What is "sennacherib"

Sennacherib ( Akkadian: Sîn-ahhī-erība, " Sîn has replaced the brothers"; ; Hebrew: "סַנְחֵרִיב" pronounced in Modern Hebrew ) or in some Mizrahi dialects ), king of Assyria 705 BCE–681 BCE, is remembered for his military campaigns against Babylon and Judah and for his building programs, notably at his capital, Nineveh.

The primary preoccupation of Sennacherib's reign was the so-called "Babylonian problem", the refusal of the Babylonians to accept Assyrian rule, culminating in his destruction of the city in 689 BCE. Further campaigns were carried out in Syria (notable for being recorded in the Bible's Books of Kings, in the mountains east of Assyria, against the kingdoms of Anatolia and against the Arabs in the northern Arabian deserts.

Sennacherib was also a notable builder: it was under him that Assyrian art reached its peak. His building projects included the beautification of Nineveh, a canal 50 km long to bring water to the city, and the "Palace Without Rival", which included what may have been the prototype of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Sennacherib was assassinated in obscure circumstances in 681 BCE, apparently by his eldest son (his designated successor, Esarhaddon, was the youngest). In Babylon, his death was seen as divine punishment for the destruction of that city.