Detail of the bronze Balawat Gates, showing Neo-Assyrian king Shalmaneser III in a chariot with a group of Assyrian archers. The Balawat Gates are a set of decorated bronze gates dating from the reigns of Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883–859 BCE) and Shalmaneser III (r. 859–824 BCE). They show the military exploits of these Neo-Assyrian monarchs in a detailed and narrative style. They are celebrated as some of the most beautiful and important pieces of Assyrian art found to date. These doors were the gateways to several building at Balawat, ancient Imgur-Enlil. The city lay 10 kilometers up the Derrah river, a branch of the Tigris, and was founded by Ashurnasirpal II. The town was situated along the Neo-Assyrian Royal Road between Nineveh and Arrapha. Shalmaneser III continued developing the settlement, but Balawat was eventually sacked some two and a half centuries later by Medes, Babylonians and Scythians. The remains reside currently in the British Museum and Mosul Museum, with other smaller sections to be found in several other museums.
