Nineveh

Excavator Sir Henry Layard imagined Nineveh at its zenith

Nineveh had been the capital of Assyria for about a hundred years, but it had existed since at least 5000-4000 BC (Genesis 10:11). It was the greatest of four cities established by Tower of Babel builder Nimrod (Genesis 8:8-12; 11).

Layard's excavations of Nineveh

By the time of Jonah and Nahum, the city was the not only the capital of the Assyrian Empire, (Genesis 10:11-12) it was one of the greatest  world-class cities.