Nimrud

Nimrud is an archaeological site in Nineveh Governorate, northern Iraq, that was a major city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. It is also known by its ancient name Kalhu and contains palace complexes, monumental reliefs and archaeological layers from the 1st millennium BCE.

The site’s best-known features include monumental palaces with carved stone reliefs, city fortifications and deposits of royal material culture that illustrate Assyrian imperial administration and art. Large-scale archaeological work in the 19th and 20th centuries documented many reliefs and sculptures now in museum collections.

Nimrud was rebuilt and expanded as a capital by Ashurnasirpal II in the 9th century BCE and remained an important Assyrian city under later kings. Systematic excavation began in the mid-1800s; the site suffered further damage and intentional destruction in the 2010s during conflict in the region.

The ruins lie in the floodplain south of the Tigris in Nineveh Governorate, roughly southeast of Mosul. The site occupies a low, archaeological mound complex visible from the surrounding agricultural plain.

• Alternative name and excavations: Also known by its ancient name Kalhu; major excavations began in the mid-19th century under archaeologists such as Austen Henry Layard.
• Recent damage: The site suffered deliberate destruction and looting in the 2010s, affecting sculptural programmes and exposed monuments.

What to See #

• Northwest Palace (Kalhu): Built as the royal administrative and ceremonial centre of the Neo-Assyrian empire, largely developed under King Ashurnasirpal II in the 9th century BCE and later altered by successive rulers.
• Palaces and reliefs: Concentrations of reliefs, gates and city walls identified in 19th-century excavations; many reliefs and sculptures were documented by early archaeologists and later removed to museums.
• Royal tombs and deposits: Areas where royal burials and foundation deposits were excavated in the 19th and 20th centuries, yielding objects in international museum collections.