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🏛️ Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat)

Archaeology & Antiquity Iraq Asia

🏛️ Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat)
Ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire on the Tigris River


🕐 3 min read · Updated 3 Apr 2026 at 00:45

UNESCOUNESCO World Heritage Site

📋 Fast Facts
  • Located on the western bank of the Tigris River in Salah al-Din Governorate, northern Iraq
  • First capital of the Assyrian Empire; inhabited from the 3rd millennium BCE
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003; currently on the List of World Heritage in Danger
  • Contains temples, a ziggurat, royal palaces, defensive walls, and burial chambers from multiple Assyrian periods

Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) is an ancient city in northern Iraq that served as the religious and political heart ...

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