbrick walls and gate foundations, with the broader significance of the site best understood through companion collections held elsewhere.