Sargon II built the famous palace complex at Dur-Sharrukin.
Sargon II ruled the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 to 705 BCE. He founded Dur-Sharrukin, meaning “Fortress of Sargon,” near modern Khorsabad and made it his capital. The city was planned on a grand scale, with massive walls, temples, administrative buildings, and a richly decorated royal palace.
The palace contained colossal winged human-headed bulls, known as lamassu, along with reliefs recording military campaigns and court ceremonies. These sculptures helped communicate the king’s power to visitors and subjects. The capital was not occupied for long, because Sargon died during a campaign in Anatolia in 705 BCE.
His son Sennacherib moved the Assyrian capital to Nineveh. As a result, Dur-Sharrukin is remembered primarily as Sargon’s ambitious but short-lived royal foundation.