City
Nineveh
NIN-uh-vuh · Modern Mosul, Iraq (ancient ruins on the east bank, opposite the modern city center)
Nineveh is a city of the biblical world, known today as Mosul, Iraq (ancient ruins on the east bank, opposite the modern city center).
What is known
- The city Jonah was sent to warn of coming judgment, described in Jonah 3:3 as 'an exceedingly great city, a three days' journey in breadth'
- Fell to a combined Babylonian-Median siege in 612 BC, an event foretold in detail by the prophet Nahum, whose entire book is an oracle against Nineveh
- Sir Austen Henry Layard's 19th-century excavations at the mounds of Kouyunjik and Nebi Yunus uncovered Sennacherib's 'Palace Without Rival' and Ashurbanipal's library of over 30,000 cuneiform tablets, including the Epic of Gilgamesh
- The site's twin mounds, Tell Kouyunjik and Tell Nebi Yunus, sustained severe damage from ISIS/Daesh occupation and demolition between 2014 and 2017
History
- Founded
- Settled from at least the 6th millennium BC; rose to prominence as an Assyrian religious center by the 2nd millennium BC and became imperial capital under Sennacherib around 700 BC
- Population
- Estimated at up to 100,000-120,000 at its peak in the 7th century BC, making it possibly the largest city in the world at the time
- Industry
- Imperial administrative capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire; massive irrigation and canal works, monumental palace construction, and a renowned royal library
- Coordinates
- 36.3600° N, 43.1500° E
Rulers and powers
- Sennacherib (made Nineveh the imperial capital) — 705-681 BC
- Esarhaddon — 681-669 BC
- Ashurbanipal (built the great library) — 669-631 BC
Archaeology
The twin tells of Kouyunjik and Nebi Yunus in modern Mosul preserve the remains of Sennacherib's palace, city walls, and gates. Excavations from the 1840s onward (Layard, Rassam, and later Iraqi and international teams) recovered Ashurbanipal's cuneiform library. The site suffered significant destruction during ISIS occupation (2014-2017).
Scripture references
- Genesis 10:11-12
- Jonah 1:2
- Jonah 3:2-4
- Jonah 3:5-10 — The Ninevites repent
- Jonah 4:11
- 2 Kings 19:36
- Nahum 1:1 — The entire book is an oracle against Nineveh
- Nahum 3:1-7
- Zephaniah 2:13-15
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
Jonah resented that Nineveh, his enemy's capital, received mercy — is there anyone you would secretly rather see judged than forgiven?
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