The Ziggurat of Ur, Dhi Qar Provinace, Iraq, Circa 2100 B.C.E

The Great Ziggurat of Ur was constructed by the ancient Sumerian of the third dynasty of Ur. Located in present day Dhi Qar Province, Iraq, the stepped pyramid was built around 2100 B.C.E. by King UR-Nammu and dedicated to the moon god Nanna. The ancient Ziggurats are the most influential architectural creation of antiquity.

The Moon God Nanna visits his Ziggurat. Image source: AncientWorlds

 The Ziggurat measures 64 m in length, 30 m in width and is thought to have stood 30 m in height however, because the top tiers have been destroyed. The core of the Ziggurat was filled with mud bricks, while the façade used sun baked bricks and bitumen. The bricks measured approximately 11.5” x 11.5” x 2.75” and weighed as much as 33 pounds each. Three massive stair cases rose to the first terrace with a single staircase rising to the second and third. Atop the third terrace stood the temple of Nanna. When the site was excavated, evidence suggested the temple was constructed using blue died bricks. ⁽¹⁾

The Great Ziggurat was constructed in the city-state of Ur, an ancient Sumerian civilization that, at the height of its power, controlled much of Mesopotamia. The Ziggurat would have towered over the surrounding city and area, extending into the realm of gods. Thus, the ancient Sumerians believed that the moon god Nanna lived atop the temple. During the excavation of the Ziggurat, archeologists found remnants of a bedchamber, believed to be for their god. The bedchamber was also home to handmaidens chosen to serve the god. ⁽²⁾

What remains of the Ziggurat of Ur today. Source: Epistematica

Over time, the River Euphrates, which had once ran on the outskirts of Ur, had changed its course. As a result the great city-state of Ur was abandoned and lost to time. In the early 19^th century, European explorers had rediscovered Ur and the Ziggurat. During initial excavation of the site, it was discovered that the Ziggurat had fallen into disrepair and restored in the sixth century B.C.E under King Nabodinus, the last Neo-Babylonian king. It is speculated that the upper two terraces had been restored. Then, in the late 1980’s, Saddam Hussein had the façade of the foundation restored. Today, all that remains of the Great Ziggurat of Ur is its massive foundation.

1.  Web Source

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/sumerian/a/ziggurat-of-ur

2. Web Source

             http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/great-ziggurat-ur-001767

3. Book Source

Roth, Leland M. and Amanda C. Roth Clark. Understand Architecture Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Westview Press, CO, 1993