Nineveh was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Sennacherib.
Sennacherib ruled from 705 to 681 BCE and transformed Nineveh into a grand imperial capital on the eastern bank of the Tigris. He expanded its walls, built canals and gardens, and constructed a major palace decorated with reliefs showing Assyrian military campaigns.
Nineveh had already been an important settlement, but Sennacherib’s building program made it the empire’s principal royal center. The city’s scale reflected Assyria’s power during the seventh century BCE. His grandson Ashurbanipal later ruled from Nineveh and assembled the famous library there.
Nineveh fell in 612 BCE to a coalition including the Medes and Babylonians. It should not be confused with Ashur, the older religious and political center, or Dur-Sharrukin, Sargon II’s short-lived capital.