Ziggurat of Ur

I'll have several stories to share from my recent trip to Dhi Qar Province, I hope you enjoy them all.

Today I visited the ancient ziggurat near the ancient city of Ur. "What's a ziggurat?", I said as our hosts told us that we were taking an archaeological adventure before leaving on the plane. Here's the answer from Wikipedia:

"Ziggurats were important to the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians of ancient Iran and Mesopotamia. The earliest examples of the ziggurat were simple raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period during the fourth millennium BC, and the latest date from the 6th century BC. The top of the ziggurat was flat, unlike many pyramids. The step pyramid style began near the end of the Early Dynastic Period. Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a pyramidal structure. Sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven, with a shrine or temple at the summit. Access to the shrine was provided by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from base to summit. Notable examples of this structure include the Great Ziggurat of Ur and Khorsabad in Mesopotamia.

The ziggurats had no internal chambers. they were almost always square or rectangular, where one side was upwards of 170 feet (50 meters) long.

The Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places for public worship or ceremonies. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods. Through the ziggurat, the gods could be close to mankind, and each city had its own patron god. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society.

There are 32 ziggurats known at, and near, Mesopotamia. Twenty-eight of them are in Iraq, and four of them are in Iran. "

We visited the ziggurat near Ur, in the southern region of Iraq. It was a hot day, and the landscape around the ziggurat looks like the moon, devoid of vegetation. Standing on top of the ziggurat gives one a view of some remains of structures in the immediate vicinity. It was so quiet and lonely, and difficult to imagine that thousands of people must have worked on this site some 4,000 years ago! Yes, this ziggurat was built around 2100 B.C.!!

Locals claim that the prophet Abraham was born in this very location, but that's unproven, of course. Regardless, this is an awesome, historic site that reflects the intelligence of this ancient civilization.

Top photo: Ziggurat of Ur, see the man standing on top? That gives you an indication of the size of this....all made from mud bricks!!

Middle photo: Me, standing on top of the Ziggurat of Ur.

Bottom photo: A photo from the top of the ziggurat of Ur, looking down to the next level, with the surrounding terrain in the background.