The Akkadian Empire
The King of Sargon was the minister to the King of KIsh. He organized a coup against the king around 2334 B.C.E, and went on to attack the Sumerian city-states. One by one, Sargon conquered them all, unified Sumer, and controlled all of Mesopotamia. However, the Akkadian empire did not just control Mesopotamia; the empire conquered Mari, Aleppo, and Ebla in present-day Syria. Sargon also ruled the Taurus Mountains and the Ammanus (Nur) Mountains in the northern part of the empire. The empire also controlled land from the Persian Gulf through Levant (present-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) and the lower part of Asia Minor (Anatolia which included Southern present-day Turkey, Iran and Syria) to the Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus. They claimed to have controlled as far as Crete in the Aegean Sea.
The City of Akkad
The city of Akkad was the capital of the Akkadian Empire. Also known as Agade, the location of Akkad still remains a mystery to this day. It is known that it was located on the western banks of the Euphrates River in present-day Iraq. However, the exact location of Akkad is yet to be solved as shown in the map above. Some say it may possibly be located between Kish and Sippar while others say Akkad may be situated between Bayblon and Mari. One theory even states that Akkad may be modern city of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.