Dur-Kurigalzu (Ziggurat at Aqar Quf)

Dur-Kurigalzu (modern Aqar Quf, Baghdad Governorate) was a fortified city and royal residence of the Kassite dynasty, founded by Kurigalzu I around 1400 BC near the confluence of the Tigris and Diyala rivers. Its ziggurat, dedicated to the Sumerian god Enlil, still stands approximately 52 metres high with ancient reed mats and twisted ropes still binding its mudbrick layers together. The city spanned 425 hectares and included a royal palace covering 420,000 square metres, three temples, and painted wall decorations. Systematic excavations led by Iraqi archaeologist Taha Baqir between 1943 and 1945 unearthed major structures including a life-sized statue of Kurigalzu II. Since 2022, an Iraqi-Italian expedition from the University of Bologna has been conducting new excavations.