CHOGHA
ZANBIL
![](chogazanbil1.jpg)
Dur
Untash (Elamite), Chogha Zanbil, Iran
![](chogazanbil.jpg)
Ziggurat
at Chogha Zanbil
Location
: Khuzestan Province, Iran
Coordinates
: 32°0'30 N 48°31'15 E
Type
: Settlement
History
Builder : Untash-Napirisha
Founded : 1250 BC
Abandoned : 640 BC
Cultures : Elamite
Site
Notes
Excavation dates : 1951–1961
Archaeologists
: Roman Ghirshman
Condition
: In ruins
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
Official
name : Tchogha Zanbil
Criteria
: Cultural: (iii), (iv)
Reference
: 113
Inscription
: 1979 (3rd session)
Chogha
Zanbil (Persian: Elamite: Dur Untash) is an ancient Elamite complex
in the Khuzestan province of Iran. It is one of the few existing
ziggurats outside Mesopotamia. It lies approximately 30 km (19 mi)
southeast of Susa and 80 km (50 mi) north of Ahvaz.
History
and etymology :
The Elamite language is a language isolate Choga Zanbil is typically
translated as 'basket mound.' It was built about 1250 BC by the
king Untash-Napirisha, mainly to honor the great god Inshushinak.
Its original name was Dur Untash, which means 'town of Untash'
in Assyrian, but it is unlikely that many people, besides priests
and servants, ever lived there. The complex is protected by
three concentric walls which define the main areas of the 'town'.
The inner area is wholly taken up with a great ziggurat dedicated
to the main god, which was built over an earlier square temple with
storage rooms also built by Untash-Napirisha.
The
middle area holds eleven temples for lesser gods. It is believed
that twenty-two temples were originally planned, but the king died
before they could be finished, and his successors discontinued the
building work. In the outer area are royal palaces, a funerary palace
containing five subterranean royal tombs.
Although
construction in the city abruptly ended after Untash-Napirisha's
death, the site was not abandoned, but continued to be occupied
until it was destroyed by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in 640
BC. Some scholars speculate, based on the large number of temples
and sanctuaries at Chogha Zanbil, that Untash-Napirisha attempted
to create a new religious center (possibly intended to replace Susa)
which would unite the gods of both highland and lowland Elam at
one site.
The
ziggurat originally measured 105.2 metres (345 ft) on each side
and about 53 metres (174 ft) in height, in five levels, and was
crowned with a temple. Mud brick was the basic material of the
whole ensemble. The ziggurat was given a facing of baked bricks,
a number of which have cuneiform characters giving the names of
deities in the Elamite and Akkadian languages. Though the ziggurat
now stands only 24.75 metres (81.2 ft) high, less than half its
estimated original height, its state of preservation is unsurpassed.
The
main building materials in Chogha Zanbil were mud bricks and occasionally
baked bricks. The monuments were decorated with glazed baked bricks,
gypsum and ornaments of faïence and glass. Ornamenting
the most important buildings were thousands of baked bricks bearing
inscriptions with Elamite cuneiform characters were all inscribed
by hand. Glazed terracotta statues such as bulls and winged griffins
guarded the entrances to the ziggurat. Near the temples of Kiririsha
and Hishmitik-Ruhuratir, kilns were found that were probably used
for the production of baked bricks and decorative materials. It
is believed that the ziggurat was built in two stages. It took its
multi-layered form in the second phase.
The
ziggurat is considered to be the best preserved example of the stepped
pyramidal monument by UNESCO. In 1979, Chogha Zanbil became the
first Iranian site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage
List.
![](640px-Tchogha_Zanbil.jpg)
Archaeology
:
![](Axe_Sb_3973.jpg)
Axe
bearing the name of the king Untash-Napirisha
Choga Zanbil was excavated in six seasons between 1951 and 1961
by Roman Ghirshman.
Threats
:
Petroleum exploration due to increased global demand threatens the
foundations of the site, as various seismic tests have been undertaken
to explore for reserves of petroleum. Digging for oil has been undertaken
as close as 300 metres (984 ft) away from the ziggurat.
Gallery
:
![](640px-Dur_Untash_-_Chgoha_Zanbil_Shush_-Susa_-Khuzesten_-Iran_2011.jpg)
Zigurat
of Dur Untash
![](640px-Choqa_Zanbil_Darafsh_1_(36).jpg)
Profile
view of Dur Untash Zigurat structure
![](640px-The_ziggurat_at_Aqar_Quf.jpg)
Similar
Zigurat structures in Iraq: The ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu
![](640px-Ancient_ziggurat_at_Ali_Air_Base_Iraq_2005.jpg)
Similar
Zigurat structures in Iraq: Ziggurat of Ur
![](535px-West_Asiatic_Architecture_68.jpg)
The
Ziggurat at Chogha Zanbil is one of the main Ziggurats
![](640px-Choqa_Zanbil_2.jpg)
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Chogha_Zanbil