IN the book of Jonah in the Bible we read about a place called Nineveh. Jonah was a prophet who was asked by God to go to Nineveh to preach repentance to its wicked inhabitants. Jonah, however, did not want to go to Nineveh. Instead, he ran to Tarshish. Later, God forces him to go to Nineveh. So, what is Nineveh called today?
In the Bible, Nineveh is called a ‘great city; (Jonah 1:2). ‘Nineveh was an exceedingly great city’, says Jonah 3:3. At the time prophet Jonah visited the city, it had a population of 120,000.
Related Reading: Are you in Tarshish or Nineveh?
According to historians, Nineveh is an ancient city in present day Iraq. Mosul is its modern day name. It was originally known as Ninua, a great trade centre. In the olden days, it was one of the largest and most affluent cities.
Nineveh came under Assyrian rule during the reign of Shamashi Adad I (r. 1813-1791 BCE), however, it was extensively developed during the Neo-Assyrian Empire (912-612 BCE) by Sennacherib (r. 705-681 BCE), one of the most famous Assyrian kings.
The city was destroyed in 612 BCE by a coalition led by Babylonians and Medes which toppled the Assyrian Empire.
External Link: More on Nineveh
