The oldest known image of Jerusalem: A 2,700-year-old engraving destroyed by the Islamic State

A rendering of slab 28 of the throne room of the Southwest Palace in Nineveh (modern Mosul), Iraq, created by British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard around 1850. (Trustees of the British Museum)

doi.org/10.1086/737400
Credibility: 989
#jerusalem

About 2,700 years ago, during the reign of the Assyrian king Sennacherib, an impressive bas-relief engraving was created in his palace in Nineveh, in present-day Mosul, Iraq

This piece was part of the decoration of the throne room and depicted a majestic city surrounded by elaborate walls, with towers and an imposing building in the center.

Recently, a researcher identified this image as possibly representing Jerusalem-making it the oldest known depiction of the city, approximately 1,200 years older than the famous Madaba map from the 6th century BC.

The engraving in question, called plate 28, was part of a series of panels that narrated Sennacherib’s military conquests in his third campaign, around 701 BC.

The engraving depicted a wall with cantilevered towers-an architectural style typical of the Kingdom of Judah, similar to that seen in other Assyrian engravings of the conquest of Lachish and possibly Gath.

There was a large empty space between the wall and the main building, interpreted as the dry moat that separated the Temple Mount from the City of David.

At the top of the wall, a solitary figure held an object, possibly a royal standard, suggesting that it was King Hezekiah of Judah.

“”Unlike typical Assyrian scenes depicting looting, fires, and prisoners, there was no destruction or defenders in combat-only the solitary figure, which is consistent with historical and biblical accounts that Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem but did not conquer or sack it, leaving it intact after imprisoning Hezekiah “like a bird in a cage.”

Researcher Stephen Compton, from the University of South Africa, published this analysis in October in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, based on old photographs (one from 1990) and 19th-century drawings by British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard, since the original piece was destroyed.

In 2014 and 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) invaded the region and systematically destroyed Nineveh’s pre-Islamic heritage to erase ancient cultural identities.

The throne room was reduced to rubble, and slab 28 was crushed, along with many others.

Despite this, German teams, led by Assyriologist Stefan Maul of the University of Heidelberg, have recovered thousands of fragments since 2017, cleaning, cataloging, and storing them for future reconstruction-a task that will still take years.

Slab 28 from the throne room of the Southwest Palace in Nineveh (modern day Mosul), Iraq, taken in 1990 by John Malcolm Russell. (Courtesy John Malcolm Russell)

“The Defeat of Sennacherib? by Peter Paul Rubens, 17th century. (Wikipedia)

A rendering of slab 28 of the throne room of the Southwest Palace in Nineveh (modern Mosul), Iraq, created by British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard around 1850. (Trustees of the British Museum)

A closeup of a figure possibly depicting King Hezekiah in a rendering of slab 28 of the throne room of the Southwest Palace in Nineveh (modern Mosul), Iraq, created by British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard around 1850. (Trustees of the British Museum)

An Assyrian bas-relief from the palace of 8th-century-BCE King Sennacherib in modern-day Mosul. The image depicts the city of Lachish, showing the same distinctive twice-corbeled battlements as seen in slab 28, indicating that this is a Judahite architectural style. New research published in 2025 suggests that slab 28 depicts Jerusalem. (Courtesy of independent researcher Stephen Compton)

An image of an Assyrian bas-relief from the palace of 8th-century-BCE King Sennacherib in modern-day Mosul, showing a city that research published in 2025 identifies as Gath under the kingdom of Judah. The image was first published in Layard, “A Second Series of the Monuments of Nineveh? in 1853. (Public domain)

Um intrincado relevo, agora no Museu Britânico, retrata o exército assírio arrasando Laquis, enquanto conquistava e destruía os assentamentos de Judá. (Amanda Borschel-Dan/Times of Israel)

Although the identification as Jerusalem is convincing for Compton, as it fits the sequence of conquests (Phoenicia, Philistia, and Judah) and biblical and Assyrian descriptions, not all experts agree.

Some, like Professor Dan’el Kahn of the University of Haifa, believe the scene depicts Ekron or another city on the plain, linked to the Battle of Eltek, and not Jerusalem, due to the flat terrain depicted.

Others consider the arguments interesting, but not entirely persuasive.

Even destroyed, the engraving survives thanks to ancient records and continues to generate debate.

It combines Assyrian and biblical narratives of a significant episode in history, showing Jerusalem besieged yet preserved – a unique image that may be the oldest representation of the holy city that has come down to us.

Published in 01/27/2026 09h11

Portuguese version

Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.

Reference article:

Original study:

{teste}