Type Settlement & Region
Scripts آشور(Arabic, Persian) 𒀸𒋩(Akkadian Cuneiform)
Pronounced Pron. a-SHOOR(Arabic) aw-SHOOR(Persian)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From Akkadian 𒀸𒋩 (Assur), meaning unknown. This was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, supposedly named for the god Ashur, though the god was in fact probably named for the city. The empire, Assyria, was also named for it. The city was destroyed in the 14th century by the forces of Tamerlane.

In some languages, such as Arabic and Persian, the name for the city is the same as the name for the empire.

Related Names

VariantAshurayu(Akkadian)
Other Languages & CulturesSirië(Afrikaans) Siria(Albanian) Assyria, Syria(Ancient Greek) Assyria, Syria(Ancient Roman) Siria(Armenian) Sirija(Bosnian) Sirija(Croatian) Syrien(Danish) Syrië(Dutch) Syyria(Finnish) Assyrie, Syrie(French) Siria(Georgian) Syrien(German) Syria(Greek) Suryah(Hebrew) Assiria, Siria(Italian) Siria(Korean) Sīrija(Latvian) Sirija(Lithuanian) Sirija(Macedonian) Syria(Norwegian) Syria(Polish) Sirija(Serbian) Sirija(Slovene) Siria(Spanish) Syrien(Swedish) Suriya(Tajik) Siria(Thai) Suriye(Turkish) Suriya(Uzbek)
Entry updated December 7, 2022