Five ancient Assyrian sites to see in northern Iraq
The Assyrians were the northern inhabitants of Mesopotamia, sharing several cultural, linguistic, and religious similarities with their southern neighbors, the Babylonians. They both spoke Akkadian, a Semitic language, and used cuneiform as their writing system. The Assyrians made many great engineering, artistic, and architectural achievements, including aqueducts, intricate bas-reliefs, and potentially the Hanging Gardens. At their prime, in the 7th century BC, their empire extended from Egypt to western Iran, and from southern Anatolia to the Arabian Gulf.
A pair of Lamassu, hybrid protective deities, masterpieces of Assyrian art. (Iraqi Museum, Assyrian Gallery)
Ashur
Ashur was the first major Assyrian city. It was named after the patron god of the Assyrians, Ashur.
In its early history, around 2500 BC, the city was inhabited by a mercantile community that traded with neighboring regions.
Assyrian kings were buried there because the main sanctuary of the god Ashur is located in the city.
Jerwan
Jerwan Aqueduct, one of the oldest aqueducts in history, constructed by King Sennacherib between 705 and 681 BC. It represents a great feat of Assyrian engineering. The aqueduct transported water in a canal across another river to Nineveh. Prominent cuneiform signs are carved on many of its blocks.
Nineveh
Assyria’s fourth and last capital. It existed millennia before the rise of Assyria.
During Sennacherib’s reign (705–681 BC), he transformed it into a metropolis of spectacular splendor. It became the largest and possibly the wealthiest city the world had ever seen. By the end of Sennacherib’s reign, Nineveh featured several massive new palaces, temples, and arsenals, as well as gigantic boulevards well suited for triumphal processions and military parades.
Khinnis
Khinnis served as the head of a great engineering system that provided water to Nineveh, the imperial capital.
The canal was carved out of rock, and the cliff is decorated with reliefs of the king, deities, animals, mythical figures, and cuneiform inscriptions celebrating Sennacherib’s accomplishments in agriculture, engineering, land management, and economic systems.
Calah
Ancient Calah (Nimrud) is Assyria’s second capital. It was built by one of the founders of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Ashurnasirpal II, in the mid-9th century BC.
In 1989, an Iraqi archaeological team working at Calah uncovered a large amount of gold jewelry found in three royal tombs in Ashurnasirpal II’s palace.
