Ziggurat 1

Ziggurat
Ziggurats (Akkadian ziqqurat, D-stem
of zaqāru "to build on a raised area")
were massive structures built in the
ancient Mesopotamian valley and
western Iranian plateau, having the
form of a terraced step pyramid of
successively receding stories or levels.

Notable ziggurats include the Great

Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq; the
Ziggurat of Aqar Quf near Baghdad,
Iraq; Chogha Zanbil in Khūzestān,
Iran; and Sialk near Kashan, Iran.

Description
Ziggurats were built by the Sumerians, The reconstructed facade of the Neo-Sumerian Great Ziggurat of Ur, near Nasiriyah, Iraq

Babylonians, Elamites, Akkadians, and

Assyrians for local religions. Each ziggurat was part of a temple complex which included other buildings. The
precursors of the ziggurat were raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period[1] during the fourth millennium BC.
The earliest ziggurats began near the end of the Early Dynastic Period.[2] The latest Mesopotamian ziggurats date
from the 6th century BC. Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a
pyramidal structure with a flat top. 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. Kings
sometimes had their names engraved on these glazed bricks. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven. It is
assumed that they had shrines at the top, but there is no archaeological evidence for this and the only textual
evidence is from Herodotus.[3] Access to the shrine would have been by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat
or by a spiral ramp from base to summit. The Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places for public worship or
ceremonies. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods 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.

One of the best-preserved ziggurats is Chogha Zanbil in western Iran.

The Sialk ziggurat, in Kashan, Iran, is the oldest known ziggurat,
dating to the early 3rd millennium BC. Ziggurat designs ranged from
simple bases upon which a temple sat, to marvels of mathematics and
construction which spanned several terraced stories and were topped
with a temple.

An example of a simple ziggurat is the White Temple of Uruk, in

ancient Sumer. The ziggurat itself is the base on which the White CAD rendering of Sialk's largest ziggurat based
on archeological evidence.
Temple is set. Its purpose is to get the temple closer to the heavens,
and provide access from the ground to it via steps. The Mesopotamians
believed that these pyramid temples connected heaven and earth. In fact, the ziggurat at Babylon was known as
Etemenankia or "House of the Platform between Heaven and Earth".
Ziggurat 2

An example of an extensive and massive ziggurat is the Marduk ziggurat, or Etemenanki, of ancient Babylon.
Unfortunately, not much of even the base is left of this massive structure, yet archeological findings and historical
accounts put this tower at seven multicolored tiers, topped with a temple of exquisite proportions. The temple is
thought to have been painted and maintained an indigo color, matching the tops of the tiers. It is known that there
were three staircases leading to the temple, two of which (side flanked) were thought to have only ascended half the
ziggurat's height.
Etemenanki, the name for the structure, is Sumerian and means "The Foundation of Heaven and Earth". The date of
its original construction is unknown, with suggested dates ranging from the fourteenth to the ninth century BC, with
textual evidence suggesting it existed in the second millennium.[4]

Interpretation and significance

According to Herodotus, at the top of each ziggurat was a shrine, although none of these shrines has survived.[1] One
practical function of the ziggurats was a high place on which the priests could escape rising water that annually
inundated lowlands and occasionally flooded for hundreds of miles, as for example the 1967 flood.[5] Another
practical function of the ziggurat was for security. Since the shrine was accessible only by way of three stairways,[6]
a small number of guards could prevent non-priests from spying on the rituals at the shrine on top of the ziggurat,
such as cooking of sacrificial food and burning of carcasses of sacrificial animals. Each ziggurat was part of a temple
complex that included a courtyard, storage rooms, bathrooms, and living quarters, around which a city was built.[7]

Ziggurat-inspired modern architecture

The ziggurat style of architecture continues to be used and copied today in many places of the world.
In the United States, some examples include:
• The Temple of Eck in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
• The University of Tennessee Hodges Library in Knoxville, Tennessee.
• The United States Bullion Depository Gold Vault in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
• The National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, DC, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
• The Chet Holifield Federal Building in Laguna Niguel, California, designed by William Pereira.
• The Ziggurat in West Sacramento, California, headquarters of the California Department of General Services.
• The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York was conceived by architect Frank Lloyd Wright as an
"inverted ziggurat."
Examples in the United Kingdom:
• Halls of residence for students at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, United Kingdom.
• The SIS Building, also commonly known as the MI6 Building, which is the headquarters of the British Secret
Intelligence Service.
• Birmingham Central Library in Birmingham, England is an inverted ziggurat form designed by John Maldin, a
powerful example of the Brutalist style.
Examples in Baghdad:
• A number of state buildings on Haifa street[8] and Babel hotel in Baghdad
Examples in Russia and Romania:
• The Palace of Soviets (unfinished) in Moscow, Russia, designed by Iofan, Schuko, and Gelfreikh.
• The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania
Example in Budapest:
• A look-out tower near to the National Theater of Budapest, Hungary.
Ziggurat 3

The Ziggurat of Sacramento, The SIS Building The University of Tennessee Ziggurats at the University
California Hodges Library of East Anglia

