 Nhau dzekare dzinotaura nezvenharaunda iyi dzakatanga panguva yeumambo hwaUr III, apo mambo Shulgi akataura nezveguta reUrbilum zita rekare reErbil yemazuva ano. Maguta makuru eAsiria eAssur, Nineveh, Nimrud naDur-Sharrukin vose vakanga vari munzvimbo ine makomo apo Great Zab inoyerera muTigris, uye Great Zab basin yakava yakabatanidzwa zvikuru muMiddle Assyrian uye Neo-Assyrian empires. Nimrud, dzimbahwe roumambo kusvikira muna 706 BCE, rakanga riri kure bedzi nokubatana kweGreat Zab neTigris. Mambo weAsiria Ashurnasirpal II akavaka mugero wainzi Patti-Hegalli waitora mvura kubva kuGreat Zab kunodiridza nyika yakapoteredza Nimrud, uye mugero uyu wakadzorerwa nevateveri vake Tiglath-Pileser III naEsarhaddon. Mugero uyu waifamba nomumhenderekedzo yokurudyi yeGreat Zab uye waipfuura nepanzvimbo ine matombo uchishandisa mugero uye uchiri kuoneka nanhasi. Pashure pokuwa kwoumambo hweNeo-Assyria, vaMedhia vakawana simba munharaunda yacho, vachiteverwa nevaAchaemenid muna 550 BCE. Hondo yeGaugamelamuna 331 BCE imwe yehondo dzakakosha dzakatungamira kudonha kweumambo hweAchaemenid mumaoko aAlexander Mukuru zvinofungidzirwa kuti yakaitika kuchamhembe kweGreat Zab munharaunda yeMosul. Pashure porufu rwaAlexander muna 323 B.C.E., kudzora nharaunda yacho kwakachinjira kuvaSeleucids. 