Tell Halaf is an archaeological site in the Al Hasakah governorate of northeastern Syria, near the Turkish border. It was the first find of a Neolithic culture, subsequently dubbed the Halaf culture, characterized by glazed pottery painted with geometric and animal designs. The site dates to the 6th millennium BC which was a Hittite ruling city at first and was later the location of the Aramaean city-state of Guzana or Gozan in the 10th century BC. By the end of 9th century BC the city and its surrounding area was incorporated into the Assyrian Empire.