Shubria

Geography and toponyms

Shubria was located south of modern-day Muş, Turkey, north of the upper Tigris River and to the southwest of Lake Van, extending eastwards to the frontiers of Urartu. It was located near the northern frontier of the Assyrian Empire, across the Tigris from Tushhan and east of the land of Dirru. Geographically, its core district corresponds to the later Armenian region of Sasun. The capital of Shubria was called Ubbumu (also spelled Uppumu). This city may have been located at modern-day Lice, Turkey, with its name likely preserved in the name of the nearby hamlet of Fum. Its other main city was Kullimeri, which may have been located at the mound known as Gre Migro in the Batman River valley. The Urartians referred to Shubria as Qulmeri, after Kullimeri. Kullimeri may also be the origin of the biblical klmd (from a putative original *klmr), which is mentioned in Ezekiel 27:23 as one of the trading partners of Tyre and is normally read as Kilmad or Chilmad. In the view of some scholars, Qulmeri is the most likely candidate for the native name of Shubria.