Sargon II founded Dur-Sharrukin as a new Assyrian capital. The city’s name means “Fortress of Sargon,” and its construction took place during his reign in the late eighth century BCE.
Dur-Sharrukin was planned as a monumental royal center with massive defensive walls, palaces, temples, and colossal protective figures. Its sculptures included lamassu, winged human-headed bulls that guarded important entrances. The city demonstrated the king’s authority through carefully organized architecture and richly decorated reliefs.
Sargon II died during a military campaign in 705 BCE, before the new capital could fully replace older Assyrian centers. His son Sennacherib abandoned Dur-Sharrukin and established Nineveh as the principal royal capital. Because of this short political life, Dur-Sharrukin is less famous than Nineveh, even though its archaeological remains provide important evidence about Assyrian imperial art and planning.