The land of Subartu or Subar is mentioned in Bronze Age literature.

The name also appears as Subari in the Amarna letters, and, in the form Šbr, in Ugarit.Subartu was apparently a polity in Northern Mesopotamia, at the upper Tigris, in the general sphere of influence of the Hurrians.

Its precise location has not been identified.

From the point of view of the Akkadian Empire, Subartu marked the northern geographical horizon, just as Martu, Elam and Sumer marked "west", "east" and "south", respectively.