Chogha Zanbil

Long ago, a king built a city.

He built it to honor a god. The city was made of mud bricks. A very tall tower stood in the middle.

This tower is called a ziggurat. It has many levels. The king used baked bricks for the tower. The city had three big walls. It also had many temples inside. People lived there for a long time. Now, many people visit this old place.

Chogha Zanbil is an ancient city in Iran.

A king named Untash-Napirisha built it around 1250 BC. He built the city to honor a god. Its old name was Dur Untash. This name means "town of Untash." Most people there were likely priests or servants.

The city had three big walls. These walls kept the different areas safe. Inside, there were many temples for many gods. The center of the city held a great ziggurat. A ziggurat is a tall, stepped tower.

This tower was made of mud bricks. The king also used baked bricks on the outside. These bricks had writing on them. The ziggurat had five levels. It was very tall, but it is shorter now. In 645 BC, a ruler named Ashurbanipal destroyed the city. Today, the site is a special place. UNESCO protects it as a World Heritage site. People still study the bricks and statues found there.

Chogha Zanbil is a very special ancient site in Iran.

It is located in the Khuzestan province. This place is famous for its ziggurat. A ziggurat is a tall, stepped tower. Most ziggurats are found in Mesopotamia. However, this one is a rare example outside that area. It is a huge site covering 96 hectares. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This means it is protected as a very important place for history.

The city was built a long time ago. King Untash-Napirisha built it around 1250 BC.

He called the city Dur Untash. This name means "town of Untash." The king built it to honor the god Inshushinak. He also wanted to honor the god Napirisha. Some experts think the king wanted a new religious center. He might have wanted to unite different gods in one place. The city was likely for priests and servants. It was not a place where many regular people lived.

The city was organized with three big walls. These walls created different areas inside the town. The outer wall had seven gates. Only two of these gates have been found by researchers. The middle wall had four gates. Between the first and second walls, there was a shared temple. The innermost area was 2.5 hectares in size. This central area held the great ziggurat. The ziggurat was built over an older square temple. This temple had special rooms for storing things.

The ziggurat is the most famous part of the complex. It was built using mud bricks. The builders also used baked bricks for the outside. Many of these bricks have cuneiform writing on them. This writing names different gods. The tower originally had five levels. It also had a temple at the very top. One gate led all the way to the fifth level. There were also statues at the gates. One statue was made of blue-glazed terracotta. It was dedicated to the god Inshushinak. There were also eleven temples in the middle area for other gods.

People have studied this site for many years. A geologist first found it while looking for oil. He found an inscribed brick and showed it to experts. Roland de Mecquenem excavated the site between 1935 and 1946. Later, Roman Ghirshman led big excavations from 1951 to 1962. His team moved almost 100,000 cubic yards of debris. They found many things, like royal tombs and beautiful tiles. In 645 BC, the ruler Ashurbanipal destroyed the city. Today, people must be careful to protect the site. Searching for petroleum can be a hard job for the old ruins.

Chogha Zanbil is an ancient Elamite archaeological complex located in Iran's Khuzestan province.

It is famous for its massive ziggurat, which is a stepped pyramidal monument. While most ziggurats are found in Mesopotamia, this is one of the few remaining examples outside that region. The site covers a vast area of 96 hectares. In 1979, it became the first Iranian site to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today, it is considered the best-preserved example of a stepped pyramidal monument in the world.

The city was originally named Dur Untash, which translates to "town of Untash." It was built around 1250 BC by the Elamite king Untash-Napirisha.

The king likely intended the city to serve as a major religious center. Some scholars believe he wanted to unite the gods of the Elamite highlands and lowlands at one site. Because of its heavy focus on religion, it is unlikely that many people lived there. Instead, the population was probably mostly made up of priests and servants.

The complex was organized using three concentric walls that created distinct zones. The outermost wall featured seven gates, though archaeologists have only found two. Between the outer and middle walls, there was a shared temple for the gods Napirisha and Inshushinak. The middle area contained eleven temples dedicated to various other deities. These included gods such as Nabu, Adad, Inanna, and Humban.

Brick inscriptions have even identified up to twenty-two different temples at the site.

The heart of the complex was a 2.5-hectare innermost area. This central zone was dominated by the great ziggurat. The ziggurat was built in two distinct phases. First, builders constructed the structure up to the second level, including two temples. Later, they expanded it to its full height of five levels. The ziggurat was originally crowned with a temple at the very top. The corners of the structure were carefully oriented to the cardinal points.

Construction relied heavily on mud bricks, which formed the core of the buildings. To protect the structure, builders used a facing of baked bricks. Many of these bricks featured cuneiform characters. These inscriptions recorded the names of various deities in both Elamite and Akkadian languages. Every 11th level of bricks in the ziggurat was inscribed. Large gates were built into the four sides of the tower. One specific gate in the southwest allowed access all the way to the fifth level.

At the gates, researchers found half-life-sized statues, including one made of blue-glazed terracotta.

Archaeologists have worked hard to uncover the secrets of Chogha Zanbil. A geologist first discovered the site while performing oil exploration. He found an inscribed brick that mentioned a builder named "Untash-Gal." Roland de Mecquenem conducted early excavations between 1935 and 1946. Later, Roman Ghirshman led a major project from 1951 to 1962. His team used up to 125 workers to remove nearly 100,000 cubic yards of debris. They discovered royal palaces and a funerary palace containing five subterranean tombs. One undisturbed tomb contained an adult female between the ages of 40 and 60.

The city's long history ended when the Neo-Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal destroyed it around 645 BC.

Although the ziggurat is now less than half its original height, it remains an incredible historical treasure. However, the site faces modern challenges. Increased global demand for petroleum means that seismic tests and oil exploration occur nearby. These activities can threaten the ancient foundations of this important Elamite monument.