Ashur

Ashur, also spelled Aššur, refers to the ancient city that served as the capital of the Assyrian Empire for much of its history, and to the chief deity of Assyria. The name is central to the term Assyria and to the religious and political identity of the region.

Location and site: The city lay on the western bank of the Tigris River in northern Mesopotamia, in present-day Iraq. The archaeological site, Tell Ashur, preserves the religious and administrative heart of the city, including the temple complex dedicated to the god Ashur and the associated royal palaces.

Historical role: Ashur grew into a major political and religious center by the early second millennium BCE and remained influential through the Neo-Assyrian period (roughly the 10th–7th centuries BCE). As the empire expanded, the city lent its name to the state it served. Although other capitals such as Dur-Sharrukin and Nineveh rose to prominence, Ashur remained a symbolic and religious center until the decline of the Assyrian state. The fall of Nineveh in 612 BCE and the subsequent destruction of much of Assyria marked the end of the city’s prominence within a collapsing empire.

Archaeology and legacy: Excavations at Tell Ashur began in the 19th century and continued into the modern era, yielding inscriptions and architectural remains that illuminate Assyrian art, religion, and urban planning. The site is an important source for understanding the early development of the Assyrian state and its religion, centered on the god Ashur, who functioned as the national deity and personification of the city.