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City or site

Nineveh

The capital of Assyria, addressed by Jonah and Nahum.

Illustrated aerial view of Nineveh, Assyria’s capital on the Tigris, labeling the Kuyunjik citadel, Sennacherib’s southwest palace, the Khosr River, and the city walls, with a locator map and references from Jonah, Nahum, and 2 Kings.
Illustrated reconstruction, not a photograph. Select the image to view it full size.

What the sources say, and how sure we are

  • The text says

    God sends Jonah to Nineveh, which repents. A century later, Nahum announces its fall.Jonah 3; Nah 1:1; Nah 3

  • Outside evidence

    Excavations at Nineveh have uncovered Sennacherib’s palace, with reliefs of the siege of Lachish, and Ashurbanipal’s library of clay tablets, which included the Epic of Gilgamesh. The city fell to Babylonians and Medes in 612 BC.Lachish reliefs; Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)

  • Debated

    Jonah 3:3 calls Nineveh a city of “three days’ journey.” Scholars debate whether that describes the city itself, a wider district, or the time the prophet’s visit took.Jonah 3:3