Ninevah Governorate

Nineveh Governorate is located in northern Iraq, with its capital being Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, situated 402 kilometers away from Baghdad. The population of Nineveh Governorate is approximately 3 million people. Its districts include Mosul, Ba’aj, Tal Afar, Tel Kaif, Sinjar, Al-Hamdaniya, Shekhan, Al-Hathr, and Makhmour.

Nineveh Governorate is one of Iraq’s important provinces, credited with many significant cultural achievements and discoveries. It is bordered by Dohuk Governorate to the north, Salah al-Din Governorate to the south, Kirkuk Governorate to the east, Erbil Governorate to the east, and the Syrian Arab Republic to the west. The governorate’s coordinates range between 41°25′ and 44°15′ east longitude and between 34°15′ and 37°3′ north latitude. The Tigris River flows through the city for a length of 214 kilometers, in addition to Lake Mosul Dam, which is 47.5 kilometers long, along with the Upper Zab and the Khazir River, with one of its tributaries called the Kholm passing through it.

History of Nineveh

Nineveh Governorate has a rich history dating back to the 5th millennium BCE. Being an agricultural village, it was inhabited by ancient humans, with the oldest cultivation found in the village of Hassuna, making it the oldest depicted woman in Iraq. Hassuna is an agricultural village where agricultural tools, machinery, and grain stores dating back to 7500 BCE were discovered, located 7 kilometers away from the town of Shura.

The gold and silver artifacts discovered in Ashur, Nineveh, and Nimrud highlight the significant interest in intricate craftsmanship and arts that existed and still exist in Nineveh Governorate. Today’s gold market is an extension of what existed in ancient history, as Mosul’s inherited reputation continues to be renowned for its skilled goldsmiths and gold markets, serving as a witness to the ancestral skill.

The Arabs dubbed it “Al-Mawsil” because it connected the East and the West. They also called it “Al-Hadba” because of the leaning minaret of the Great Mosque and “Um al-Rabi’ayn” because the Creator blessed it with two springs of water each year, with its autumn being the second spring, vibrant with its refreshing air.