Nineveh
The oldest and most populated city of the ancient Assyrian Empire, Nineveh, sat on the eastern bank of the Tigris river. The city is first mentioned about 1800 BC as a center of worship of Ishtar whose cult was responsible for the city's early importance. A statue of the goddess was sent to Amenhotep III, Pharaoh of Egypt in the 14th century BC by orders of the king of Mitanni.