Chet Holifield Federal Building, Ziggurat in Budapest,

Laguna Niguel, California Hungary

Notes
[1] Crawford, page 73
[2] Crawford, page 73-74
[3] Crawford, page 85
[4] George , Andrew (2007) "The Tower of Babel: Archaeology, history and cuneiform texts" Archiv fuer Orientforschung, 51 (2005/2006).
pp. 75-95. (http:/ / eprints. soas. ac. uk/ 3858/ 2/ TowerOfBabel. AfO. pdf),
[5] Aramco World Magazine, March–April 1968, pages 32-33
[6] Crawford, page 75
[7] Oppenheim, pages 112, 326-328
[8] http:/ / maps. google. com/ maps?hl=en& geocode=& q=haifa+ street& sll=33. 268546,44. 87915& sspn=1. 389309,2. 221985& ie=UTF8&
t=k& ll=33. 33419,44. 385645& spn=0. 002712,0. 00434& z=18

References
• T. Busink, "L´origine et évolution de la ziggurat babylonienne". Jaarbericht van het Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch
Genootschap Ex Oriente Lux 21 (1970), 91-141.
• R. Chadwick, "Calendars, Ziggurats, and the Stars". The Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies Bulletin
(Toronto) 24 (Nov. 1992), 7-24.
• R.G. Killick, "Ziggurat". The Dictionary of Art (ed. J. Turner, New York & London: Macmillan), vol. 33,
675-676.
• H.J. Lenzen, Die Entwicklung der Zikurrat von ihren Anfängen bis zur Zeit der III. Dynastie von Ur (Leipzig
1942).
• M. Roaf, Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East (New York 1990), 104-107.
• E.C. Stone, "Ziggurat". The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East (ed. E.M. Meyers, New York
& Oxford 1997), vol. 5, 390-391.
• J.A. Black & A. Green, "Ziggurat". Dictionary of the Ancient Near East (eds. P. Bienkowski & A. Millard,
London: British Museum), 327-328.
• Harriet Crawford, Sumer and the Sumerians, Cambridge University Press, (New York 1993), ISBN
0-521-38850-3.
• A. Leo Oppenheim, Ancient Mesopotamia, University of Chicago Press, (Chicago 1977), ISBN 0-226-63187-7.
• Beck, Roger B.; Linda Black, Larry S. Krieger, Phillip C. Naylor, Dahia Ibo Shabaka, (1999). World History:
Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell. ISBN 0-395-87274-X.
Ziggurat 4

• Leick, Gwendolyn (2002). Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-140-265-740.

External links
• Website of Choqa Zanbil ziggurat, Iran. (http://www.chogha-zanbil.com/)
• Article on status of Sialk ziggurat, Iran. (http://www.iranian.com/History/2004/April/Sialk/index.html)
Article Sources and Contributors 5

Article Sources and Contributors

Ziggurat  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=444998864  Contributors: -js-, 119, 1ForTheMoney, 2D, AWhiteC, Aamrun, Adam Bishop, Adamjmartinez, AdjustShift,
Aeternium, Aforcez, Alansohn, Ale jrb, Alexander Mclean, Allstarecho, Alpha Quadrant (alt), AmiDaniel, Anaxial, Andi d, AndreaAllison, Andres, Angela, Animum, AnonGuy,
Anthonyalbright, Apeloverage, ArcAngel, ArielGold, Arthena, Aruton, Ashley Y, Backslash Forwardslash, Basawala, Beej, Bevo, Biggerrack, Billy ruth, Blainster, Bless sins, Bnguyen,
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Falcon8765, Farosdaughter, FelisLeo, Fingers-of-Pyrex, Flaming Ferrari, Flauto Dolce, Flewis, Flowerparty, FlyingToaster, FrancisTyers, Franklin.vp, Fratley, G, Galoubet, Garzo, Gatemansgc,
Gdenk13, Geg, Geof2323, GeorgeLouis, Ghiraddje, Ginkgo100, Gioto, Giovanni33, GnuDoyng, Grandpafootsoldier, Gravitan, Greensburger, Guesswhonotme, HaeB, Haggen Kennedy, Hairy
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NellieBly, Nepenthes, Nikonguy58, Niteshift36, Njoecool270, Nkel0269, Nsaa, Odie5533, OlEnglish, Olivier, Oore, Opelio, Orgorg, Ori, Oxymoron83, Pepper, Perfect Proposal, PerryTachett,
Peter Isotalo, PeterSymonds, Pharaoh of the Wizards, Phildonnia, Philip Trueman, Pomte, Pouya, Pyrrhus16, QmunkE, Quantpole, Quietbritishjim, Qwyrxian, Random user 39849958,
RandorXeus, Raven in Orbit, Reach Out to the Truth, RexNL, Rfc1394, Rich Janis, Rjwilmsi, Rmhermen, Robertd, Ronhjones, Roozbeh, RoyBoy, Ruy Pugliesi, Ryucloud, Ryuukuro, SECProto,
SadeqRahimi, Sam Korn, Samscholes, Samsknee, Sceptre, Scientizzle, Sectori, ShatteredSpiral, Shauni, Shimgray, Shulgi, Sionus, Skribb, Smjohnson85, Snozberries1, Solipsist, Someone the
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Vrenator, Waking, Wayne Slam, Wdflake, WereSpielChequers, West.andrew.g, Westerness, Whitehatnetizen, Whosasking, Why Not A Duck, WikipedianMarlith, Wikipelli, William M.
Connolley, Williamrlinden, XDarklytez, Xanthoptica, Xcentaur, YorkBW, Zereshk, Ziggurat, Zoeperkoe, Zscout370, Zzztriple2000, 990 anonymous edits

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Image:Ancient ziggurat at Ali Air Base Iraq 2005.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ancient_ziggurat_at_Ali_Air_Base_Iraq_2005.jpg  License: Creative Commons
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anonymous edits
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