Kalakh

Background

Kalakh was an ancient Assryian city that was built on the banks of the Tigris River around 1274 BC. It was located near the city of Nimrud and modern day Mosul. The city of Kalakh was destroyed in 612 BC by the invading Media under the command of Cyaxares.

It appears to be an early victim of the combined Median and Babylonian assault on the civilization of Assyria. Following a series of weak and ineffective rulers many of the former vassal states attack the many cities in northern Mesopotamia under a diplomatic alliance created by the Chaldean king named Nabopolassar.

Cyaxares sacked this city along with Ashur before the forces of Nabopolassar could meet him though, probably because he and his army of tribesman wanted to take all of the loot and glory for themselves. It was known that following the complete decimation of Assyrian, Nabopolassar would quickly work to reinforce his empire from the Medes so maybe the alliance was much more tenuous than previously thought.