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Facade of Tell Halaf
The Late Hittite Prince's Palace of Tell Halaf (9th century BC) in northeastern Syria was adorned with a unique decor. A portion of the sculptures which the excavator Max von Oppenheim recovered came to Berlin as its share of the division of the finds and was exhibited in a museum of its own. Columns in the form of colossal Hittite deities rose from the backs of two lions and a bull in the passage through the gate to attain a height of six metres. The Tell Halaf Museum was destroyed during World War II. It was possible to salvage numerous statue fragments from the ruins. Upon being restored, the stone monuments will be part of the reconstructed palace facade in the Pergamonmuseum and form the transition from ancient Egypt to the Late Hittite-Aramaic exhibition area of the Museum of the Ancient Near East.
