The department studies ancient cultures, history, economics, arts and any material or immaterial remains made by humans in the past. Although the scope is general, it concentrates on the Near East and ancient Kurdistan in particular. The aim is to present a basic comprehensive image of the past to the students in order to enable them to understand the multiple aspects of the past lives, to recognize their cultural legacy and be able to do research, conduct restoration and preservation of their relics.
The study of undergraduate (B.A.) level consists of 4 years intensive training, in theory and practice by going to field excavation at a real archaeological site. The postgraduate (M.A.) level consists of two years study and three years for the Ph.D. (one semester courses and five semesters research).
As in the B.A., the M.A and Ph.D. studies are divided into two main branches: Ancient archaeology and Islamic archaeology. Since the scope and material of these periods are quite abundant and cannot be covered within the 4 years, the study was divided into these two specializations from the second year of B.A study.
The department aims to expand its offerings in the field of archaeology by providing more specialized and in-depth knowledge to its students in the coming years. The department envisions a future where the study of archaeology is pursued by a smaller but more high-quality student body. Where the focus will be on providing high-quality education through the incorporation of modern principles into the curricula.
We plan to train archaeologists and (ancient) philologists so that they will be able to preserve, protect, document, and study the rich cultural heritage of Kurdistan and adjacent regions. Doing so, they will make rich material for the writing of the history of the region available for researchers.
Graduates of Archaeology department will be holders of a B.A degree either in Ancient or Islamic archaeology and can work as archaeologists in the directorates of antiquities and heritage in the different governorates, as field archaeologists, museum guides, or conducting restoration and preservation works, or even doing researches on behalf of the institution. They can also teach history and culture at primary or secondary schools should the government offer them the opportunity to do so. They will also be able to continue their higher education to become full-time scholars or university tutors.
Studying at the Archaeology Department is a combination of theory and practice. Students start their studies in theory but soon they will practice their knowledge by going into the field for excavation, visiting archaeological sites, museums and working in small groups with the foreign archaeological teams to gain the newest developments in the field.
Studying in the department is in Kurdish language, but certain classes, such as Sumerian language (5 semesters) and Akkadian language (5 semesters) are taught in English.
The duration of study at the Department of Geography is 4 academic years, divided into 8 semesters. Each semester is 30 ECTS, and each ECTS is 27 hours.
