Northwest Palace (Nimrud)
Coordinates: 36 ° 5 ′ 55.4 ″ N , 43 ° 19 ′ 38.3 ″ E
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The Northwest Palace was a New Assyrian palace on the Acropolis of Nimrud ( Assyrian "Kalḫu"; today located in Iraq ). It was built under Aššur-nâṣir-apli II. (Assurnasirpal II.) And was founded in 879 BC. Completed, therefore it is often referred to as the palace of Assurnasirpal II . The building stood on a terrace with 120 layers of brick and was used as a palace for 70 years, and then in parts as an apartment for functionaries, storage buildings or caravanserai . For Šarru-kīn II (Sargon II) the palace was mainly used as a treasure house, while his son Sîn-aḫḫe-eriba (Sennacherib) lived here as the crown prince.
According to current knowledge it was in this palace is the first Assyrian palace, with portal figures ( Lamassu ) and orthostats from Alabaster decorated. Some of these have been rebuilt in the younger Southwest Palace . In addition, there was a wealth of furnishings made of precious woods, colored plaster and gilded copper sheet.
As is typical for Neo-Assyrian palaces, the palace construction consisted of the two functional units Babānu (entrance area) and Bitānu (living area), which were separated by the throne room unit . The complex was entered from the east, initially entering a large courtyard. To the north and east of this courtyard were administrative wings, and to the south was the richly decorated throne room, 10 x 47 meters, into which three portals led. In this there was a pedestal on which the throne stood. From the throne room unit one got into the courtyard of the Bitānu area, around which three hall buildings were grouped. The east of these was used for official and especially ceremonial acts of the king. To the south of it was a residential wing. The southern hall building could have served as a harem.
Grave chambers have been created below the floor in various rooms, in which some queens were buried. They found themselves untouched and contained rich jewelry.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Muzahim Mahmoud Hussein: Nimrud, The Queens' Tombs , Bagdad, Chicago 2016, ISBN 978-1-61491-022-0
literature
- Max E. Mallowan : Nimrud and its remains . Vol. 1. London, Collins 1966, pp. 93 ff.
- Ernst Heinrich : Architecture from the old to the late Babylonian period . In: Winfried Orthmann: The Old Orient ( Propylaea Art History Bd. 14). Propylaea Verlag, Berlin 1975, No. 75.
