The Temple of Allat, Hatra. Preliminary Conservation Activities with Remarks on Architecture

In the framework of the projects “Damage assessment and first aid interventions to the World Heritage Site of Hatra after DAESH occupation” (2020), “First aid intervention to the World Heritage Site of Hatra after DAESH occupation” (2021-2022), and “Urgent restoration activities and conservation plan for the WHS of Hatra” (2022-2024) funded by The International alliance for the protection of heritage (ALIPH), Geneve, and implemented by ISMEO, Rome, this technical report illustrates the conditions of the ruins of Hatra’s Temple of Allat, one of the most impressive religious buildings of the inner sanctuary, as we found it in 2020, shortly after the end of the DAESH-ISIS occupation. It summarizes the urgent conservation actions implemented to restore vandalized sculptures, their final results, and the first protective actions meant to halt or mitigate ongoing and ruinous architectural decay. Furthermore, we present some preliminary observations on the architecture of the temple complex and on some of the important modifications it underwent in time, which, according to the available literature, should date back to the city’s last phases of life.