Kurdshop - Two earthquakes in Gurgum (Mar’ash) in North Kurdistan on February 6, caused major disasters in 11 provinces of North Kurdistan and Turkey and killed more than 50000 people, and historical sites were damaged too.

One of the most important historical sites in Samsur in North Kurdistan is the Tayre Rash Hill, which dates back to the Kurdish state of the Commagane Kingdom. The pillars of the Tayre Rash Hill, an important tourist attraction in Samsur province, were damaged by the February 6 earthquake.

"Tayre Rash Hill" located in Kolik Samsur, is an important historical monument built 2000 years ago by the Kurdish state of Commagane. The hill has been raised to 20 meters by rock.

The Tayre Rash Hill was built by King Mithridates II of Commagane in the name of his mother, Isias Philostorgas. After investigation, it was revealed that the site was built as a cemetery and monument for the women of the Commagane kings' family. Mithridates II, whose name means "the one given by Mithras," built the Tayre Rash Hill, also known locally as the Tayre Rash Tumulus. There are 4 pillars on this hill, the first one is called Ba Khartale (with a scavenger). Since there is a statue of a scavenger on it, so it is called Ba Khartale.

 "There are four pillars here. This area consists of the tombs of the Commagane royal family. These pillars have been there for 2000 years. The location of this hill is very important in the history of Commagane," said the author and historian, Mustafa Coskun.

On Tayre Rash Hill, on the west side, there was a 10-meter-high pillar named Dastgrtn (handhold), which collapsed in the February 6 earthquake. On the pillar were statues of King Mithridates II and his sister Lawdije holding hands.

"This pillar is a Dasgrtn pillar. The statue of Mithridates and his sister Lawdija, hand in hand, was placed on it. It was destroyed in the earthquake. It is 2043 years old," he said.

To the east of Tayre Rash Hill, there are 2 more pillars 10 meters high next to each other. There was a statue of a bull on one of the pillars and a statue of a lion on the other. The head of the statue of the bull has been taken, and the statue of the lion is not there anymore.

The Tayre Rash Hill is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism has announced that the pillar will be restored.