Ziggurat of Ur
Etemenniguru | |
Partially reconstructed facade and the access staircase of the ziggurat. The actual remains of the Neo-Babylonian structure can be seen at the top. | |
| Alternative name | Great Ziggurat of Ur |
|---|---|
| Location | Tell el-Muqayyar, Dhi Qar Province, Iraq |
| Region | Mesopotamia |
| Coordinates | 30°57′46″N 46°6′11″E / 30.96278°N 46.10306°E |
| Type | Temple |
| Part of | Ur |
| Area | 2880 m2 |
| Height | over 30 m |
| History | |
| Builder | Ur-Nammu |
| Material | mud brick with burnt brick facing |
| Founded | started in c. 2050–2030 BC, completed in c. 2030–1980 BC |
The Ziggurat (or Great Ziggurat) of Ur (Sumerian: 𒂍𒋼𒅎𒅍 é-temen-ní-gùru "Etemenniguru", meaning "house whose foundation creates terror") is a Neo-Sumerian ziggurat in what was the city of Ur near Nasiriyah, in present-day Dhi Qar Province, Iraq. The structure was built during the Early Bronze Age (21st century BC) but had crumbled to ruins by the 6th century BC of the Neo-Babylonian period, when it was restored by King Nabonidus.
Its remains were excavated in the 1920s and 1930s by international teams led by Sir Leonard Woolley. Under Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, they were encased by a partial reconstruction of the façade and the monumental staircase. The Ziggurat of Ur is the best-preserved of those known from Mesopotamia, besides the ziggurat of Dur Untash (Chogha Zanbil). It is one of three well-preserved structures of the Neo-Sumerian city of Ur, along with the Royal Mausolea and the Palace of Ur-Nammu (the E-hursag).