One of the cities of Nimrod in the land of Shinar (Gen. 10:1010And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (Genesis 10:10)). It is judged to have been the ancient Orchoe of the Greeks and Romans. It is identified with extensive ruins at Warka, 31° 30' N, 45° 40' E.
Its original Accadian name was UNU, UNUG, or UNUGA; the Babylonians and Assyrians called it URUK or ARKU; hence the Hebrew name Erech, and the Arab Warka. By the Accadians it was also styled “the heavenly grove,” “the heavenly resting place,” “the seven enclosures.” The Babylonians thought much of the city, and the ruins show that it had large and elegant buildings.