I visited this WHS in September 2024 after visiting Ashur. I had double checked before my arrival in Iraq and during my visit to make sure everything was in order and that we had enough time to explore this WHS.

Like Palmyra in Syria, unfortunately Hatra featured quite a lot in the news during the quite recent period when ISIS controlled the area, with heartbreaking videos of barbaric acts and terror, with horrific scenes of destruction of "pagan" statues using sledgehammers and assault rifles. Luckily, most invaluable artefacts were saved and are now scattered around the world and in a whole room of the National Museum of Baghdad.

Already when approaching the site, you'll see countless destroyed houses and buildings which have been hit by heavy artillery or drones. The only signs of life visible are the very few shepherds and their tiny flocks. The military personnel here were on a higher alert here than anywhere I visited in Iraq, as some militia could still be hiding in some of the destroyed buildings and due to Hatra's proximity to the Syrian desert (desert storms or not uncommon here!). I noticed that some of the cones at military checkpoints were indeed makeshift cones made from used rocket shells! Many bombarded military tanks and vehicles were still on the sides of the long road leading from the main road to the archaeological site. Although most of the archaeological site has been cleared from any dangerous military devices, there were countless spent bullets and shells, and clear signs of bullet holes and damage on the few metal signs and facades of the buildings.

Hatra was a strongly fortified caravan city and the capital city of the small Arab Kingdom of Hatra, which flourished in the 2nd century and was destroyed and deserted in the 3rd century. It was located between the Roman and Parthian/Sasanian Empires. Hatra is considered to be the richest archaeological site from the Parthian Empire known to date, and its statues and sculptures belong to the Parthian cultural sphere in terms of clothing, decorative elements or postures. During Saddam Hussein's reconstruction period, Saddam Hussein demanded that new bricks in the restoration use his name (imitating Nebuchadnezzar) and this can be seen clearly in parts of one restored temple.

I was pleasantly surprised that there were still a few weathered ornate sculptures left at the site showing Hellenistic, Mesopotamian and Persian architectural styles: a decorated arch with faces, an eroded protruded head looking down besides an inscription in Hatran Aramaic, a camel milking its young, statues of military commanders with Nemrud Dag-like headwear and intricate tunics, votive statues wearing sandals and standing on a pedestal (clear Roman influences), an anthropomorphic mask, headless statues with their right hand raised in salutation, and a mermaid-like creature blowing a trumpet.

I really enjoyed my visit to this truly unique site and hopefully I'll be able to also visit Palmyra in the near future. Practically I had the whole site to myself when I visited as there was nobody around except my driver and some guards. The whole site is quite large and will require a couple of hours to cover well within the double-walled fortifications. I enjoyed the warm light and slight breeze at sunset with good light on some of the temple facades and columns, but the best light on some of the main temples is in the morning.