Stone Age footprints discovered in Soran

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Human footprints dating back to the Stone Age have been discovered in the Soran district of Erbil province, a local expert said on Friday. 

“We have discovered several archaeological remains dating back to the late Old Stone Age and the beginning of the Middle Stone Age,” Abdulwahab Sulaiman, head of the Soran independent administration’s archaeological department, told Rudaw.

The archaeological layers, according to Sulaiman, had been lost for over half a century after being first discovered by foreign archaeologists in 1951. 

“After that, no other traces were found until we discovered these layers at the foot of Plngan Mountain, and they are the footprints of humans from that era,” he said. 

A five-year contract signed with the Autonomous University of Barcelona has resulted in the discovery of “several important archaeological sites,” Sulaiman said. 

Approximately 1,200 archaeological sites are registered in the Soran Independent Administration, according to statistics provided by Sulaiman. 

The Kurdistan Region is home to a wealth of archaeological sites, ancient cities, and religious landmarks that bear witness to thousands of years of continued civilization. These include remnants from the Sumerian and Assyrian eras as well as Neanderthals.