IraqA Neo-Sumerian step pyramid built c. 2100 BC by King Ur-Nammu of the Third Dynasty of Ur, dedicated to the moon god Nanna. The massive structure measured 64 metres long, 45 metres wide, and over 30 metres high, with three tiers connected by buttressed staircases leading to a summit temple. Construction was completed by Ur-Nammu's son Shulgi. Excavated in the 1920s by Sir Leonard Woolley, the ziggurat is the best-preserved in Mesopotamia. It crumbled by the 6th century BC before being restored by King Nabonidus, and was partially reconstructed under Saddam Hussein in the 1980s. Damaged during the 1991 Gulf War, it received UNESCO World Heritage status in 2016.
Great Ziggurat of Ur
| Type | Temple complex |
|---|---|
| Period | 500 BC - 1 AD |
| Country | Iraq |
| Coordinates | 30.9628° N, 46.1031° E |