Sin City

The Neo-Assyrian metropolis of Nineveh (present-day northern Iraq) was the biggest city in the world at its height in the 7th century BCE. Nineveh, renowned for its luxuriant gardens, advanced infrastructure, and sophisticated culture, played a significant role in the economic trade routes that connected East and West civilizations. Biblical accounts, on the other hand, present the walled city in a much more sinister light and tell a truly epic tale.

God sends the prophet Jonah on a journey to Nineveh because "their vast wickedness is risen up before me," according to The Book of Jonah. Jonah, however, disobeys the order and ends up making a three-day atonement within the belly of a massive fish. He reluctantly delivers the word after being puked on the shore, sparing the city from God's angry wrath.

The Book of Nahum, which foretold Nineveh's fall by God's decree, is another Old Testament passage that makes mention to Nineveh. Although a coalition army would indeed capture the Assyrian capital in 612 BCE, biblical authors most likely authored these writings after the city had already been taken.