The abi: 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 abi 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 abi: At first, when we discovered the abi, 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 abi, which lead to a raise in the abi wall (phase 2). After a while, the abi was destroyed, and it shows inside the abi 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.