Northwest Palace of Ashur-Nasir-Pal II

The Northwest Palace at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu) in Iraq was built by Neo-Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883-859 BC) as part of his transformation of Nimrud into the imperial capital [1] [2]. The palace featured hundreds of carved gypsum ('Mosul marble') relief panels depicting royal hunts, warfare, and protective spirits, with the 'Standard Inscription' repeating the king's titles in cuneiform [1] [2] [3] [4]. Monumental lamassu -- winged human-headed bulls with five legs -- guarded its entrances [5] [6].