Nimrud, Iraq
Nimrud was founded in the 13th century BC and was home to the palace of the Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II. The site was decorated with massive stone statues of winged guardians known as lamassu. The site also held temples to Ninurta and Enlil who were Assyrian gods. From 1350 BC until 610 BC, Nimrud was a major Assyrian city. Nimrud is one of the main sources of Assyrian sculpture and some of its large lamassu statues made their way to Britain following excavations in 1847.
The name Nimrud is modern and is believed to come from the Bliblical Nimrod. The ruins were identified as the city referenced in the Bible as Calah. Nimrud became the capital of the Assyrian empire in 883 BCE when King Ashurnasirpal II made the city his capital and built a large palace in the city. During his reign the city was home to as many as 100,000 people and it was his son who built the monument that is known as the Great Ziggurat.
In 2015 a militant video showed ISIS militants deliberately destroying the statues and ruins at Nimrud. The militants drove through the city and told nearby residents to open their windows so as not to have them be shattered by the shock wave from their explosives. Then the video shows the militants hammering, bulldozing, and detonating explosives in order to destroy the site.
In November 2016 aerial photographs were able to capture the ISIS militants systematically leveling the Ziggurat and the international community spoke out. Later that same month the Iraqi Army was able to recapture the city from ISIS and stop the destruction.