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The ābi: This place is considered the most mysterious in Urkesh and Hurrian religion. It is mysterious because it is the place that brings people face to face with their gods. In this deep dark circular structure called the ābi in the Hurrian language, the spirits of the underworld were summoned. It is the passage that puts people in direct contact with their gods. The face to face encounters with gods is a very special aspect in Hurrian religion, unlike Sumerian and Akkadian. To them, gods spoke in symbols (like the movements of celestial bodies). But it was unlikely that they could encounter them in a deep shaft like this one. The stratigraphy of the ābi: At first, when we discovered the ābi, we though it was a well (phase 1) but when king Tupkish built the palace, he built the royal wing on a higher platform than the ābi, which lead to a raise in the ābi wall (phase 2). After a while, the ābi was destroyed, and it shows inside the ābi to the left. It is obvious that the structure was roofed with a small entrance. It is expected that it remained in use from phase 3 to phase 4, and in the finale stages the roof was removed and it was open towards the sky again. |