The mineral wealth and relative security of Iraqi Kurdistan has created a haven for foreign investment. Now, the region’s historical richness is making it a haven for foreign archeologists who are swarming into the region in unprecedented numbers. Sebastian Meyer reports from northern Iraq.

伊拉克库尔德斯坦的丰富矿产和相对安全的环境吸引了大量外国投资。但是现在，不光是外国投资，就连考古学家都蜂拥而至，勘察这个地区丰富的历史蕴藏。

It’s 7 a.m. in Bakrawa, Iraqi Kurdistan. An archeological team from Germany’s Heidelberg University has been up and digging for the past hour. They are one of dozens of teams working in the region, which is experiencing an unparalleled wave of archeological excavations.

时间是早上7点。地点是伊拉克库尔德斯坦的巴克拉瓦。一个来自海德堡大学的考古学团队从半小时前就在这里开挖。他们是在这个地区工作的数十个团队之一。这些团队正在经历一个空前的考古挖掘风潮。

The site sits on the outskirts of the city of Halabja, where Saddam Hussein gassed and killed 5,000 Kurds in 1988.

这个场地位于哈拉普加市郊区。萨达姆·侯赛因1988年在这里用毒气杀死5千名库德族人。

Leading the excavation is Peter Miglus, who says improved security following the removal of Saddam Hussein in the U.S.- led invasion of Iraq, has made the Kurdish region a prime location for archeologists.

带领挖掘工作的彼得·米格鲁斯说，在萨达姆·侯赛因被美国领导的多国部队推翻后，安全程度的改善让这个库尔德地区成为考古学家的首选地点。

"This area was not investigated for a long time. There were only short periods of peace in this region and it was difficult to make research here. It’s now the only part of Iraq which is safe and where we can do something,” says Miglus.

米格鲁斯说：“这个地区有很长一段时间没有被考察过。这里只有过短期的和平，那让研究工作难以进行。现在伊拉克只有这里比较安全，我们可以在这里做些事。”

Along with improved security, Iraqi Kurdistan is also home to one of the densest areas of Mesopotamian archeology.

除了安全得到改善外，伊拉克的库尔德斯坦也是美索不达米亚古文物最密集的地点之一。

Jason Ur, of Harvard University, is using declassified CIA maps to survey and locate archeological sites. He says he’s found the Kurdish region of Iraq to have twice the archeological density of Syria and 10 times that of southern Iraq. The Kurdish region, he says, has incredible archeological potential.

哈佛大学考古学家杰森·乌尔正在利用美国中情局解密的地图来调查和定位考古地点。他说，他发现伊拉克库尔德地区的古文物密度是叙利亚的2倍，伊拉克南部的10倍。乌尔说，这个库尔德地区具有不得了的考古潜力。

"We’re discovering a completely unknown center of civilization. There are cities that no one has ever seen before, there are elaborate engineered canals and irrigation systems and unbelievable landscapes that we’ve known nothing about. We’re really in the absolute core of one of the world’s first great empires," says Ur.

乌尔说：“我们正在发现一个完全未知的文明中心。那里有从来没有人看过的城市，充满精密建造的运河及灌溉系统，以及令人难以置信的景观，我们对那些完全一无所知。我们现在真正是处于世界上最初的伟大帝国之一的绝对核心里。”

Some 70 kilometers northeast of Halabja, a team from the University of Paris is uncovering a small city replete with defensive walls, family kitchens, and burial grounds.

大约在距离哈拉普加东北部70公里的地方，一个来自巴黎大学的团队正在发掘一个小城市，它具有防卫城墙、家庭厨房和埋葬常

While archeologists flock to the region to uncover its past, oil companies have also moved in, digging for other hidden riches.

尽管考古学家涌入此地来发掘它的过去，但石油公司也来挖掘其他埋藏在此处的宝物。