Nimrud

Located about 30 kilometres from Mosul, the site of Nimrud owes its name to the biblical hero Nimrod. It has yielded some remains attesting to a settlement dating back to the 6th millennium BC. However, it is best known for having been designated the capital of the Assyrian Empire from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC) onwards, under the ancient name of Kalhu.

Historic capital of the Assyrian Empire

Kalhu was strategically located between the holy city of Ashur and the historical capital of the empire, Nineveh. The inauguration of the new capital in 879 BC was the occasion for lavish ceremonies that included a banquet, described on the stele to which it gives its name, kept in the Mosul Cultural Museum. Numerous buildings have been excavated, such as the “Palace without Rival,” the “Northwest” Palace of Ashurnasirpal II and several sanctuaries. These monuments are located on a 20-hectare acropolis overlooking the Tigris River and the lower city. Kalhu remained the capital of the empire for almost two centuries, until King Sargon II (721–705 BC) transferred the capital to Khorsabad, ancient Dur-Sharrukin, at the end of the 8th century BC. Kalhu remained an important centre at the heart of the empire for the next century, but in 612 BC the city was largely destroyed when the Assyrian Empire fell.

A long history of excavations

Nimrud was discovered by the English archaeologist Austen Henry Layard in the mid-19th century. Following this, many teams of different nationalities worked there. Excavations were carried out by the Iraqis between 1956 and 1959, as well as in the 1970s on a more occasional basis, notably by Hazim Abd al-Hamid, then director of the Mosul Cultural Museum. Some of the works of art discovered were transferred to the museum after its opening in 1974, in particular the reliefs found in rooms L and M of the “Northwest” Palace.

At the same time, from 1974 to 1976, Polish archaeologists excavated in the centre of the tell. Between 1987 and 1989, Italian teams carried out a surface survey and excavations on another acropolis in the southeast corner of the city. And in 1989, a team from the British Museum returned to excavate the site.

Between 1985 and 1991, the site was again excavated by an Iraqi team, which, in 1988, discovered the tombs of some queens under the "Northwest" Palace, containing extraordinary gold treasures.

Remarkable sculptures

Several of the key artworks in the Mosul Cultural Museum were discovered at Nimrud, notably winged human-headed lions erected in pairs — often called lamassu — at the outer and inner gates of palaces, enclosures or temples, such as in the shrine of the god Ninurta, to protect the passageways. Like other reliefs, they also protected the base of the clay walls while supporting the vault of the passages, decorated with coloured glazed bricks. Above all, they had the magical function of warding off evil forces.

A monumental roaring lion was also exhibited in the Mosul Cultural Museum. It was originally part of a pair of lion-guardians located on either side of the entrance to the temple of the goddess Ishtar Sharrat-Niphi in Nimrud. This lion has five legs, as do the lamassu, so that they appear stationary when seen from the front and walking when seen in profile. This convention continued until the reign of Sennacherib, after which guardian animals had only four legs. Being one of the monumental sculptures with a protective character, this guardian lion had an Assyrian text inscribed between its paws, commemorating its patron, Ashurnasirpal II, and his great works, just like the lamassu.

Inscribed commemorative artworks

Still from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, the Banquet Stele discovered at Nimrud in 1951 was one of the major monuments in the Mosul Cultural Museum destroyed by Daesh. This rectangular sandstone block, whose obverse showed a full-length representation of the king surmounted by divine symbols, was engraved with a long inscription of 154 lines. The text summarizes Ashurnasirpal II's military campaigns and describes the construction of the royal palace and various temples in Kalhu, the creation of gardens and the king's hunting exploits. The last passage details the menu of the great ten-day feast offered by the king to 69,574 guests to inaugurate his palace and celebrate the foundation of his capital in 879 BC.

The Mosul Cultural Museum also exhibited a throne base inscribed with the name of King Ashurnasirpal II, from the throne room of the "Northwest" Palace built by this same king. During the occupation of the museum by Daesh, this large base was deliberately destroyed using explosives. The shock of the explosion not only shattered the monument into many fragments, but also opened a gaping hole in the museum floor. One of the first artworks on which restoration began, the throne base is now gradually taking shape again.