Ancient city, Mesopotamia .
Located near present-day Mosul, Iraq, it was continuously occupied from the mid-6th to the mid-2nd millennium BC and gave its name to the Gawra Period ( 0441; 35002900 BC). Its remains include the earliest known temple decorated with pilasters and recesses, a style that remained dominant in Mesopotamia for centuries. Its archaeological record illustrates the transition from early Stone Age farming villages to complex settlements.