Battle of Ulai
653 BCE · Ulai River (modern Karun River, Iran)
The Battle of Ulai was fought in 653 BCE in Ulai River (modern Karun River, Iran) between Neo-Assyrian Empire vs Elam; decisive Assyrian victory; the Elamite king was killed and beheaded.
Battle of Ulai: quick facts
- Date
- 653 BCE
- Location
- Ulai River (modern Karun River, Iran)
- Belligerents
- Neo-Assyrian Empire vs Elam
- Commanders
- Ashurbanipal vs Teumman
- Result
- decisive Assyrian victory; the Elamite king was killed and beheaded.
- Era
- 🏛️ Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Ulai?
Ashurbanipal of Assyria sent his army against the Elamite kingdom, and the two forces clashed at the Ulai River in a catastrophically one-sided battle. The Elamite king Teumman was killed and beheaded during the rout. Ashurbanipal's palace reliefs at Nineveh graphically depict the river choked with Elamite corpses and the king's severed head being carried in triumph. In one famous relief panel, Ashurbanipal and his queen dine in a garden with Teumman's head hanging from a nearby tree. The battle broke Elamite power and is one of the most vividly documented battles of the ancient world.
Did you know?
Ashurbanipal's palace reliefs of the Battle of Ulai are so detailed that scholars can identify individual Elamite nobles and trace the sequence of the battle from panel to panel.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Ulai on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.