A city of Assyria, built by Ashur or by Nimrod, Ge 10:11-12. It was at some distance from Nineveh, and Resen lay between them. It is thought to have been near the river Lycus, the great Zab, which empties into the Tigris.

one of the most ancient cities of Assyria. "Out of that land he [i.e., Nimrod] went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah, and Resen" (Ge 10:11, R.V.). Its site is now marked probably by the Nimrud ruins on the left bank of the Tigris. These cover an area of about 1,000 acres, and are second only in size and importance to the mass of ruins opposite Mosul. This city was at one time the capital of the empire, and was the residence of Sardanapalus and his successors down to the time of Sargon, who built a new capital, the modern Khorsabad. It has been conjectured that these four cities mentioned in Ge 10:11 were afterwards all united into one and called Nineveh (q.v.).

A most ancient Assyrian city founded by Asshur (Ge 10:11), or rather by Nimrod; for the right translation is, "out of that city (namely, Babel in Shinar) he (Nimrod) went forth to Asshur (Assyria E. of the Tigris) and builded Nineveh and Rehoboth-ir (i.e. city markets), and Calah and Rosen, ... the same is a great city." The four formed one "great" composite city, to which Nineveh, the name of one of the four in the restricted sense, was given; answering now to the ruins E. of the Tigris, Nebi Yunus, Koyunjik, Khorsabad, Nimrud. If Calah answer to Nimrud it was between 900 and 700 B.C. capital of the empire. The war-like Sardanapalus I and his successors resided here, down to Sargon, who built a new city and called it from his own name (now Khorsabad). Esarhaddon built there a grand palace. The district Calachene afterwards took its name from it.

The Kalach of the inscriptions, one of the great fortresses which after the fall of Nineveh (cf. Jon 4:11 and the Greek writers) were supposed to make up that city. Both Nineveh and Calah were, however, always separate in structure and in administration. Calah lay on the site of the great modem mounds of Nimr

Ca'lah

One of the early cities built by Asshur, or, probably by Nimrod, if we read 'out of the land he (Nimrod) went forth to Assyria,' as in the margin. Ge 10:11-12. Supposed to be connected with some of the ruins on the Tigris, from which so many monuments and inscriptions have been discovered; but Calah cannot be distinguished from the other early cities mentioned in connection with Nimrod.

Ca'lah

(completion, old age), one of the most ancient cities of Assyria.

Ge 10:11

The site of Calah is probably market by the Nimrud ruins. If this be regarded as ascertained, Calah must be considered to have been at one time (about B.C. 930-720) the capital of the empire.

CALAH, a city of Assyria, built by Ashur, Ge 10:12. From it the adjacent country, on the north-east of the Tigris, and south of the Gordian mountains of Armenia, was called Callachene, or Callacine.