Shanidar Cave draws renewed global attention after Netflix documentary

ERBIL, Iraq — A British-based website has focused on the political and historical importance of Shanidar Cave in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, saying the site returned to global attention after Netflix released the documentary “Neandertal Sırları” in 2024. The report recalled that excavations at Shanidar dating back to the 1950s uncovered 10 Neanderthal skeletons said to be more than 40,000 years old. It said fieldwork briefly stopped in 2014 because of a security threat before resuming in 2015. The article also said a new, nearly complete skeleton was found in 2018. Kurdistan Region officials are preparing to build a museum near the cave, with the project targeted for completion by the end of the year.