Shinar was a region in ancient Babylonia (modern-day southern Iraq). Shinar is the name for a district of Babylonia mentioned only in the Bible.
The area stretched from where Baghdad is now located to the Persian Gulf. This region included two important ancient territories: Sumer in the south and Akkad in the north. Later, people called this entire area Babylonia (Daniel 1:2, see marginal note).
Several important ancient cities were located in Shinar, including Erech, Akkad, and Babel (also called Babylon). These cities were part of the kingdom ruled by Nimrod, who was the son of Cush (Genesis 10:10). Genesis 11:2 also mentions Shinar in connection with the Tower of Babel.
The Bible also tells us about Amraphel, who was a king of Shinar. He fought in a war against Abraham and the people who lived east of the Jordan River (Genesis 14:1, 9).
Later in the Bible, Shinar becomes important during the time when the Israelites were forced to leave their homeland. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar took his captured people to Shinar (Daniel 1:2). The prophets also mentioned Shinar when they spoke about God's future rescue of Israel (Isaiah 11:11; compare Zechariah 5:11).