Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) World Heritage Site

Official name

Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) | UNESCO

Country

Iraq | Map

Continent

Asia

Location

Governorate of Salah ad Din
35.4566° Lat, 43.2611° Lon | Map

Code

1130

Time Zone

Asia/Baghdad (+03, +0300)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2003. The ancient city of Ashur is located on the Tigris River in northern Mesopotamia in a specific geo-ecological zone, at the borderline between rain-fed and irrigation agriculture. The city dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. From the 14th to the 9th centuries BC it was the first capital of the Assyrian Empire, a city-state and trading platform of international importance. It also served as the religious capital of the Assyrians, associated with the god Ashur. The city was destroyed by the Babylonians, but revived during the Parthian period in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.