ZIGGURAT OF UR: ORIGIN, HISTORY, LOCATION, CHARACTERISTICS, RECONSTRUCTION - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Ziggurat of Ur is a pyramid-shaped temple that was built during the development of the Mesopotamian civilization. It was erected in the ancient city of Ur - now Iraq - in the course of the Ur III dynasty, under the rule of King Ur-Nammu. Its objective was to pay homage to the god Nanna ("moon") and to encourage the collective identity of the subjects.

Despite the fact that this ziggurat could not be preserved in its entirety, there are data recorded in cuneiform writing where the structure of this building is detailed; It is a monument that has a rectangular base, staggered in different floors. In the last of these a chapel was placed to worship the deity.

The Ziggurat of Ur is a pyramid-shaped temple that was built during the development of the Mesopotamian civilization. Source: Hardnfast (public domain).

It should be noted that there is not a single Ziggurat, but in fact several monuments of this style were built. However, the best preserved is the Ziggurat of Ur.

The remains of the Ziggurat of Uruk and Nippur were also preserved. According to historians, in every major city in the region there was at least one ziggurat. On the other hand, the city of Akkad had three of them. However, the location of this city remains an enigma.

The word "Ziggurat" comes from the verb zaqaru (Akkadian language) and means "to build on high." The ziggurats were really monumental and complex structures, which also looked even more imposing thanks to the particular plains of the Mesopotamian territory.

Some historians compare the ziggurats with the cathedrals of the Middle Ages and with modern skyscrapers, since the silhouette of these buildings dominated the landscape of the great and ancient cities. In other words, the ziggurats were the main focus of the cities.

During 2016, the Ziggurat of Ur was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which placed the temple in two categories: as an archaeological landscape of Mesopotamia and as a defense of the biodiversity of the Ahwar.

Origin and history

The ideological strategy of the monarchs of Ur

According to Viviana Gómez, in her text Identity and Identity Architecture in the Old Kingdom of Ur III (2009), the dynasties of Ur III decided to reinforce the collective identity of their subjects in order to avoid social tensions and political divisions.

For this, royalty took up the concepts of kur and kalam. In this way, the differentiation that existed between the periphery, defined as chaotic and wild - kur - and the kingdom of Ur, an urbanized and orderly plain - kalam - was emphasized.

From this dichotomy, an ideology was structured based on the idea that the true political separation was not between one city or another, but that it resided between the unified Mesopotamian whole and the wild and barbarous world around it.

As the neo-Numerical kings needed to rehabilitate the monarchical institution, they used architecture as one of the main channels to spread their ideological message, aimed at reinforcing social identity and generating a collective current that would legitimize the sovereignty of the kingdom and keep it in power.

During the period of Ur III, the territories of the kingdom acquired an extraordinary relief from the architectural point of view. In fact, the urbanization reached a remarkable development. In addition, the large building projects were strategically designed to fulfill a symbolic and at the same time practical function, which spread an identity message through its monumentality.

The city of Ur

According to Ana Maldonado, in her text Urbanism of the Cities of Antiquity (2003), Ur was a hegemonic city that had an organic urbanism, since it evolved naturally from an original nucleus.

Furthermore, this author affirms that the municipality of Ur had three main elements: the sacred precinct, the outer city and the walled city. The walled city was made up of a group of low-rise houses, as they only reached two floors. The higher the social category of the families, the closer the house was to the urban center.

The outer city consisted of two large avenues that connected the palaces with the rest of the municipality. This entire area was built with adobe, so nothing of it has been preserved, however, it is assumed that this area had sidewalks, sewers and small houses.

Religious buildings (the sacred precinct) occupied the heart of the city. They had their own wall and followed an orthogonic organization. Within this category is the Ziggurat of Ur.

The Ziggurats

Among the numerous religious and civil buildings (such as temples, palaces, remodeling of mulles and water infrastructures), the most significant construction of the Mesopotamian basin emerged: the Ziggurats; especially the one raised by Ur-Nammu in Ur, the capital of the kingdom. He also highlighted that of Eridu, completed during the Amar-Sin mandate.

