The site of the ancient city of Dur-Sharrukin, near Mosul, Iraq. It was a short-lived capital of Assyria. Founded by Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II in 717 BC, it included a magnificent palace within a city, but it did not survive its founder's death in 705 BC. It was built by Sargon to replace Nimrud. However, after Sargon's death, his son Sennacherib moved the capital to Nineveh. It has yielded a rich collection of sculptured slabs and cuneiform inscriptions now in the Louvre in Paris, though much was lost in the Euphrates while being transported to France. The most impressive remains lie on the citadel --several temples, a ziggurat, and a royal palace.