Ninety kilometers south of Nineveh, the religious capital of the Assyria empire, the modern day village of (Ash-Sharqâþ) in Iraq. Systematic excavations of the ruins of Assur were first undertaken in 1903 and 1914 by an expedition of the German Oriental Society under the direction of W. Andrae. According to an inscription, Kikia, a king reigning probably in the earlier part of the 3rd millennium BC, built the city wall. Enlarged by various rulers of Assyria, Assur was a great center of the religious and political life of the nation. Even after Calah (modern Nimrud, Iraq) was made the seat of government about 880BC and Nineveh became the new capital of the empire about 705BC, the Assyrian monarchs still continued their building operations in Assur. The Medes destroyed the city in 614BC.
Assur Biblically:
Assur was the second son of Shem (Gen.10v22; 1Chr.1v17). He went from the land of Shinar and built Nineveh, etc. (Gen.10v11-12). He probably gave his name to Assyria, which is the usual translation of the word, although the form "Assur" is sometimes retained (Num.24v22,24; Eze.27v23 et al.). In Gen.2v14 "Assyria" ought to be rendered "Assur," which was the original capital of Assyria, a city found today among the mounds of (Qalat’at Sherqat), on the banks of the Tigris River. This city was founded by Bel-kap-kapu about 1700 BC At a later date, the capital was shifted to Ninua (Nineveh), now called Kuyunjik. It was, therefore, the first of the four capitals of the mighty Assyrian Empire, being finally destroyed in 614 BC It is about 60 miles south of modern Mosul.
God Ashur: The supreme god of the Assyrian Empire. The king of Igigi (gods of the heavens).