ABSTRACT
The bible relates that af ter his encounter with the whale, the prophet J o n a h
went to Nineveh, where he lived for some time outside the city. The tomb t h a t
bears his name, rediscovered in 1349, and the hill on which it stands a r e
considered sacred ground. The wicked cityÕs three-day fast ordained by Jonah, b u t
now ascribed to Elijah, is still observed every year in Mosul by Christians a n d
Muslims alike. The prophet Nahum, who foretold and may have witnessed the fall
of Nineveh, lies buried a few miles to the north at Alkosh near t he Nestorian
monastery of Rabban Hormuz.
