In 2014, ISIS troops destroyed a historical monument - a tombstone, according to historians, belonging to the prophet Jonah. After the liberation of the territory, archaeologists, assessing the damage done, found another historical relic under the tomb - the remains of the palace of the powerful Assyrian king Esarhaddon, who ruled around the 7th century BC, whom contemporary historians called him "the king of the world."
The destruction of the tomb of the biblical prophet Jonah revealed another valuable archaeological find - the remains of the once magnificent palace of the powerful Assyrian king Esarhaddon. Seven surviving clay tablets describe the king and his reign. This inscription, for example, is similar to that made on the gates of a palace in Nineveh, the former capital of Assyria, now in Iraqi territory, and describes Esarhaddon as "a great king, a mighty king, king of the world."
According to historians, it was Esarhaddon, who defeated the ancient kingdom of Kush, which ruled Egypt, and brought Egypt under the rule of Assyria.
Archaeologists stumbled upon the remains of the palace, trying to assess the damage caused to the ancient tomb of the biblical prophet Jonah by the ISIS fanatics who blew up and looted it. In the photo, an Iraqi soldier stands at the Assyrian bas-relief of a demigod, scattering the "water of life" across the Earth.
The destroyed tomb of Jonah is located in Mosul, which from 2014 to 2017 remained under ISIS rule. On the walls of the palace discovered under it, there are Assyrian bas-reliefs made more than 2000 years ago.
Promotional video:
The tomb of Jonah was revered among Muslims for many years, because this prophet is also one of the holy prophets of Islam, where he bears the name Yunus.
Clay tablets found at the site describe Esarhaddon as “the king of the world” who, during his reign, rebuilt the ancient cities of Babylon and Esagil. At the beginning of the XXI century, the corridors of the palace, buried by time, were used by ISIS for military purposes, and they considered the ancient artifacts found as loot.
Leila Salih, leader of a team of five archaeologists conducting research on ancient sites desecrated by ISIS, against the backdrop of a bas-relief of a cruel bull, the sacred symbol of the Assyrians.
Previously, the excavations in the tomb of Jonah were carried out by the governor of Mosul, who ruled in the province on behalf of the Ottoman Empire. This was in 1852. The Iraqi Department of Antiquities also returned to tomb research in the 1950s, but they did not go far.
Rumors that the remains of an even more ancient palace are hidden under an ancient tomb have been circulating in this area for centuries. However, over the years, no archaeologist has managed to get to the bottom of it. Only the destruction wrought by ISIS enabled the discovery of Esarhaddon's palace so quickly.
While archaeologists are studying ancient artifacts, Iraqi soldiers inspect the ISIS military tunnels laid here.
Directly in the tunnels of ISIS, archaeologists have discovered two white marble sculptures of winged bulls, symbols of Assyria, and a bas-relief of a demigod, scattering the "water of life." Scientists believe that the ISIS marauders did not take them out as trophies just because they were too massive and could split at any moment.
Leila Salih, head of the archaeological research team, walks into ISIS military tunnels with soldiers. She estimates that ISIS looters managed to remove hundreds of priceless ancient artifacts from here before the liberation of Mosul by Iraqi forces in 2017.
Miss Eleanor Robson, head of the British Institute for Iraqi Research, admires the find in Mosul. "We can say that ISIS has led us to an antastic find!" she says. In her opinion, the stone artifacts found intact in the underground tunnels were elements of the decoration of the female part of the palace.
Members of the Iraqi armed forces liberating territories temporarily occupied by ISIS have released a series of shocking photographs showing the devastation left behind by Islamic fanatics. This photo shows a view of Jonah's tomb immediately after the liberation of Mosul by the Iraqi army.
“Down there is a real treasure,” says Eleanor Robson. "This is our chance to map the grand palace of the world's first great empire during its heyday." “The ISIS terrorists took a lot from here, including dishes and small figurines,” Leyla Salih echoes. "But a careful study of what is left will make an invaluable contribution to the study of the corresponding period."