The ziggurats were stepped towers that fulfilled two main functions: to represent the power not only of the prince, but also of the city and to honor the greatness of the patron god (the god to whom the construction was dedicated). In addition, these buildings also functioned as a kind of spiritual staircase that allowed them to connect with the world of their gods.

Thanks to their large dimensions and their location, the ziggurats became the most striking urban elements in the region. The ziggurats were erected near the royal palace, the treasury, the court of law, and the priestly residences, making them part of the citizen body.

Likewise, its monumental stairways allowed subjects to present offerings on special occasions, such as for the arrival of the New Year.

Simultaneously, the gigantism of these buildings built with clay bricks reflected the power of the king as a pious builder, since this was one of the characteristics that every Mesopotamian monarch should have, as reflected in the Ur-Nammu Stela.

The structure of the ziggurats became very popular, which is why its style remained for 1500 years. This resulted in the development of an architectural complex based mainly on a pyramidal shape with three steps.

According to some records, it can be stated that the Sumerians considered that high buildings could only be used for religious cults. Therefore, the population could only inhabit low buildings.

Location

The Ziggurat of Ur is located in the Republic of Iraq or Iraq, which was formerly known as Mesopotamia. It was built in the municipality of Ur, which today is about 24 kilometers from the city of Nasiriya. Like any great city, the town of Ur was built near a river, in this case the Euphrates, which flowed into the Persian Gulf.

characteristics

- The Ziggurat of Ur was built mainly with brick and adobe. The latter consists of an uncooked brick made of clay and straw, molded in a rectangular shape and dried with the heat of the Sun.

- Regarding its dimensions, this Ziggurat has a height of 15 meters, while its base has an extension of 61 meters wide and 45.7 meters long.

- Its architectural style corresponds to the Sumerian design, which had an urban and harmonious approach. The Sumerians used bitumen to seal the pipe canals and made all their constructions with adobe, so the buildings deteriorated more easily.

- The ruins of this monument were discovered in 1850 by William Kennett, although the excavations were carried out by John George Taylor. After the First World War, other excavations were carried out under Henry Hall.

Subsequently, the University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the British Museum, carried out other archaeological work under the tutelage of Leonard Woolley in 1922.

- The ziggurat of Ur is about 4000 years old, however, it is in good condition thanks to restorations. In 1991, the building was affected by the First Gulf War, as firearms caused four cracks in the structure that can still be seen.

Parts

The Ziggurat has a rectangular plan and a main staircase that led to the central chapel. It also had two secondary staircases where the subjects climbed their offerings.

It can be said that the monument had seven large terraces, however, only three have been preserved. Likewise, the building had several water outlets to prevent flooding. Finally, some digital reconstructions show some gardens that were used to decorate the terraces.

Digital reconstruction of the Ziggurat of Ur. Source: wikiwikiyarou

Reconstruction

According to historiographical sources, the Ziggurat of Ur was inaugurated in the 21st century BC. C. by king Ur-Nammu. However, the building was destroyed by the Elamites, a community from the territories of Iran. Years later the Ziggurat was rebuilt by King Nebuchadnezzar II, a ruler of Babylon.

After this, the monument remained hidden until its discovery in 1850. Later, the politician Saddam Hussein during his tenure ordered to rebuild the entire first level together with the main staircase. This restoration took place in the 1970s and was aimed at attracting tourists to the city of Nasiriya.

References

1. Foltz, R. (2016) Iran and Iraq in world history. Retrieved on November 14, 2019 from Google books.
2. Gómez, V. (2009) Identity and Identity Architecture in the Old Kingdom of Ur III. Retrieved on November 14, 2019 from Digital Repository.
3. Maldonado, (2003) Urbanism of the cities of Antiquity. Retrieved on November 15, 2019 from oa.upm.es
4. Nightingale, C. (2012) Segregation: a global history of divided cities. Retrieved on November 14, 2019 from Google books.
5. SA (2012) Zigurats, the temples of Mesopotamia. Retrieved on November 15, 2019 from National Geographic.
6. SA (sf) Ziggurat de Ur. Retrieved on November 14, 2019 from Wikipedia.