The was an important area historically in the Land of Ur. Here, sites such as Nimrud and Nineveh were located. It was in this region that the Assyrians founded their domain.

28. Nimrud (Calah)

An Assyrian capital, Nimrud was founded by Assurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C..). The site was excavated by Austen Henry Layard in the 19th century and by the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, under the direction of Sir Max Mallowan, during the 1950s and early 1960s. Among the most important excavated remains, the so-called Northwest Palace of Assurnasirpal II has been restored by the Directorate-General of Antiquities. The richly apportioned tombs of several royal women have been found beneath the floor of the palace.

29. Khorsabad (Dur-Sharukkin)

Site of the Assyrian capital founded by Sargon II (721-705 B.C..), Khorsabad was the first Mesopotamian site excavated (in the mid1840s by a French expedition directed by Paul Emile Botta). The Oriental Institute conducted excavations here in 1929- 1934. Major architectural finds include the palace of Sargon II and the smaller palaces of his major officials, as well as the temple of Nabu. Iragi excavations in the late 1950s uncovered a temple dedicated to the Sibitti, the constellation known as the Pleiades.

30. Nineveh

Though Nineveh is best known as the major capital of the Late Assyrian empire (Jonah 3:4: "Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare; it took three days to cross it"), the site has a long history of occupation, going back at least into the 6th millennium B.C.. Excavated at various times since the mid-19th century, it is currently being excavated by the University of California, Berkeley. One of the major mounds of Nineveh, Nebi Yunus, is the traditional burial site of Jonah.

31. Hassuna

A prehistoric farming village, Hassuna dates to the 6th millennium B.C.., and was excavated in the 1940s by an Iraqi expedition led by Fuad Safar. The site provided the first solid information on the early prehistory of northern Mesopotamia.