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The ancient city of Assur in Iraq was once the seat of a mighty empire and is now an archaeological window into a key period in the history of human civilization. Located along the Tigris River, the city is on the verge of falling victim to the construction of Makhoul Dam. The ruins lie in the path of a reservoir that will fill when Iraq completes the Makhoul Dam across the Tigris River some 124 miles south of the city of Mosul. (KEYSTONE/Georg Gerster)