Citadel Wall of Nineveh

The existence of a wall delimiting the main area of the citadel is presumed for many periods. According to Julian Reade (RLA 9, 397), a “stretch of wall of roughly Akkadian date has been identified on the eastern edge of Kuyunjik, in Area KG north of the later East Gate (Stronach 1994, 93); it has a massive stone base, mudbrick superstructure, and stone reinforced terrace or glacis in front.” Thus, Nineveh appears to have had some sort of wall around its citadel as early as the Sargonic Period. The Middle Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser I records that he rebuilt the old wall with stone and earth. The early Neo-Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II mention its existence. When Sennacherib made Nineveh his capital, he claims to have completely rebuilt and strengthen the citadel wall. His grandson Ashurbanipal not only made repairs to this wall, but also widened it and strengthened its base with large limestone blocks.

A plan of Nineveh drawn by L.W. King (1903-04) seem to indicate visible stretches of the citadel wall on the east, south, and west sides of Kuyunjik; these presumably date to the 7th-century B.C., Neo-Assyrian wall. The western stretch of the wall is assumed to have been integrated in some way with the city walls Badnigalbilukurašušu and Badnigerimhuluha.