Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat)

Ashur owes its place on the list because it was the first capital of the Assyrian empire.

The city was the centre for worship of the god Ashur and the goddess Ishtar/Inanna. Ashur being the religious capital is also the reason for its being the capital at large periods of Assyrian history: Other large cities had more inhabitants and were better situated strategically and easier to defend.
Ashur contained a large number of important religious buildings, and a handful of palaces. Documents from the 7th century BCE tell us about 34 temples and 3 palaces. Only few of these have been excavated.
The Assyrian Empire took its name from the city of Ashur.

Year	Decision	Comments
2003	Inscribed	Reasons for inscription
2003	In Danger

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