The Land of Kir is a location mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, where the Arameans are said to have originated. It is also the place to which Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria carried the Aramean captives after he had taken the city of Damascus and conquered the kingdom of Aram-Damascus (2 Kings 16:9; Amos 1:5; 9:7). Isaiah 22:6 mentions it together with Elam, implying an association between the two. This "Kir" is situated east of the Euprates or the Tigris River.[1][2] Some scholars have supposed that Kir is a variant of Cush (Susiana), on the south of Elam.[2] Other scholars believe that the Land of Kir is a location at Carma, an ancient city on banks of the Mardus River in modern-day Iran, or an area on the Kar River in the northern reaches of Ancient Armenia.[3][4] Some Jewish scholars believe the Land of Kir to be located at Ihi Dekirah, a place east of the Euphrates River about halfway between Anah and Babylon, near Hīt in modern-day Iraq. They consider the liberation of Arameans from Kir to be equivalent to their westward expansion during the United Monarchy era or their ability to control Nineveh[5] after Tiglath-Pileser I conquered them in Ihi Dekirah.[1]
See also
References
