The Ancient City of Nineveh

Photo by Els Slots.

The Ancient City of Nineveh is part of the Tentative list of Iraq in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

Nineveh comprises the remains of the capital and largest city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. It became the largest city in the world under King Sennacherib (c. 700 BC), with new streets and squares and the South West Palace. It was abandoned in 612 BC. Today, Nineveh's location is marked by two large mounds, Tell Kuyunjiq and Tell Nabī Yūnus, and the remains of the city walls (about 12 kilometres in circumference) with five gateways.

Map of The Ancient City of Nineveh

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The coordinates shown for all tentative sites were produced as a community effort. They are not official and may change on inscription.

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Els Slots

The Netherlands - 27-Apr-25 -

The Ancient City of Nineveh (T) by Els Slots

Nineveh is yet another classic name on the list of Iraqi TWHS. Although it was present as a trade colony at the time of Ancient Mesopotamian civilizations early on, Nineveh’s heydays came with the Neo-Assyrians in the 9th century BC and spanned a relatively short period. It was their last capital and the end of the Assyrian Empire. In its time, it even was the largest city in the world. This Historical Travel Guide explains what you might have seen there when you were lucky to visit it in the 7th century BC. 

The archaeological site of Nineveh can now be found in Mosul, across the river from the Old City. You will mostly notice the earthen walls surrounding it. The interior lies, as with so many things in Iraq, mostly unexcavated after the Assyrian sculptures were taken from it in the late 19th century and whisked off to museums around the world. The area is protected, but some poor people have set up camp there. 

In addition to the walls, the most notable features are the gates. We visited two of them, very similar. You need a lot of imagination to see monumental entrances to a flourishing city in them. The gates also suffered from a lot of damage done by ISIS.

Read more from Els Slots here.


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Full Name
The Ancient City of Nineveh
Country
Iraq
Added
2000
Type
Cultural
Categories
Archaeological site - Near Eastern
Link
By ID
2000 Added to Tentative List

Historical city travel guide: Nineveh, 7th century BC
Livius details the history of Nineveh

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The Ancient City of Nineveh (T)
WHS 1997-2025